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“Little Red, you can’t escape, it is physically impossible. Besides, if you really want to leave, then I will let you leave. But, I prefer you to stay. You are still not safe outside of these walls.” He rubs his chin as he looks at me like he wants to eat me whole, and I would probably let him. No, even that’s a lie. I would undoubtably let him.
I glance around the room, noting that I probably can’t escape, but I am actually okay with that. I have never had this much luxury before, and Leo is a delight. Sure, I would like to look around the city and see some sights since I only just got here, but I am safe, warm, and looked after here. Those are all things I have never felt before… and it is nice.
“So why do you watch me every night, then?” I try again. He grows serious at my persistence, taking a swig of the remaining whiskey and placing his empty glass down next to him before he answers me.
“Don’t ask me questions that you are not ready to hear the answer to, Little Red,” he states gruffly, leaving no room for me to counteract. He doesn’t like to be questioned, yet I see his nostrils flair and his jaw clench, but not in anger. There is no doubt that he likes to be in control and as someone who had to manage a lot of things since I was younger, letting go and having someone in charge is somewhat of a relief for me. I no longer want to make decisions, be the responsible one, or the one in charge. For years, I have been the nurse, the breadwinner, the confidant, the worker. Now I have a chance to rest, not have to make decisions, take each day as it comes. It is invigorating.
“I like you watching me,” I whisper, looking right at him, not sure if I should be saying the words out loud. My heart is beating out of my chest, as I see him take a breath of air, filling his lungs as his eyes continue to devour me before they meet my own. The tension in the room has skyrocketed; it is near stifling as my body warms underneath his gaze.
He rests his head in his hand as his fingers brush back and forth along his chin, assessing me.
“I am a dangerous man, Little Red…” he replies in warning, and I catch him off guard with a small smile.
“I’m not afraid of you, Dante,” I say in another small whisper, my eyes getting heavier. It is a true statement; I am not afraid. He has done nothing to me to cause me to be frightened. The complete opposite, in fact.
He remains silent for a while, watching me as my body becomes tired enough to close my eyes. It isn’t until I am almost asleep that I hear him murmur.
“You should be.”
11
Dante
I watch her eyes close and her face soften as sleep takes her under. I inhale a deep breath and relax my body into my chair, which now fits snugly into the mold I have created in the soft leather. Being in this position every day for the past week or so will do that. I hear her small tufts of breath as they escape from her soft pink lips, and I move in my seat and adjust my pants because what I really want is to have them wrapped around my cock. I have never yearned for a woman's touch so much before as I do for Little Red’s, and I bet she would look fucking delectable on her knees.
Her openness about her past is refreshing. It has been a long time since I have had someone in my life who just talks openly and honestly like that, and I find that I enjoy it. I enjoy her. Hearing nothing but excuses and lies from people is common in my world, especially from women, so it is yet another thing I’m starting to admire about her. My eyes wander over the outline of her body under the blankets, and as I do every night, I imagine feeling my way up her legs and how perfect her small, innocent body would feel underneath mine. My hands on her body, touching every inch. The visual I have of undressing her and showing her exactly how to be my good girl is vivid, my cock now painfully pressing against my zipper.
How has this young woman become so intoxicating, engraving herself into me in such a short period of time?
Touching her thigh last night was a mistake. Now in the quiet of the night, I have space to think, and I really need to get my shit together. She is too young for me. Too innocent. Her life is literally in my hands at the moment, and I need to be careful.
The ticking from the clock nearby steadies my heartbeat as the early morning hours creep closer, but my eyes never leave her. I watch her chest rise and fall, and I get lost in her state of peace. She calms me. Her presence, her voice, the way she moves, the way that she is just not afraid. Of me. Of what happened. Of anything.
My eyes flick around the room, and I see that her cell phone hasn’t moved from the buffet, and without getting up and looking at it, I already know that she still hasn’t charged it. The battery remains dead. She is not expecting any calls. I know she has no family, but friends, a boyfriend or partner? Obviously, no one is looking for her. I wonder how such a beautiful, tough young woman can go so unnoticed. It is astounding because I noticed her from the moment I saw her, and I imagine her in every moment I have had since.
