Page 32 of Lies like Rubies, Part Two (Savage Jewels)

Slowly, inch by inch, she spread her knees apart. Nico’s jaw clenched as he inspected the bruises on the insides of her thighs.

“Baby,” he began.

“Not a fucking word, Nico,” she said, her teeth clenched together. “Just fucking do it.”

13

NICK

My heart broke for strong,beautiful Sofia, aching at seeing her reduced to tears from trauma instead of delicious sexual humiliation. I worked quickly, determined to make this swift and gentle. When I slid my lubricated fingers inside of her, Sofia winced, whimpering softly. “Sorry, baby, this’ll only take a moment.” She was bruised and battered, but nothing time wouldn’t heal.

Shit. I needed to check out her ass. Not sure how to ask, I slid my fingers under her hips and lifted her legs.

She shook her head. “It’s fine. He didn’t…” Sofia trailed off, shaking her head. “It doesn’t hurt there,” she said finally.

Unable to resist, I kissed the inside of her knee before I stood. Together, Dante and I arranged her robe to provide her with some modesty, then adjusted her until she was comfortable in the bed.

When I finished drawing blood, we stepped back from her. “Get some sleep, baby. We’ll talk about next steps once you’ve rested.”

“No,” she whispered.

“No?” Dante drawled.

“Don’t leave me alone.”

Dante looked at my medical bag with the samples safely stored for me to take to a lab, then back at Sofia. He scowled, but I noticed how careful he was not to let her see it. My heart thumped hard with relief when he kicked off his shoes, then crawled into bed with her.

“I still hate you for leaving my daughter with my parents.”

“Hate me all you need, kitten.” He kissed her forehead before reclining in the bed beside her and twining her fingers in his, shocking me with his tenderness and care. Dante might be single minded in his pursuit of what he wanted, but whether he realized it or not, he wanted Sofia. He wanted her fighting him because she loved to hate him, not because Sergio had fucked with her.

I strode out of the room, a furious mess, shaking with rage at what Sergio had done to her, at the situation her family left her in, and most of all, at myself for being so goddamned useless to her.

José waited for me downstairs. “What you got for me, boss?”

My eyes flicked up to him with surprise.

He grinned and held out his hands. “Oscuro said you’d need to take something to the lab.”

“I need a ride.”

“I warned him that bitch was trouble, and now she’s got you wrapped around the axel too.”

Fuck that and fuck him. I dropped my bag on the ground and shoved José into the wall. “Keep your opinions about Sofia to yourself.”

José was an inch shorter, bulkier, and about six times asmean, but he let me hold him there, my hand around his throat, as amusement danced in his dark brown eyes. “Like I said, wrapped around the fucking axel.”

“You’re an asshole, you know that?”

“That’s why Dante keeps me on the payroll. Let’s go.”

14

SOFIA

I woke up,warm and comfortable, afternoon light shining through the window. Dante sat beside me, glasses perched on his nose as he read a novel, one arm wrapped around my shoulders as I clung to him.

His fingers tightened on my arm when I pulled away, only to release suddenly. He peered down at me, frowning. “You slept through lunch.”

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