Callie lay sprawled across it.
The moment she noticed his attention, she scrambled to cover herself, dragging the sheet across her body and shooting him a sharp, offended glare.
“Callie here has been having some trouble listening,” I said calmly. “She needs a reminder of her position. Can you see to it? I have important business to attend to.”
A wicked smile spread across his face. “Sure thing, boss.”
“Marco! I—”
Callie opened her mouth to protest, but then thought better of it. The words died on her tongue. She forced her expression smooth, schooling it into something obedient instead. Slowly, she pulled the sheets down from her body, exposing herself to Luca’s hungry gaze.
My wives didn’t like him much.
Luca had a tendency to be rough with them. It served me well that they were afraid of him. Fear kept them in line.But, the complaints came often, accusations that he enjoyed pain for the sake of it, that he always took things too far. They weren’t wrong. I knew that for a fact after the incident with Lena.
I told him once to teach Lena a lesson, thinking maybe he could break through her silence. I wanted her to understand that there were worse men in this world than me, that giving herself to me was the better option.
I hadn’t expected him to go that far.
Hadn’t expected him to carve into her like that… to leave scars across her back that had nothing to do with control and everything to do with his own lack of it.
Worse—
He marked something that belonged tome.
And I nearly killed him forit.When I was done makingsure he understood just how far he had overstepped, I went back to her. Because I couldn’t stand that what had been left on her skin washis.
Notmine.
So, after bandaging the wounds on her back, I carved my own mark into her left breast, right below my wife brand.
Even though he had crossed the line, Luca was loyal. Loyal to a fault. And that kind of loyalty was rare enough that I tolerated him.
I was certain a night with Luca would be all the reminder Callie needed to adjust her fucking attitude.
“Don’t overstep. No marks.” I reminded him. He nodded.
I didn’t spare her a second glance as I turned and left the room.
I had a meeting across town, and I wanted to get out of this shithole as quickly as possible.
Two guards sat downstairs playing cards. The moment they saw me, both men straightened and stood.
I waved them back at ease as I passed.
Outside, the brutal cold hit me immediately. I wrapped my scarf tighter around my neck as I stepped onto the sidewalk. My driver was already waiting, the black SUV idling at the curb, engine running and warm.
Across the street, the laundromat glowed harsh and fluorescent, its light spilling across the empty road. A few houses still had lights on, but most sat dark and hollow, purchased quietly through one of my shell organizations and waiting tobe renovated.
This whole street belonged to me.
Lookouts occupied the corners, blending into the night as they watched everyone who came and went. Nothing moved here without me knowing about it.
I slid into the back seat as my driver rolled down the divider between us.
“Where to, boss?”
“I’ve got a meeting at the port,” I said curtly, still trying to shake off the irritation from dealing with Callie.
