Page 8 of Dark Desire

“I…” She stuttered. “Yes. That’s what I meant.”

“Are you offering?”

“What?” She gasped, pretending to be offended. But the way her nipples pebbled beneath her chef's jacket, I knew she was lying. “No. You’re my boss.”

I stepped back, placing some space between us. “I’m kidding. Besides, I’m partial to redheads.” I saw a flicker of something cross her face, but she turned away.

“Oh. Well, Good thing I’m not a redhead.” She stepped around me, heading for the door. “If you don’t need me, I think I’ll go home for the night.”

“You should go out. Live a little.” I flicked the light off and walked behind her toward the back door. “If you want, you could go to my brother’s club and have a good time. I’ll call him and let him know you’re coming.”

“Discoteca?”

“Yep. Go. Have a drink on me.”

“Maybe I will.” She walked toward her apartment. “What will you do tonight, Vincenzo?”

“I have some things to attend to with Antonio.”

“Oh.” Her voice deflated with disappointment, surprising me.

Quirking my lips into a tiny grin, I nodded toward her as I locked the restaurant. “I’ll see you tomorrow evening, Riley.” I climbed onto my bike and watched as she disappeared around the corner. Antonio was waiting for me at the warehouse. Another one of Dmitri’s men had been nabbed, and they were trying to get information out of him. He was refusing to speak, but once I got there, he would risk his life for his silence.

The ride to Antonio’s was refreshing. The cool air kissed my skin as the lights of Vegas lit my path. Being on my bike was one of the few other times I felt in control of my life. The other was when I was fucking a woman at Fantasia. I navigated the bike through the gates of our family’s construction yard. We had several warehouses—mainly for lumber storage. But the one I was currently parked in front of was the farthest away from the main strip. It allowed for more privacy when we needed to exert a paltry force on those trying to hurt our family.

Antonio was leaning against the wall when I entered the open space. A man, already sporting the beating I was certain Donny had given him, sat strapped to a chair.

“Vincenzo. Glad to see you made it to the party.”

The man’s eyes widened with recognition when he spied me at the entrance. “I wouldn’t miss this opportunity.” I slipped out the blade hidden in my boot and spun it between my fingers. The cool metal ignited the darkness in my blood, begging to be set free. “Are you ready to tell us what we need to know?”

“I cannot betray the Prizrak.” He spoke in a deep Russian accent. “Death is an honor, and I’ll die protecting him.”

“Have it your way.” I nodded toward Antonio and Donny, signaling to them I was about to begin. I gripped the man by his head, tilting it back. “Are you sure the pain I'm about to inflict on you is worth protecting him?”

“Fuck you.” He rasped out as his beady eyes narrowed on me.

“You’ll burn in hell for this.” I pressed the blade against his skin. “Don’t be a martyr. Give us what we want.”

“No. I’ll die a thousand deaths before I betray him.”

“You’re willing to die a thousand deaths for nothing. When I’m done with you, you will feel as though you have done just that.”

Running the blade down his jaw, I sliced a thin line into his flesh. Blood trickled along the silver of the knife as the edge filleted his face. He cried out in pain, jerking against the restraints as I leaned into him. “Last chance before the blade removes your tongue.”

He flinched against my grasp but made no attempt to answer our questions. Inhaling a deep breath, I closed my eyes and gave into the darkness. His screams filled the warehouse as I let my blade dance along his body.

The black void consumed me as I stared at the blood covering my hands. The man lying on the concrete in front of me was one of many who had died at those hands over the last couple of weeks. After Antonio had been kidnapped by Dmitri, the part of me I worked so hard to bury emerged with a need for vengeance. The metallic scent in the air confirmed there was no going back to normal.

“Damn, Brother.” Antonio peered over my shoulder at the mutilated body at my feet. “You really did a number on him.”

“He didn’t have any information. Have Donny dump his body on Dmitri’s property. He may not be there, but someone will tell him. I want him to know that La Lama is after him. He did this when he came after the family. Trying to frame me for Miguel’s sister’s death was only the beginning. Then what they did to Catarina, you, and now Katya…” I blew out a breath as I rubbed the bridge of my nose.

“Catarina and I are both okay. Don’t let the need for retaliation consume you, Vin.”

I stiffened beside him. “The moment we had to dig into my past, Pandora’s box was opened, Antonio. The need to control and inflict pain is too much.”

“Visit the club. Go hunting—for animals. But this,” Antonio waved toward the carnage, “Isn’t you… Not anymore.”

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