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My jaw clenches. Benito is a pain in the ass, but I can’t fault his logic. It’s one thing to abduct a woman and intimidate her into compliance. Quite another to fuck two orgasms into her and stab her in the back. Emberly Kay might refuse to sign those contracts out of spite.
Sofia emerges from the top of the stairs and gestures toward the master suite. “I freshened up your room.”
My steps pause. “But it’s Dad’s.”
Not anymore. Dad died with a mystery woman who wasn’t my mother. The same week I was framed for a crime I didn’t commit, she abandoned my little brothers to shack up with Tommy Galliano.
“You’ve been the head of the family for years,” Benito says.
I turn to meet my brother’s eyes. He nods and smiles for me to continue.
Sofia opens the door and steps aside. “It’s time you took your rightful place.”
The heavy burden that’s been crushing my chest for half a decade finally lifts, leaving my heart swelling with a mix of gratitude, relief, and joy.
Exhaling all my tension in an outward breath, I let all thoughts of Emberly Kay fade into insignificance. What’s more important now is that I’m no longer running the Montesano empire from a prison cell.
I’m home and on the cusp of restoring everything that was taken from us.
“Yeah,” I say, my voice choked. “It’s time.”
“Is there anything you’d like for breakfast?” Sofia asks.
I nod. “Crostata, but instead of the usual filling, I want apples, vanilla, and cinnamon.”
Sofia hesitates for a moment before saying, “Of course, sir. Good night.”
“And it’s Roman.”
She finally cracks a smile and leaves with Benito.
They’ve decorated Mom and Dad’s room with similar neutral colors to Emberly’s new prison. It’s four times the size, with a bed fit for a king. The iron headboard curls and fans in the pattern of peacock feathers ending with oval swirls dipped in gold.
I chuckle. This has to have been Cesare’s idea. He and I both know the importance of having somewhere to tether a woman. I try not to imagine Emberly cuffed to the metal posts, helpless and whimpering as I pound her into submission, but my cock lengthens, wanting us to run back upstairs for another round of fucking.
Shit.
I run my fingers through my hair. That thing I had with her upstairs was a one-off. It was a distraction to get her through the gates without alerting the police. That’s all.
After tonight, I never need to lay eyes on the woman. Benito can deal with her since he’s the most level-headed. Cesare and I can handle the bastards who defected to Capello, as well as the assholes he installed into Dad’s legitimate businesses.
I undress, shower off her sweet scent, and slide into bed, thinking about all the work I need to do to restore the family empire. All traces of the band of tension residing around my heart are gone, replaced with something new.
Hope.
Hope for the future. Hope for the Montesano legacy. Hope to finally put things right.
After Emberly signs those contracts and I’ve regained control of our stolen assets, I’ll find a suitable woman. One with bright eyes, dark curls, and a body that drives me wild. I’ll reach out to another prominent family, see if they have any daughters, and make a strong alliance.
I breathe easy for once and fall into the best sleep of my life. The only thing that’s missing is a woman.
TWELVE
EMBERLY
Jim’s fingers close around my neck as he thrusts into me over and over, repeating the same string of words. I deserve this punishment. I’m talentless. Worthless. Ungrateful. Nobody will ever love me but him.
I can’t move, can’t breathe, can’t do anything but stare at my reflection in his cold blue eyes.
