Page 71 of Made to Sin

His smirk widened. “No fire, no smoke.”

He strolled out of my office with a sick hum, dragging the decapitated Moretti with him.

—

Shortly after Sylvio left, I went to check in on the little “present” he left for me.

Two rats in five months. If Carlo thought he could overturn my family from the inside, he was gravely wrong. Most rats didn’t have a reason other than greed to switch sides, making it easier to turnthem back against him when brought under torture.

The prime example was the foolish man sitting in front of me. Traded his life for two days of free prostitutes. After slicing his sensitive tendons one by one, he confessed to all of Carlo’s plans.

Once I gathered everything I needed, I picked up a steel meat pounder to end his life.

“No, Luciano, please. I’m sorry. I’ll never do it again.”

I flickered an annoyed gaze to the side. “Shut up.”

“I swear it was a mistake. Please.”

“Didn’t I tell you to shut up?”

In normal circumstances, I would have dragged on the act, but it was too much of a hassle to wait and taunt tonight. Simply put, I wanted to go home.

For one, I was beyond tired. And secondly, there was an odd feeling in my chest about leaving Katarina in the house by herself. She had panic attacks too frequently, and it wasn’t like Marco’s mansion where there were servants around to check up on her.

I didn’t bring it up, but I heard her cry yesterday. It made me react the same way I reacted when I was poisoned— sick to my stomach. It crossed my mind to find the housemaid she was constantly around. I hadn’t had a servant since I moved out, aside from an occasional cleaning person, but I never wanted to hear Katarina cry again. If the maid was going to prevent it, I was going to do everything in my power to get her to work for me. If it broke twenty family laws, that was too bad. I’d shoot whoever tried to stop me.

A pleading groan of pain brought me back to the present. The reason why I couldn’t go home. To end both his misery and save me the trouble of worrying about Katarina, I quickly smashed his face in until I couldn’t distinguish which part was of his head versus his brain matter in the goopy mess by my feet.

Then, I called the cleanup crew for his body, changed into a fresh suit, and sped home.

—

I didn’t expect to see Katarina when I walked through the front door, but there she was, curled up on the armrest with the TV illuminating her peaceful face. Walking closer, I spotted a note on the coffee table that said there was dinner in the fridge.

Was she waiting up for me?

The thought brought a strange sense of male satisfaction through my body. I didn’t like theCosa Nostra’sfucked up gender roles, but there was nothing more gratifying after a long day at work than coming home to find Katarina waiting for me with dinner like a perfect littlewife.

Wife?

Fuck.

I should have left her there. Let her wake up with a neck cramp to teach her a lesson that she shouldn’t wait up for someone like me. She already believed I was an asshole, I might as well show her. But once I saw the innocent expression on her face, I was a goner.

When she was awake, she was more trouble than she was worth with her loud mouth and agitating attitude. Yet when she was asleep, in utter relaxation, she was a sight to behold. Her wild hair was pulled to one side, framing her small face, and there was not a single crease or wrinkle of worry.

Instantly, I knew I wanted to keep it that way.

Soft snores escaped from her pouty lips, filling the space with her breathy sounds. I found myself grinning, fascinated by anything that was her. Without thinking any better of it, I scooped her up to my chest. Like a key to a lock, she rolled her head into me and fit into the grooves bit by bit.

I hugged her fragile body against my harsher one longer than necessary before placing her down under her comforter. But even after tucking her into her bed, I couldn’t leave the room. Thesight of her was a straight shot to my heart.

The man above knew what he was doing when he made our fates cross. Whether she was my greatest punishment or my greatest reward, I’d come to the conclusion this woman wasmadefor me.

There was never any simple attraction when it came to her. My mind might not have known it at first, but my body always did. No matter where she stood or what she did, I was pulled in like a moth to a flame.

All at once, it hit me like a truck.

---