Page 15 of Dark Desire

“Do me a favor. Keep this between us.”

Alec is silent at first, probably wanting to question me more, but doesn’t. “You got it.”

I disconnected the call and thought about calling Benito. I wanted to find out where she went she left here. Whatever she was hiding wouldn’t stay buried forever. And after the kiss we shared, it was well past the time to unmask the real Riley Lawson.

My cell phone drew me from thoughts of her as it skittered across my desk. Massimo's face filled the screen. "What is it?" I barked into the room after putting him on speaker.

"Miguel's men found Katya."

I sat up straighter. "Where?"

"In one of his warehouses. It's bad brother. What he did to her—" Massimo's voice trailed off. "She's at Antonio's. Catarina is tending to her now. Vincenzo…"

"We'll find him, brother. I promise you that. Ivanov will not meet a quick end. This has gone on too long and it's time we turn the tables. I'll be there shortly. You need to tell everyone to be ready—I won't be holding back any longer. He wanted La Lama… well, he's about to get him."

Ten

Riley

I watched as people dined blissfully, unaware of the surrounding atrocities. Megan had not been found yet, and the Anastasi’s had somehow evaded law enforcement, keeping them unaware of her disappearance. In addition to that, Vincenzo has disappeared for several days without any explanation. While I appreciated it allowed me to keep my distance from him after the highly inappropriate—but permanently scorched into my brain kiss we shared, I had a job to do. A job I was slowly starting to hate. I wondered what he would do if he learned I was Red. Would he push me against the prepping counter and spank me—then fuck me senseless? Or would he put a bullet in my head for the lies I'd spun so intricately?

Vincenzo’s voice cut through the through the thoughts that had my traitorous body burning with desire. “Riley.”

My head snapped up to meet his heated gaze. “Yes, Sir?” I watched as his body momentarily stiffened.

His eyes narrowed on me as he barked his orders. “Lose the formalities. I need you back here.”

I hurried around the bar and pushed into the kitchen. “What do you need?”

“Grab some carrots and start chopping. The line Chef just cut himself and is in the bathroom tending to his wound.”

I ran my hand across the granite, pausing to pick up a blade. Spinning the handle between my fingers, I spread the veggies across the cutting board in preparation.

Vincenzo watched with longing as I moved the edge across the surface. “You know how to handle a knife well.”

I chuckled and tossed it to the table when I'd finished. “Don’t you?”

“You could say that.” He mumbled, turning back to his work.

We worked seamlessly the rest of the night, nearly falling dead on our feet, when the crowd finally parted. Vincenzo leaned against the counter and watched as I loaded the last of the pots into the dishwasher and turned it on.

“What are your plans for the night, Riley?” He asked as I wiped my hands down and shed my white linen jacket.

“A hot bath and sleep.” I yawned, knowing my intentions were no such thing. I hoped to find him at the club like I had been the last few months.

“How about a drink?”

I blinked, unsure if I heard him right. “A drink?”

“Yeah. You know, like a cocktail… with me?”

“Oh. I don’t think we should." Even though everything in me wanted to say yes, I had to keep some distance. ,"I’m exhausted and just want to get some sleep. Maybe another time?”

Vincenzo stepped a breath away from me and fingered a loose strand of hair at my nape. “Another time. But Riley?"

"Yes?" My voice came out far breathier than I wanted. "You can keep pretending the kiss didn't happen—but I can't." He stepped away and tugged open the door. "I’ll see you tomorrow, Riley.”

I followed him out, watching as he locked up and got on his bike. Sending a silent prayer to the heavens, he was going to Fantasia. I hurried down the sidewalk to my apartment. I shouldn’t be hoping for things so dangerous. But my body needed what only he could give me.

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