Page 7 of Mafia Queen

A grin tugged at the edges of his mouth. “We’ll see.”

We walked up to the house. I leaned deeper into him, wanting more of his heat to spread through me. I wanted to breathe in his scent as much as I could to chase away the uncertainty that was currently burning a hole inside my chest.

We reached the top of the stairs when Lucio approached us. “You ready, cous?”

Antonio nodded. “Just give me ten.”

Lucio nodded, and I noticed the knowing glances they gave each other, the temperature around us dropping by twenty degrees. Antonio’s demeanor changed, hardened, and I could see the mask of his role as boss slip over his features as he turned to face me. “I have something I need to take care of.”

“You’re leaving me?” Panic started to claw at my lungs. I hated when he wasn’t with me. Without him, I felt vulnerable, weak…alone. I’d been alone for so long, and now that I finally had someone who made me feel secure like he did, I never wanted him to leave.

He brushed the back of his hand down my cheek. “I already know what you’re thinking. Don’t. I’m coming back. You know I always do.”

“I know.” I glanced at him from under my lashes. “Are you—?”

“Don’t. You’re not ready yet.”

I bit my bottom lip, my mind willing me to ask a thousand questions. But it wasn’t my place to ask…not yet.

“Come,” he took my hand, “I’ll take you up to our room.”

In silence, we walked up to the bedroom we shared. It still felt surreal, the fact that he wanted me to share his bed, in his arms. Master V never allowed me the comfort of a soft mattress and silk sheets. The only place he gave me in his chambers were the cold, hard floor, and if I behaved well, maybe a pillow. But nothing more.

I closed my eyes and tried to force the memories back into their compartments. If only they would stay there, hidden away and unable to hurt me anymore.

Antonio opened the bedroom door and allowed me to walk in first. He came up behind me and placed his hands on my shoulders. “I don’t know how long I’ll be. But I promise I’ll come back.”

I swallowed hard, hating that he had to leave.

I turned to face him. “I know it’s not my place—”

“Stop.” He reached out and touched my chin, his gaze focused on mine. “This is your place. Here. With me. You are no longer a slave, Doe. You’re not a nomad. You belong here, with this family.”

His heartfelt words spread through my veins, numbing all my uncertainty. All I could do was to lean closer so I could steal a kiss. A soft, gentle, simple kiss. Then, with my eyes closed and my head against his chin, I whispered, “Thank you.”

Strong arms wrapped around my shoulders, his warm breath coating the skin of my neck. The silence around us spoke volumes. He knew my thanks wasn’t for what he said. It wasn’t because he gave me a place to call home, or the kind of respect I had always longed for. My thanks was for what he was about to do—what he had been doing for the last few weeks.

With his nose pressed deeper into my hair, I heard him inhale as one hand reached behind my neck. “You are mine, Doe. And not even the devil himself will stop me from righting all the wrongs you suffered.”

I closed my eyes, pushing back the tears. They weren’t tears of sorrow or pain. They were tears of gratitude, of gratefulness and appreciation. No one had ever shown me such kindness, such devotion, and for that, I would give this man my soul if he demanded it.

Chapter 5

Antonio

I fucking loved this part. The part where I could shed the mask of the perfect fucking Valenti and embrace the twisted son of a bitch I hid from the rest of the world. The best part? I now had the motivation I needed to hold on to the beast, to hold on to the darkness so I could do what needed to be done to avenge my woman’s ruin. Doe deserved this. She deserved to have someone who was willing to take on every goddamn demon in Hell in order for justice to be served. And even though I had spent half my life fighting the shadows within me, I no longer needed to. In fact, now I embraced it.

I parked my car outside the warehouse and caught sight of Lucio standing by the side door. He was pacing. It was never a good sign when Lucio paced.

“You have them?” I buttoned my suit jacket as I approached him.

“Yeah. We got them.”

“Why do you look worried?”

“Not worried, just a little…edgy.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why?”

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