Confused, as if he should celebrate my words, he raises a brow. “For what?”
“For making my decision so fucking easy.”
He doesn’t bother asking more questions. The fear that drips from his face lets me know he is already aware of what the fuck I am talking about.
“Oh, and while I have you here, Armando, if you think telling Christian to half-ass his work is going to destroy everything, I have worked so hard for, you are mistaken. Don’t forget, if you set me up to go down for his mistakes, we all go down, and that includes you.”
He shakes his head, and now, I’m not sure if it’s out of genuine confusion or utter stupidity. “The fuck are you talking about?”
I let out a devious chuckle. “Don’t play dumb. It makes you look weaker than you already are. Now, get the fuck out of my office.”
He rises from his chair with a heavy breath. Just the simple motion of rising from a seated position is too much for his lungs or heart to bear. Luckily for him, this meeting sealed his fate, and his heart soon won’t have to work overtime pumping blood to keep him alive. Oh no, what I have planned for him will drain every ounce of blood flowing through his body.
“She is trouble. She will get you killed; I’m warning you.”
I laugh at how comical a statement that is. “And how is that?” I ask, humoring his delusions.
“Because she will expose a weakness in you. She will expose the truth, and when she does, I won’t be there to help you. I’m telling you, Carmine.”
Ah, the truth. What a foreign concept, considering this empire has been built on the blood of its enemies. Until I stepped in, that is.
“The only truth you should be afraid of being exposed is what you did to her and her family. Once she finds out, it’s her wrath you should fear more than mine,” I warn with glee.
I see the anger start resurfacing in his face. “Listen here, I still have a say in this company. I am the one who fucking started this—”
I interrupt him. “This corrupt shithole of an enterprise that I will soon demolish, and when I do, you won’t know where to find me. That is, if you are still breathing.”
“I want her out of here, Carmine, you hear me? She needs to get out of here, she is going to get you killed!” he bellows.
I shake my head at him thinking she can possibly get me, an already lifeless sack of bones, killed.
“Death doesn’t scare me. My soul departed long ago from this shell I exist in. Now, leave,” I demand as I take the gun out of my waistband holster, pointing it right at him. “Before I have you escorted by a bullet with your name on it.”
He raises his hands in surrender, for now. My father pretending to be concerned for me only means that he is up to more than I am currently aware of. Just another thing I need to add to my to-do list today.
Chapter19
Carmine
Between the adrenaline still coursing through me from this morning’s excitement and the anticipation of what is to come next, sitting in this office feels torturous.
I’m about to dial Alex to discuss any updates on the surveillance front, when a fast-paced clicking catches my attention. The tapping becomes louder, feeling as though the noise is penetrating my ear drum. The noise continues, reaching a crescendo, when I am met with the sudden swing of my office door.
Does no one knock anymore?
There, stands a baffled Lizzie trying to block the doorway as an irate Sienna peels Lizzie’s arms away, making her presence known. Although I think I have a pretty good idea as to what provoked such an intense reaction from Ms. Ricci, the anticipation mounts, as does the twinge I feel in my slacks while I watch her force her way past Lizzie’s weak barrier.
Unable to contain the ear-to-ear grin smeared on my face, I motion for Lizzie to stand down. “It’s ok, Lizzie, leave us.”
“I tried to stop her,” Lizzie pleads.
Eyes fixated on a beautifully perturbed Sienna, I repeat once more, “I said it’s ok. Now go.” I swipe my hand at Lizzie, welcoming whatever volatile mood Sienna is in. She may be a Ricci, but the Diaz blood she inherited from her mother’s side runs deep, causing her to be hot-tempered, especially when provoked. And something tells me the gown that awaited her upstairs most definitely provoked her.How fun.
I can’t peel my eyes off her, even the way her chest rises and falls in her anger is divine. The door clicks, confirming we are alone. I was so busy studying Sienna that I didn’t even pay attention to Lizzie leaving.
She clicks her heels, one in front of the other, each step swaying her hips, until she is mere inches from me. If I wasn’t so intrigued by her, so blinded by the incessant need to have her exactly where she is finally standing right now, I would deem her proximity to me in the workplace to be inappropriate. However, the only thing inappropriate about this encounter are the thoughts coursing through my mind that are making their way down to my dick. Thoughts of the depraved things I’d love to do to her in this office, the elevator, and everywhere in between.
“What can I do for you, Ms. Ricci?” I begin.
