Page 68 of Lethal King

“Rian.” Maksim's hand falls on my shoulder. “We should go see Don Sabatino.”

“He can wait a little longer,” I tell him, my finger dropping from around Mel’s.

“Apparently, he’s starting to get agitated.”

Looking back over my shoulder, I see Maksim checking his phone. Someone downstairs must have sent him an update.

“The bastard should be grateful he was even let in here,” I sneer, remembering what he’d tried to pull at my coronation.

But Mel is way ahead of me. Jumping to her feet, she straightens her arms and forms two tiny fists at her sides.

“What is he doing here?” she demands to know, cheeks reddening. “Wait—do you think he found the kitten?”

Glancing over my shoulder, I look to Maksim for an answer.

He gently shakes his head.

“I’ve sent some men out to look for the creature,” he tells us. “Don’t worry. I’m sure it’s fine.”

“And what if she’s not?” Mel questions. “There are plenty of stray dogs out there looking for an easy meal. And there are even more cruel humans looking for something innocent to take advantage of.”

The darkness in Mel’s words concerns me. It’s not like her to be so stark and hopeless.

“There’s no point in getting all worked up over it,” I say. “It escaped in a nice, wealthy neighborhood. No one there would even think about hurting an innocent cat.”

“Doesn’t Don Sabatino have a house in the neighborhood?” she reminds me. A subtle sneer scrunches her button nose.

“If he did anything to that cat, I’ll make him pay for it.”

But all this talk of the cat has my mind begging to return to the last time I saw it.

In the throne room, face to face with the woman who has since fallen to her knees for me. And cum all over my cock.

In the blink of an eye, I can almost smell Rozalia’s spicy scent in my nostrils. I can also feel the remote in my pocket.

I want to be back in my room, watching that video—or better yet, I want to be out chasing my prey. Caging her. Playing with her.

Making her pay.

Fuck.

Pinching the bridge of my nose, I try to force away all those dirty thoughts.

I’m in Mel’s room. This is a place of innocence. My dark fantasies don’t belong here.

“Tell the men to hurry with Mel’s studio,” I tell Maksim. Turning from my sister, I march for the door. “Up the reward for whoever finds the cat. Set up my meetings with the heads of the Italian families. Tell Don Sabatino I’m on my way down.”

“You got it,” Maksim nods.

“Mel, try to be patient. Please…”

“Wait!” Mel calls after me.

I stop in the doorway.

“What is it?”

“Don’t up the reward for whoever finds the cat…”