Page 36 of The Viper

Eliza wraps her arms around her torso as she continues to look out over the garden. Carefully, so I don’t startle my sister, I walk over and stand opposite her. We both look out the window. There are thousands of twinkling lights that illuminate the perfect blooming gardens beneath. “It’s pretty here.”

“It is,” I say.

She turns to me and smiles. “But you need to get out before you can’t.” There’s a warning in her voice. No, not a warning, more like a desperate plea.

“Ladies,” Dominic’s raspy voice startles Eliza. I turn to look at him while Eliza’s eyes are locked on mine. “Dinner is served.”

Eliza pulls her shoulders back and gifts me a weak smile before turning to Dominic. “Thank you, Dominic,” she says as she walks away from me toward where Dominic stands. He offers her his elbow, which she takes, and just like that she disappears from my room.

A second ago she was a shell of a woman begging me to leave, now she’s a shell of a woman pretending her life is perfect.

It takes me a few moments to gather my strength so I can join them for dinner. A part of me wants to stay up here so I don’t have to see Adrian’s repulsive face, but I also want to spend time with my sister too. And I prefer to be in a room with him than away from my sister. I hate having to do this, but if it means seeing Eliza, then that’s what I have to do. Hesitantly, I head down to the dining room where they’re all sitting.

Dominic and Adrian are sipping on what I can only assume to be scotch in what looks like expensive crystal-cut tumblers. Eliza has her head lowered while sitting beside Adrian, and hasn’t seen me enter.

“Rosa,” Dominic says as he jumps to his feet, walks around to the chair beside him, opposite Adrian and holds it out for me.

I can’t tear my eyes away from Adrian and his arrogant, stupid face. I want to leap over the table and stab him in the eye with his fork. The worst thing is, he knows I hate him and he’s reveling in my hatred. Deliberately, he places his hand on Eliza’s thigh, his touch causes her to flinch.

“Rosa,” Dominic repeats causing me to snap my attention away from the pig opposite me. Adrian glances at Dominic and when he notices Dominic’s attention is on me, he winks and blows me a kiss. My lip draws up into a snarl. “Sit.” Dominic glances at the chair, then back to me.

I sit and Dominic pushes the chair in for me. “Thank you,” I say as I look to him and smile. The moment Dominic commands my attention I find my heart jumps in my chest. Not because of the murderous thoughts I’m having of his brother, but because of him.

His finger grazes against my upper back, causing my skin to goosebump with desire. I want him to touch me again. To take my fingers in his mouth and suck on them the way he did earlier. Snap out of it, Rose.

Dominic and Adrian continue talking about things I have no interest in. There are only two things I want. The first and most important is that I want to spend time with my sister, and second, I want Dominic to touch me. Seeing as I won’t allow the second to ever happen, then I may as well make the first work.

“Eliza, come sit here,” I say and tap the seat beside me.

Her eyes widen and she slightly trembles as she turns to get permission from the pig. He gives her a nod, and she jumps to her feet within a heartbeat and moves to sit beside me.

The food begins to come out, and thankfully Dominic and the pig fall into their own conversation. It gives Eliza and me the chance to talk, but I’m careful to keep the conversation light so Adrian allows her to return.

Maybe she can’t leave yet, but one day soon she will.

And I’m going to be the one to help her. I just have to play my cards close to my chest, because Adrian is cruel. I have no doubt he’ll keep her from seeing me just to punish me for hating him.

Pig.

Chapter ten

Dominic

Adrian closes the door to my office before heading over to the liquor cabinet and pouring two scotches. He brings them over and places them on my desk, takes out his cigarettes and lights one. He sits back in the chair and looks around my office. “She’s a handful,” he says then takes a long drag of his smoke. “Fucking women.” He shakes his head and snickers.

I lift my tumbler and take a drink. “I saw the bruises on Eliza.”

He shrugs nonchalantly. “She walked into the wall.”

“You know Ruben won’t allow that,” I warn.

He turns to me and relaxes further back into the chair. “And who’s going to tell him?” He keeps his eyes on mine, giving me his own warning. “Besides, when our uncle dies, I’ll take over, and things will change.”

“Things will change?” I find myself questioning his words. “In what way?”

He flicks his hand dismissively then takes another long drag. “First, the whore houses. He runs them like five-star fucking hotels. Those bitches are there because they want to be.” He snickers and shakes his head. “What the fuck? We’re mafioso, not the fucking soft pussies he’s trying to make us.” He slaps his hand on the table, clearly irritated by the way our uncle runs our organization. “Bitches want to be there. Those bitches do what we say, not what they want.”

“Adrian, I run the books, and the way Ruben has set it up is highly profitable. The brothels earn thirty-one percent of the income of all the businesses combined, so he must know what he’s doing.”

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