Page 7 of The Rise of Saint (The Sins of Saint 1)

The door slammed when James left, and I wiped a hand down my suit jacket. For a brief second I thought about Mila, and how her cheek flushed a scorching crimson while I had my hand around her throat, showing her that she was no longer in a world where she could say and do whatever she wanted. She was in my world now, and she had to live by my rules, obey me at all times. But she had a strength in her that wouldn’t let her submit easily—the kind of strength I had to break as soon as possible. I wasn’t surprised to see her handiwork on James’s arms, and I wasn’t lying when I said I didn’t expect anything less from her. This wasn’t a recently concocted plan I just threw together at the last minute. I had been plotting this for months, years, and Mila had been a part of it since the very beginning—she just didn’t know it. She still didn’t.

I grabbed my Sea-Dweller Rolex from the bedside table, the oystersteel and yellow gold glinting under the dim light of the room, and headed out as I clasped it around my wrist. This was finally it. The wheels had been set in motion, and there was no going back now.

James was already waiting by the elevator in the foyer. The sound of clicking heels had me looking down the hall, my aunt Elena impeccably dressed as always. She gave a slight nod, and Mila appeared next to her, no trace of the jeans and shirt she wore earlier. Instead, she wore a black sheath dress nipped at the waistline, accentuating her hourglass shape, and a large, elegant hat specifically chosen to hide her face as much as possible without it looking too conspicuous. Her wild curls had been tucked into a neat bun at the back of her neck, and the closer she came to us, the more I noticed how different Mila’s face looked with the make-up Elena had used. If I hadn’t seen the real Mila half an hour ago, I never would have thought it was the same person.

I held out my hands as Elena stepped up, and I frowned when I saw the cut on her lip. “What happened?”

She smiled warmly. “A mere misunderstanding.”

I glared at Mila, knowing all too well it was her handiwork. But there was no time to investigate, and I kissed Elena on the cheek. “You did a fabulous job, Aunt Elena.”

“Thank you, Marcello.”

I glanced at the woman with the defiant look in her eyes who seemed mere seconds away from running in the other direction. I took the black trench coat Elena was holding and circled around to stand behind Mila. I held the coat as she reluctantly pulled it on. Leaning closer, I brought my hands up to her arms. “I must say, you clean up well.”

She glanced over her shoulder. “You think having me dress in these expensive clothes and hiding my face with a huge-ass hat will stop me from screaming my lungs out the second we step out that elevator?”

My fingers dug into her shoulders, and she gasped from my punishing grip. “I can guarantee you won’t be that stupid.”

She lifted a brow. “Yeah? Why is that?”

I let go of her shoulders and moved to stand in front of her, towering over her, forcing her to crane her neck so she could keep looking me in the eye. “Because you saw what I did to your friend.”

Her face paled, and I reached behind my back, pulled out my gun and held it in front of her before easing the muzzle down the side of her face—a subtle reminder of what I was capable of. “See, if you scream, or move anything besides those high heels you’re wearing while we walk out of here, I won’t hesitate to pull the trigger.”

“I’m not afraid of dying,” she bit out.

“Oh, I won’t be killing you. You’re far too valuable to me. But there are a lot of people in this hotel who are of no use to me, whose blood I wouldn’t mind spilling.” I inched closer. “Can you handle being the one responsible for a massacre, Mila?”

Long lashes that framed those big green eyes batted a few times while I refused to look away. The stone expression she was so desperate to keep faltered, and her bottom lip quivered. Fear. That was what it was. That was what I saw while standing so close to her. Good. It was that exact fear that would ensure she survived everything that was about to come.

I tucked the gun back under my jacket. “It’ll be a bloodbath on the bottom floor before you’ll be able to reach those golden revolving doors.”

Her expression faltered. “You’re bluffing.”

“Are you sure you want to chance it? There are a lot of innocent people down there who have nothing to do with our business.”

“I’m not a part of your fucking business.”

I smiled. “You can’t be more wrong.”

“Sir,” James interrupted, “everything is set. We need to leave now.”

I grinned. “Are you ready to be a part of my world,principessa perduta?”

4

Mila

There wasnothing in his eyes. No emotion. No feeling. Nothing. Not even rage. It was an absolute void of black. Indifference, the one thing far worse than hate. It was so easy to see he was the kind of man who didn’t care about those he hurt, as long as he got what he wanted. And I was clearly the thing he wanted.

“So, what will it be, Mila? Will you risk the lives of others for your own freedom?” The smirk on his face told me he already knew my answer. He already knew I would never let anyone get hurt because of me.

“No.” The word burned my tongue, and the arrogant grin on his face grew wider.

“Good.”

Elena wrapped a gentle hand around my elbow as the elevator door opened. As we stepped inside, I was sure my legs would give way beneath me, my body weak and numb. I had never been this terrified in my entire life. Not even on those days when I stepped into new homes having no idea what kind of hell I was walking into.

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