He returned to the room, without saying a word. His cologne was heavy in the air. She flinched as he touched her arms, and twisted the key in the lock. When they gave, she felt huge relief. She didn’t try to make a run for it. Knowing her luck, she would fall down the stairs and break her neck, which wasn’t in her plans any time soon.

  Diego helped her off the bed and with his hands on her hips, led her out of the bedroom. He stood directly behind her.

  “Where are we going?”

  “My room.”

  “Your room?”

  “Yes. Don’t get any ideas of trying to run away. You’ll never get away in time.”

  “I had no intention of running. It’s pointless. I know you’d stop me.”

  “Damn right. We’re about to walk up some stairs.” His grip tightened on her hips, halting her. “Step. Step. Step.” He kept on doing this for ten more steps before walking her down a short corridor, or at least, she thought it was. He stopped her again and leaned around her to open the door.

  She was moved inside, and she heard him close the door and flick the lock into place. Her heart rate picked up.

  “We’re not in my room. I can’t give you a tour. I’ve got to get you ready for a shower. You smell.”

  Again, she didn’t bite. He was baiting her, and she didn’t understand why, but she wasn’t going to give him the satisfaction of showing she even cared. He took her into his bathroom.

  She heard him turn on the shower and the distinctive sound of him removing his clothes. Next, he was touching her. This time, she anticipated his touch and didn’t flinch. After everything that had happened to them, she felt off balance and so alone.

  Once she was naked, Diego stood behind her once again, guiding her into the shower. The water wasn’t cold as she stepped inside, the warmth a welcome against the cool of the night.

  “I don’t like your dad,” she said.

  “Neither do I. There’s a lot you don’t know about me, Belle. It’s all the bad stuff you don’t need to know.”

  “I’ve never lied to you.”

  “I know. It’s what makes you a good person, when I’m not.”

  “You can be a good person as well,” she said.

  He took her hand, placing it over his chest. His heart raced beneath her touch. “You’ve felt every single one of my scars. They weren’t from accidents. They were from fights, from training. From killing people.”

  She went to pull her hand away, but he circled her wrist, stopping her from going anywhere. “Diego, why are you telling me all this stuff now?”

  “You have a right to know. There’s no reason to keep secrets from you. You know everything else. You know who I am.”

  “Wait, you’ve killed people?”

  “Yes.”

  “Why aren’t you in jail?”

  “I kill bad people.”

  “What gives you the right to decide that?”

  “I’m the judge, jury, and executioner in my city, Belle. The men that shot at us, who put your father in the hospital, the justice system won’t make them pay. If the evidence is not there, it’ll get thrown out. I won’t take that chance with your safety. I don’t answer to the law. I make my own.”

  “Is there anything else I need to know?” she asked.

  He was overloading her with information, so why not completely bombard her?

  “Melanie won’t be giving you trouble any time soon.”

  “What?”

  “She overdosed.”

  “How do you know this?”

  “I made sure she did.”

  “What?” She pulled away from him, but he caught her arms.

  “I took care of the bitch. She was a slut. I walked in on her being fucked in the ass by her dealer so she could score more drugs, Belle. The world is not full of fairy tales. You can’t rely on anyone or expect to get anything done.”

  “You don’t know that. You don’t know anything. You’re filling it up with your toxic interpretations.”

  “Melanie left you not once but twice to go and get her fix. Her arms were covered with track marks, and she was doing the hard drugs. She left you. You nearly got raped and killed. I’m not taking that chance.” He cupped her face, tilting her head back. “You can hate me all you want, Belle. I accept it, but you are going to realize that you belong to me. I take care of what’s mine, and you are mine.”

  “You don’t get to make that choice.”

  His lips slammed down on hers, startling her. At first, she didn’t respond to his kiss, but then, her body betrayed her, wanting him so much.

  He is a liar.

  A cheat.

  You’re his other woman.

  She pushed him away, trying not to react to his touch, but it was impossible. She wanted him, even after knowing the truth.

  “I get to make that choice. The moment I took your virginity on my office desk, Belle. You became mine.”

  “I’m not the first virgin you had, Diego. You can’t make the claim that I’m special.”

  “I can, and I will. You are fucking special because you’re the only virgin I want.” With that, he kissed her again.

  At first, she fought him, but in truth it wasn’t a real fight. She wanted him, even after everything. Groaning into his mouth, she wrapped her arms around his neck, his body pressing against hers. The hardness of his cock dug into her stomach, letting her know he wanted to be here just as much as she did.

  She wanted him inside her so badly.

  Belle hated herself for her weakness. It wasn’t fair, nor was it right for her to want this man. He was a killer, but he was still Diego. Still her Diego.

  He drove her crazy as he suddenly spun her away from him. He pressed her hands against the tile, sucking on her neck, right over her pulse. His hands tilted her body forward, and he kicked open her thighs, exposing her.

  She cried out as his fingers moved between her spread legs, touching her pussy. Two fingers teased over her clit before sliding down to penetrate inside her.

  He removed his fingers as he bit her ear. “You can hate me all you want, but your body doesn’t lie. It wants me, Belle. It wants my cock inside you.”