But she needs to go. She can’t get comfortable, or more to the point, I can’t get comfortable with her here. Now not only am I invested in her, but it appears that also Leo and Maria have welcomed her with open arms. I don’t know why I ever thought keeping her here with me was a good idea. But I need to protect her, of that there is no question.
I feel the stress and anger beginning to well in my spine as I think of our current situation. There is still no word from Dominic or Federico. Fucking slimy bastards. They are laying low, so low, in fact, that we can’t flush them out. We have uncovered a few pieces of information but are constantly hitting dead ends, as they still prove elusive. If I could find them and kill them, then she can leave and will be safe. We will all be safe. Leo and Maria have targets on their heads as big as Little Red’s now, if not bigger. I know these two brothers won’t stop until they end me, and they know that Leo is the gatekeeper to my soul.
It is not only the issue of the money they have stolen—there is no coming back from that—but our personal vendettas against each other, which have been building to this crescendo since Angelina started entertaining them years ago.
At the start, I didn’t think anything of it. She met most of our associates, either through business activities or by chance. Although our marriage was arranged and there was never any love from either of us, she did attend dinners and other social engagements where business was conducted. And that’s how she met both the brothers at different times during our short poor excuse for a marriage. But Dominic took a particular eye to my ex-wife when they met and whilst at the time, she was stunningly beautiful, I know the only reason he wanted her was because he wanted to be me. He wanted to be embedded in the fold. He wanted to be part of the head family. He wanted Sebastian as not only an ally, but also a brother. He wanted my life. Jealousy is a curse, and he was cursed from the moment he met me.
My role is a significant one. I protect, I serve, I make deals and I break them. I kill, I threaten, I manage a large task force of soldiers and strategize our war moves, all for the greater good of the wider family and also our head family. I follow tradition. I am Italian by blood and a brother by choice. I chose this life, and I made it my mission to lead alongside Sebastian and create the wealth and connections we have that many people are jealous of.
When it became apparent that Angelina and Dominic were spending too much time together, I had my team follow her. The reality of the situation called me back from Italy when it was uncovered that she was doing serious drugs in front of Leo, and her and Dominic were fucking behind my back. Again, in front of Leo.
I sent her to rehab, and I nearly ended him. I should have. I had every right to. But we weren’t in charge back then, Sebastian’s father was, and the situation was tense. I didn’t want to add pressure to an already explosive situation. I needed to think of the greater good. Of our future.
Dominic and my need to teach him a lesson had to wait.
So I bided my time. Watched him from afar and tried to get her the help she needed, not because I loved her, far from it. I hated her and still do. But because Leo deserves a mother and one that is healthy, and I would do anything for that little boy of mine. His hands hold my heart and if it wasn’t for him, I know that my life would be a mere shell of what it is now.
But it is true, the words that Little Red just whispered. They love the drugs more than they love anything else and Angelina loves them more than she does Leo, and she has for years. As his father, the best thing I can do for him is to protect him and keep him safe, and that means keeping her away from him. Unfortunately, her calls are becoming more insistent as the days pass. She never has cared enough before, yet her calls have increased these past weeks, demanding to see him. And I do not take kindly to demands from anyone.
A small snore escapes from Little Red, bringing me back to reality. Perhaps I should move her. Out of sight, out of mind. Then I could concentrate fully on catching these assholes who are threatening me and my family.
I could take her to the safehouse, though I haven’t been there in a long time. It was where I took Angelina to dry out years ago. Her screams that bounced around the walls are still sounds that nightmares are made of. I could also offer to send her back to Oklahoma. But with no family or friends, and no assurance that the Russo’s wouldn’t find her there, I can’t in good conscious do that either. Frustration settles in my bones, and I grind my teeth and rub my eyes as I sort through my options.
