Page 78 of Lethal Vows

“You can come in now.” I permit Dominic to join me. I light a victory cigar as I turn the television off.

“She won then?” Dominic asks as he enters and tosses documents on my desk.

“Naturally,” I say around my cigar.

I look over the documentation. One report is from Slimy Jim. Rya’s mother ceased the need for his services. That didn’t sit well. Most with a curious mind don’t stop hunting for answers until they are satisfied. And I very much doubted Rya’s mother is the type to drop something. I can confirm that she and Rya are similar in that sense. But perhaps when she understood who exactly I am, she thought it best not to dig up anything she couldn’t handle, including my wrath. She is a smart woman, after all.

The second set of documents were ones I’d been anticipating for some time. “So it’s all ready now?”

Dominic replies, “Yes. The countdown is on. It’s definitely going to create a stir here with the families.”

“Then it’s lucky I’m the best at damage control. And sometimes it’s simply best to wipe everything out so there’s nothing to recover or left to squash.” I made that mistake with the Torrisi family once. Sometimes, cutting off one head isn’t enough. You have to cut them all. My attendance at the party ensured I got everything I wanted from them.

I flick to the third report.

Dominic’s gaze lands on it. “Are you sure she’ll go through with this?”

I kick up an arrogant smile. “She’ll have no choice.”

CHAPTER51

Rya

As expected, Crue is on time. And I chose to sit on my couch for another fifteen minutes in order to be late.

As I greet the driver and slide into the back seat, I can see that Crue is fuming. “Princess,” he all but growls.

“Yes?” I ask sweetly.

“Were you just sitting up there watching TV?”

“Of course not. I was very conscious of what you might think about what I was wearing.” I offer my best fake pout. “Do you not like it?”

He grabs the back of my neck and pulls me into him, his growl a hot flash on my mouth. “I told younotto be late.”

“And I told you to leave me alone.”

“Hmm,” he hums, pressing his lips to mine as punishment. His tongue is warm, and his heavy strokes remind me exactly what that sinister tongue can do to other parts of my body.

It’s not long until we arrive at his apartment, and he slowly pulls away, my body a trembling mess in complaint.

I grab his hand. “Can’t we wait a little bit,” I ask eagerly, wanting him to finish what he began.

“You shouldn’t have been late,” he chides as he steps out and circles the car to open my door.

My mouth is agape.Is he saying no to me?

He takes my hand and leads me to the elevator, where he inserts a key and then clicks the button for the penthouse. He stands behind me, his hands around my waist, holding me to him. He spreads kisses up my neck and pushes my hair out of the way. The doors open to reveal two women standing there. One is Angel, and the other I don’t recognize.

“Mama,” Crue says, still holding on to me.

My blood runs cold.

His mother reaches for me and pulls me out of Crue’s grip until I’m following her—more like being dragged—into the kitchen.

“You’re late,” are the first words she says. And I have the distinct impression this is the very person Crue gets his need for punctuality from.

She seems to have already cooked and is now putting the finishing touches on the food.

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