  “Please,” she said.

  “Tell me you want me.”

  She whimpered.

  “If you want to come on my cock, tell me you want me. Tell me you want this.” He cupped her tits, pinching the peaks as he did.

  “Please, Diego.”

  “Tell me.” He growled the words against her skin.

  “Fuck me, Diego. Please, I need you inside me.”

  He pushed her forward, spreading the cheeks of her ass. She gasped as he slammed to the hilt inside her. From this angle he felt thicker, fuller. He pulled out of her, only to slam back inside. His grip went to her hips, holding her tightly as he pounded inside her, over and over.

  She screamed his name, not wanting him to stop. To keep on claiming her. To fuck her. To own her.

  He let go of her hip long enough to tease her clit. The touch was all she needed to throw herself into orgasm. She pushed back against his pounding cock. Diego wasn’t done with her though. He kept on stroking her, clearly wanting her to find a second release.

  She didn’t think it was possible to have a second one, not after everything they had experienced together in a matter of hours, but once again, Diego proved her wrong.

  The second orgasm took her by surprise and completely shook her to the core as he fucked her hard. Her pussy tightened around him, wanting more of what he could give, desperate and hungry for it.

  “Yes, please, yes,” she said.

  “Fuck, Belle, I love you so much. There’s no way I could ever stop this. I don’t want to.”

  He slammed in deep as he came, his cock pulsing his cum inside her.

  “You didn’t pull out,” she said.

  “I’ll never pull out, and I won’t ever use a rubber between us again.” He stroked her back.

  “You’re going to make sure I can’t leave.”

  “Belle, you need to understand, you’re never leaving. You belong to me, and there’s no way I’m going to let you go.”

  He pulled out of her, and she stood up. She didn’t move as he washed her body. He didn’t use a sponge, but his hands as he soaped her body. Next, he took care of her hair. She was relieved he didn’t use another woman’s washing gel. That would have been a huge insult.

  “What is your fiancée like?” she asked.

  He paused in washing her body. She had taken him by surprise. Good. She was tired of being the only one who was surprised.

  “You don’t need to worry about Charlotte.”

  “Her name’s Charlotte?”

  “Yes.”

  “It’s a pretty name.”

  “I have no desire to talk about her, Belle, and neither should you.”

  “Why not? She’s going to be a big part of your life, right? Isn’t that the point of all marriages?”

  He turned off the water. “I know what you’re trying to do. It’s not going to work.”

  “What? I’m trying to figure out more information on my boyfriend’s fiancée.”

  “No, what you’re trying to do is create a distance between us. It’s not going to work. You can hate me all you want, I’ll accept it. I don’t love Charlotte. I don’t want her as my wife. I want you.”

  “Me?”

  “Yes, and until I can figure out how to have you, I’ve got to continue on with this farce of a wedding.”

  “You think I’d marry you?” She gasped as he cupped her face, tilting her head back.

  “In a heartbeat. You’re angry. You’re saying stuff you don’t really mean. It’s why it hurts so much. You want to take back all the angry things you’ve said.” He kissed her. “Don’t worry about it. I’m not angry with you. I can take whatever you throw at me, because I know you’re doing it because you love me.”

  “Love shouldn’t make you angry.”

  “Love makes you do crazy fucking things like lie to the girl so she doesn’t know who you are. Love makes you keep up the false pretense because you couldn’t stand to have her know the truth. I didn’t ask for this life, Belle. I was fucking born into it. There’s no way out for me, but you have given me a glimpse of everything I missed out on. I will never stop loving you.”

  He helped her out of the shower, and he was gentle as he dried her skin.

  His attention and love were breaking her heart.

  “I wish you hadn’t lied to me.”

  “I know.”

  “I don’t think I can ever forgive you.”

  “You will.”

  She sighed. There was no talking to him, when he was so determined to see his own needs before her own.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “You brought a civilian into our lives. Have you gone completely mad?” Durante asked.

  Diego looked toward his future father-in-law and contemplated killing the bastard. Durante was in fact a good man. A good capo. He had loyalty amongst his ranks, and he made sure men were willing to die to save him and his family. Mostly his family. Durante was one of the few men who didn’t have a mistress. He had no use for one because he was completely besotted with his wife.

  “I did what I had to do,” Diego said. “None of you were aware of Angelo’s manipulations and influence. I was, and so was Richard. He’s a security expert, and he had kept an eye on Angelo.”

  “Forgive me,” The Boss said. “Why was he keeping an eye on Angelo? I think it’s good I now know the truth of the betrayal, but I wasn’t born yesterday. There’s always a reason why you take a sudden interest in someone. What this man wants is revenge. I want to know why.”

  Diego looked toward Richard. “This is for you. I brought you here, the rest is on you.”

  Richard shrugged. “Angelo is responsible for the rape and murder of my sister. She was fifteen years old. Minding her own business when Angelo took her.”

  “How can we trust this … person? He has a clear disliking of Angelo.”

  “I’ve got a disliking of all self-righteous pricks who think they’re above the law.” Richard pointed his remote at the screen. He’d connected his laptop to the main screen, and the moment he clicked the button, feminine screams filled the air, begs and pleas.

