Page 121 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

Would my men understand what wearing it now meant? Would they care? Did they even want me, still, now that I’d ended the hunt for Accardi by murdering him?

Nico shoved his way into the police station. I dashed to him, only for him to hustle me out the door. Lorenzoguarded my other side, and Dante led the way, a protective phalanx shielding me from the cacophony and the flashes as reporters shouted questions at me.

“Ignore them, baby,” Nico whispered in my ear, holding up a jacket to block their view of me.

“We’ve got you,” Lorenzo said from my other side, one hand on his firearm, the other twining around mine, forming a tight barrier between me and the crowd. My heart filled with hope.

Dante leaned over to strap me in, his sandalwood scent washing over me as his fingers dragged across my thighs. For the first time since I’d made the decision to murder Sergio myself, I allowed myself to hope.

He sprawled beside me, his legs splayed, and his obsidian eyes watching me, pitch black and unreadable. I didn’t know how to interpret the grim mood in the vehicle.

Nico handed me his phone. He’d dialed my sister.

“Sofia? Oh thank God,” Ginevra said when she picked up.

“Mamma!” Lizzie cried, and Ginevra handed my daughter my phone. “Zia took me to the water park yesterday and she let me have cotton candy twice!”

“And boy, were you cranky afterward,” my sister interjected wryly, picking up my daughter so I could see both their faces.

Lizzie giggled. “Uncle Cormac is showing me how to play video games. And Uncle Rian is gonna help me make breakfast for you tomorrow!”

“Can’t wait to see you tomorrow, little sister,” Ginevra said. “You’re my hero. And Lizzie’s a joy. We’re having a great time hosting her.”

“Tomorrow?” I asked, utterly confused. I looked aroundthe vehicle, but not a single one of the men would meet my eyes.

Ginevra’s eyes glinted with amusement. “Tomorrow.” And she hung up the phone.

Dante slipped the phone out of my fingers as I snatched at the threads of my composure.

“Tomorrow?” I asked again, peering out the window as we made our way out of the downtown area and to the suburb where Dante’s house was.

Nico watched me through the rearview mirror. “That’s how long it’s going to take us to teach you a lesson you better not ever fucking forget.”

Trepidation and hope mingled in my veins, a toxic mix that left me confused, turned on, and desperate for the conversation we needed to have. I opened my mouth to speak, and Dante leaned over to trace his fingers over my necklace, his gaze intense and dark.

“Wait until we get home.”

I couldn’t read the expressions on my men’s faces, but held onto the word home, with every bit of my bruised and battered soul, hoping he meantourhome.

Lorenzo pulled in front of our house, the same suburban home Dante had bought while I was in Sergio’s clutches. “We’re here.”

Dante maneuvered me out the door, dragging me into the house. The moment the door closed, he barked, “On your knees, slut.”

Gracefully, I sank to my knees. Fingers caught in my hair, tangling, pushing my face against thick thighs. I looked up through my lashes to find Nick’s green eyes shining down at me.

“Crawl.” I closed my eyes against the humiliation. In three days, I’d forgotten how degrading it was to followthese men on my hands and knees, for them to walk behind me, my pussy wet and waiting and entirely bared to their view.

And the windows, Jesus. I knew we were behind high fences, and no one could see me from the street or from other buildings, and yet the thought that strangers might be watching me submit through our windows both terrified me and made me want to moan with need as I made my way across the floor to where Dante sprawled on the couch.

“Strip, slut,” Dante ordered, his voice cracking over me, harsh in its tone, but soothing in my heart. Here, on the ground in front of these men, I didn’t have to make decisions, didn’t have to worry about Lizzie, didn’t have to do anything but think about how best to please them.

“Except for the collar,” Nick added.

I untied my dress, dropping it on the floor, then took off my bra.

“Bend over the edge of the couch,” Nick instructed, running his fingers up and down my sides, sliding over my hip where he’d carved his initial.

Taking a deep breath, I lowered my chest over the arm of the couch, somehow feeling even more exposed, even though they’d been able to see everything as I crawled across the room.

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