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His silence was rewarding, although I was certain he was already determining methods used to take me down. He should know better by now. I always won.
“Where to, boss?” Matteo asked.
“We’re headed downtown. There’s one more stop before I can fully enjoy my homecoming.” I turned toward Edwardo, never blinking as I stared at him. “You can take a cab from here, Edwardo. And I’m only going to say this once. If you ever question my authority or decisions again, it won’t matter that you and my father are friends. To either one of us. I think I make myself clear.”
His complexion was suddenly sallow, his eyes reflecting the fear he should feel. “Fine, Alessandro. I’m going to give you one piece of advice. In order to be a great leader, you need to gain respect, not demand it using fear tactics. That’s the difference between you and your father.”
I smirked as he walked away, finally shaking my head.
The man had no idea what I was capable of.
As I headed to the elevator, I was cognizant the only way to keep the wolves at bay was to hunt down the man responsible for nearly destroying my life. Dead or alive, all men left a footprint, and I was determined to find it.
And the lovely Sierra Wynters held the key to my future.
Soon, I would take her as mine, allowing her to understand that the need for revenge held no timeline. There were no rules required, only attention to detail in the planning. She would learn bad choices also had consequences.
I would capture her.
Use her.
Taste her.
Fuck her.
Punish her.
Then she would become my greatest weapon.
Revenge was the sweetest temptation of all.
CHAPTER4
Sierra
Two months later
“Time cannot be captured, it can be lived, it can be felt, but it can’t be stopped, it can be expressed, it can be memorized, but it can’t be held for long, because it is like a butterfly, which wants to fly… and move on with life, to make beautiful memories, to live for a whole life.”
—Sadhana Jain
“Miss Wynters? This is Officer Robinson. I’m sorry to have to call you so late, but you were the only number in Mr. Bradford’s phone.”
“What? What happened? Did something happen?”
“Yes, ma’am. There’s been an accident. I’m sorry to inform you that Mr. Bradford didn’t survive.”
Sorry.
I’d heard so many sorrys over the first few weeks that I’d almost smothered. The call had come four years ago to this day, a date that I’d ignored for three years. I didn’t have the opportunity to crawl under the covers and hide this time. As my mind continued to hear the officer’s voice, the words echoing, I realized that as many times as I’d replayed them, I hadn’t caught another disturbing aspect. Only number in his phone? That didn’t make any sense. I’d known he used a separate cellphone for business, spending money to block the number in case one of his disgruntled clients decided to make threats. However, why wouldn’t he have his friends or family in his personal device?
Too many questions burned in the back of my mind, including why his behavior had become so erratic during the last two months of… his life. My stomach churned at the thought.
“Earth to boss lady.” Brittany’s voice jerked me out of my haze.
“Huh?”
“I said, look around. This is so exciting, boss,” she squealed from a few feet away, staring out at the huge crowd of people, the bistro filled to the max.