  Diego hadn’t seen this footage, and what he saw sickened him.

  Angelo, along with three other men, were raping a girl. One by one, they were taking her, changing places. They were laughing about it.

  “Turn it off,” Angelo’s father said.

  “What? You think that’s all I’ve got? I found this video along with fifteen others of him raping girls. Now, I’m no expert. I always trust software.” The video came to a stop on a close up. Richard zoomed in to the neck of one of the men. “But that, my friends, is a Russian ownership ink. Every single video I have, more of these men are there. Some of the girls are underage. Some of them aren’t.”

  “Angelo’s just lost his way.”

  “With all due respect, your son can stay fucking lost. He attacked five of our places, and nearly killed Diego.”

  “Yes, let’s go back to Diego,” Angelo’s father said. “His little exploits have been brought to our attention. What do you have to say about that, Durante? He’s supposed to be marrying your daughter.”

  “Belle Johnson and her father, James,” The Boss said.

  “The father is in the hospital in a coma. It’s unclear if he’ll ever wake up. The girl is in our care,” his father said, surprising Diego by standing up for him. “With regards to the Durante girl, the wedding is still going ahead as planned.”

  “She doesn’t cause a problem?” Angelo’s father asked.

  “Not as big a one as your son. Belle can be taken care of and handled by Diego. Your son, however, has turned his loyalty, and last time I checked, he knew some of our secrets,” his father said. “At your insistence he could be trusted.”

  “Diego has failed to provide an heir. He should be forced to step down. My son should take his rightful place as capo,” Angelo’s father said.

  Diego snorted. “Please, as if that is going to happen. I may not have produced an heir, but Belle could be carrying my child. My first wife was a fucking traitor. You want to keep throwing that in my face? If I recall, it was you that suggested that union, not me.”

  Angelo’s father’s face went bright red. “This is outrageous.”

  “And now I’m bored.” The Boss clicked his fingers, and Angelo’s father was seized. “I cannot guarantee you are not working for your son. You are defending him at every single turn, and because of that, I cannot trust you. You’ll be held until we get Angelo back. Until then, you should get your things in order.”

  The man screamed as he was pulled out of the meeting.

  Diego watched him go.

  “Richard, you must leave,” The Boss said. “I have seen all the necessary evidence, but you are neither capo nor a made man. Be thankful you are leaving with your head intact.”

  Diego waited as Richard left the room. He had no doubt he was going to his home and would bitch at him. His not-friend liked to bitch like a woman.

  “For the rest of you, Angelo needs to be seized. We cannot risk him making a deal that could affect all of us.”

  “I warned you about letting him in on private business,” Diego said.

  “Be careful,” The Boss said. “You still have not provided an heir, and at forty years old, your position is not secured. Be glad I haven’t demanded your girl’s life or that of her father.”

  “I won’t kill them,” Diego said.

  “You won’t, but I will find someone who will. I want as many men as possible you all can spare. Angelo knows all of our cities. He knows our setup. He can hide in plain sight, or he can skip all of us and go to the law. I don’t want the Feds breathing down my fucking neck any time soon. Do you understand?” They all agreed, and The Boss hit his hand on the table. “Get the fuck out of my house.”

  Diego left the room, heading straight for his car. His father was hot on his tracks.

  “Why did you stick up for me in there?” Diego asked.

  His father smirked. “You think you’re the only one to make a mistake in your life? You won’t be the only one, and it won’t be this one time either. We all have our secrets. Angelo has been a problem for some time. You brought his connections to our attention, and we ignored you. That was our mistake.”

  “I can’t give up on Belle.”

  “You know, some men can have their cake and eat it.”

  “I don’t want to marry Charlotte,” he said.

  His father sighed. “Right now, you need to focus on finding Angelo and making sure your girl stays quiet.”

  “And if she’s pregnant with my child?”

  “Let’s do this in the car.” His father looked past his shoulder, and Diego saw Durante waiting. “Go and talk to him.”

  He didn’t like it when his father was the fucking voice of reason in his life. He’d been capo for some time now.

  Stepping away from the car, he approached Durante.

  “You care about this girl?” Durante asked, getting right down to the point.

  “I don’t have to say anything.”

  “Look, I’m asking man to man. Not capo to capo. You think I’ve not been in your position with a decision like this. Do you think you’re the only one that has to make this choice?”

  “I mean no disrespect with regards to Charlotte.”

  “My daughter has no wish to marry you either. We must do what we can in our life. If your girl is pregnant, we’ll come up with an alternative to our arrangement.”

  Diego stared at Durante. He was a few years older than Diego himself. “Why would you bend on this?”

  “I’m a simple man, Diego. Just because I’m capo, doesn’t mean I can’t be … lenient. I love my family. I want to see them happy. I will do what is necessary for our Boss. Not everything in life has to be done through marriage. There are other means.” Durante slapped him on the back before turning on his heel to leave.

  Diego didn’t have a clue what was going on, but it was something.

  Heading back to the car, he climbed behind the wheel and pulled out of the driveway, taking off toward their home.

 

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