Page 109 of Tainted Obsession 1
Confessing my love now will seal her fate. I’m toxic to the people I love most. She told me she loves me, and I didn’t say it back. Because some dark part of me knows this is inevitable: my love for her will kill her.
He licks her pale cheek, and she shudders in revulsion. Her eyes are wide and wild with terror, and she barely breathes with his blade pressing into her neck. A small bead of blood wells at her throat, and panic claws me.
“Maybe I should take my turn fucking her before I give her scars to match mine,” Rocco muses.
I roar in wordless fury, beyond coherent thought. A sense of powerlessness hollows out my chest, and it has nothing to do with the weaker men who have me pinned down. With his knife at her throat, I can’t so much as flinch without risking her life.
He gropes at her chest with his free hand, squeezing her breast hard enough to draw a sharp cry.
“Wait!” A new voice booms through the basement. “This isn’t what we discussed.”
I can’t take my eyes off the horrific sight of Rocco’s knife against her porcelain skin, so I read her lips clearly when she soundlessly says the man’s name.
George.
Chapter 42
Evelyn
My brain stalls out at the sight of my ex-fiancé descending the stairs, rushing into the dank basement. He looks exactly as I remember him: carefully styled, dark blond hair, cleanshaven, square jaw, and navy-blue eyes framed in thick lashes. He’s every inch the righteous federal agent, but I know what he really is.
“Don’t hurt her,” he snaps at Rocco.
For a moment, my heart leaps. Maybe George has come to realize the depth of his sins. Maybe he isn’t here to kill me and keep his sordid secret.
“You told us about the deal Massimo made with the cartels to undercut our business here in Naples,” Rocco says to George, his voice even icier than the blade at my throat. “In exchange for the information, I promised you that I’ll handle your ex. She won’t tell anyone at the DEA that you’re a corrupt agent. This is what you asked for.”
“I didn’t come all the way to Italy to watch you torture her,” George seethes.
“I invited you as a courtesy to see that the job is done, but I will not be deprived of my revenge,” Rocco snaps back. “You came to me when you found out that I’m Massimo’s swornenemy. I can finally kill him for what he did to my face, and your ex will be out of the picture too. So, shut the fuck up and let me handle my business.”
A muscle ticks in George’s jaw, a warning sign that his anger is mounting.
The man I once thought I loved is a stranger to me. I planned to spend the rest of my life with this monster, but all he cares about is saving his own reputation.
“I didn’t agree to you tormenting her,” he insists.
Rocco barks a frigid laugh. “She’s fucking your enemy, and you’re trying to spare her some pain? If you’re too much of a pussy to watch, then you can leave. I’ve been waiting to punish Massimo for far too long. You won’t ruin this for me.”
I meet Massimo’s desperate eyes, allowing him to look straight into my core, to see my love for him. His beautiful features are twisted with rage and terror for me. An odd sense of calm settles over me.
Despite the fact that I face death, I don’t regret anything that’s happened with the cartels and the Camorra. If I hadn’t followed George to Mexico City, I never would’ve met Massimo.
For years, I made myself small for my ex-fiancé. I did everything in my power to make him happy, desperate to earn his love in return.
With Massimo, I’ve allowed myself to be difficult at times. I challenged him for keeping me against my will, and I stood up to him when he made demands of me that I didn’t agree with.
I’m empowered to express my full range of emotions with him because I feel inherently safe with my dark protector.
I open myself to him, allowing him to see my devotion and gratitude shining through my eyes. No matter what happens now, I wouldn’t change one moment with him. He’s allowed me to truly be myself for the first time in my life. I will never regret that.
If Rocco kills me, Massimo will go insane with grief. He’ll probably be murdered after I am. I won’t allow him to be hurt.
And I won’t allow George to take one more thing from me, much less my life. I will never make myself small for him ever again.
I pin my ex-fiancé with a challenging stare. “For years, I gave you everything. I devoted my entire life to you, and now you want to end it. If you ever felt anything for me, you’ll let me go.”
“Get her out of here, you coward,” Massimo snarls.
