Page 26 of Hateful Vows
“Already done,Lyosha. I’ll walk him like a dog by the end of the month.”
TWELVE
DANTE
Motherfucking kids got another text. This time sayingIwas the target and the prize was double what it had been for my father. I won’t lie, my ego was stroked a little, but dammit, the gall of the asshole responsible. I haven’t even been on the throne for a month. Give me a break.
That’s why I never wanted this role. No matter how much I despised my father and his archaic views on marriage, homosexuality, women—hell, pretty much anything—with him alive, I didn’t have to think about shit.
Andrea Capaldi traced the text. The GPS signal directs towards Milford, a small town hours away from London. It used to be a known port shipping coal but it’s pretty much dead now, with dozens of abandoned buildings in the shipyard. It holds a special place in my memories and I dread going there, however necessary it is. The last time I was there was for a holiday with my parents. A lifetime ago. Gio was still alive. We played in abandoned ships all-day long, and got into trouble with our mum when we came home with scraped knees and ripped clothes.
“Tino, call the team. We’re going hunting,” I tell my second-in-command who nods and picks up his phone on his way out of my office.
I open a panel inside one of the library doors to reveal a hidden compartment with tactical gear and more weapons that I’d need but I don’t want to go in there blind. I’m strapping a bullet-proof vest across my chest when I feel her presence. She’s hard to miss.
My precious little wife’s all dressed in black, leggings following the athletic curves of her legs and ass, and my eyes widen when I take in her bullet-proof vest and tight chignon.
“Where are you going?” I ask.
She rolls her eyes, leaning on the threshold and crossing her arms. My question obviously annoyed her. Her attitude gets me hard. I want to get her on her knees for the insolence. I will my dick to calm down and resume my preparations.
“I asked you a question, Irina.”
“Since it’s a stupid one, I won’t answer it.”
If I keep clenching like I am right now, I’ll pop a tooth. I take a deep breath and turn to her, approaching with determined steps. I grab her throat, revelling in the way it bobs against my fingers. “You’re not coming with us. You’ll get yourself killed.”
“Please,” she mocks. “This isn’t my first rodeo.”
I know she can take care of herself, I’ve seen first hand how fast she moves. She’s been trained.
“You’ll getmekilled.”
“That’s a bonus.”
I squeeze a little harder around her slender neck and her eyes take on a darker shade.
“You’re gonna distract me and my men.”
“That’s a you problem,” she breathes, her lips parting on a breath that gets stuck on its way into her lungs. Her manicuredhands clasp mine, but she isn’t trying to dislodge me. I must be hallucinating. There’s no way she’s putting more pressure.
My vicious wife has been avoiding me since our wedding two days ago. We’ve slept in separate bedrooms at my condo. I’ve mostly been working from my father’s mansion, and she’s been leaving early and coming home late. I know nothing of her routine and habits and that grates me the wrong way. I want to burrow under her skin until all she thinks about is me. Everywhere she looks, I want to be there and possess her thoughts and her mind.
But she’s elusive. Used to blending into the shadows, unseen and wraith-like.
I take a step back and she clears her throat, squaring her shoulders.
“Come on, we’re gonna be late,” she says.
My head drops back, eyes to the sky. She’s pushing my buttons. Yet, I follow her all the way out onto the front of my father’s house—now mine.Ours.
Tino raises a brow.
“Don’t even mention it,” I grumble and open the car door for Irina before getting inside after her. And what if my eyes linger on her tight body all dressed for murder and mayhem?
She’s my wife. I can do whatever I want.
“Two men inside, three outside, walking the perimeters, but Dante, I’ve never seen them before,” Tino says next to me as we observe the shipyard from our hidden spot on the hill above.
