Page 42 of The Sins of Saint (The Sins of Saint 3)

“I found her.”

I peered over my shoulder at Mila who was still sound asleep. “Is she safe?”

“She is now.”

“Is she sick?”

“Only when she’s on the meds Raphael had his guy force down her throat.”

I pressed the receiver closer to my mouth. “Did you take care of the accomplice?”

“I did. But not before I had my fun with him.”

“Sadistic fucker.”

“Hence the reason you keep me on your payroll.”

“That’s the truth. Listen,” I rubbed my fingers across my forehead, “get her to a doctor and make sure she’s okay.”

“And if she’s healthy?”

I turned in Mila’s direction, staring at her from across the deck. “Then you bring her here. She needs to meet her daughter.”

I hung up and stood there in the dark like a goddamn vampire, staring at Mila from a distance, the white silk sheet draped over every contour and curve of her body. Doubt swirled in my gut, and I questioned my decision. It wasn’t something I did often, doubting my own judgement. But I had to believe that as her husband I knew what was good for her, and what she needed.

She needed this.

Barefoot and naked, I sauntered back to the gazebo. I tossed my phone on one of the pillows and grabbed my pants.

Mila stirred beneath the sheet. “Where are you going?” Her words were slurred with sleep.

“I’m going to go get us something to drink.” I bent down on my knees and kissed her hard. She moaned and tried to reach for me, but I grabbed her hand and pinned it next to her. “When I get back, you can touch me wherever you want.”

“I like that idea.”

I pushed myself up and raised a cocky brow. “Give me five minutes, and I’m all yours to fondle until dawn.”

* * *

MILA

I staredat the ring on my finger, the radiant red diamond sparkling under the flicker of candlelight. It had been a long time since I felt such a strong sense of hope, and did I dare say it? Excitement for the future.

Saint had finally opened up to me, told me about the deep emotional wounds that plagued him—the reason he hated his father so much. I was sure he hadn’t told me everything there was to tell yet, but at least now I knew the heart of it all.

His mother.

Our pasts were stark opposites. His tainted past was tied to a mother he loved with all his heart but had lost at such a young age. Mine, a mother who gave me up rather than see me married to a Russo son—which ultimately ended up happening anyway. It made me wonder if there was such a thing as a predetermined fate. Had our fates already been knotted together all those years ago when a deal was made to merge our families through marriage?

I scoffed and placed a hand on my forehead. Fate. Arranged marriages. It all sounded surreal. Even after months of dealing with this, it still wasn’t something I could process.

Another thing I couldn’t quite make sense of…Saint’s dad. The day I met him at the hotel Raphael had rushed us off to, it was easy to see he was an arrogant asshole. But the night he helped save me from my psychotic brother, that wasn’t the same man Saint described. I looked into his eyes that night, and he was someone completely different. It was weird. I couldn’t explain it, but I somehow had trouble connecting the man I saw that night with the man who was capable of murdering his own wife. Saint, on the other hand, I could see he had no doubt of his father’s guilt. He demonized his father years ago, and not even saving Elena and me from Raphael could change Saint’s mind. He was convinced his father would one day demand repayment for what he had done to save us.

I sighed and let out a breath when I heard the soft vibrating sound of a cellphone. I turned to the side and saw Saint’s phone laying on the pillow. The light flashed, and it kept vibrating.

I pushed myself up, curious as to who would call him this time of night. When the caller ID flashed with the name “Lucifer” on the screen, I knew exactly who it was. I rolled my eyes. “How original, Saint.”

I pursed my lips and peered out the gazebo in the direction of the door that led to the apartment. I bit the inside of my mouth, tempted to do something I was convinced was the wrong damn thing. But as the phone kept vibrating, the name flashing, and time running out, I couldn’t stop myself.

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