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She was so brave and beautiful that it was almost painful to look directly at her. Especially when the weight of my shame pressed down on my chest in the absence of her soothing touch.
When I simply nodded in stiff agreement, she reluctantly made her way up the stairs, feet scuffing on the stone as though her shoes were made of lead.
The lights went out, and darkness engulfed me once again.
Chapter12
Dante
The Russians were dead. Every single man who’d dared to attack us had been eliminated. We hadn’t even left one alive to go warn the others not to fuck with me. The silence would be warning enough.
Even though my private physician had examined Nora and assured me that she was unharmed, the need to get back to her was an itch beneath my skin.
But I was strong enough to master my base impulses. I’d left my home this morning with a job to do, and I would see it through. For my wife, I’d do anything.
She wouldn’t be leaving the estate to see her sister anytime soon, but I had carried out the rest of my mission for the day. Once the doctor had seen to my own wounds, I’d headed straight for the city, hunting my quarry.
Now, I returned to her with my prize.
I found her in the library, curled up in a massive armchair with one of her beloved books. My anticipatory grin must’ve been a touch maniacal, because she shrank deeper into the cushions when she saw me.
“I have a gift for you,” I told her, snagging her small hand to tug her to her feet.
She frowned at me. “I don’t want anything from you.”
I dropped a doting kiss on the top of her head. “But I want to give you things. You’ll like this one. I promise.”
She pressed her lips together, doubt pinching her features. But she didn’t resist as I guided her out of the library and down the long corridor.
Her feet stalled out when we neared the door that led down to the basement, where Luca was caged.
“Whatever you’re thinking, I won’t like it,” she said acerbically. “I won’t like it if you use me to torment Luca, no matter what you say about giving me orgasms. It’s sick and wrong, and I won’t let you hurt him like that anymore.”
I paused and lifted a brow at her. “That’s not your decision to make, little bird. And don’t worry. I’m not going to touch Luca. Or you,” I added, since that seemed to be her issue with me.
She kept railing at me that she didn’t want me to touch her and that she hated me.
But she’d clung to me when I’d protected her from the Bratva. Her lovely eyes had widened with a burst of fear when I’d slammed the SUV door between us, and she’d been carried to safety. Had she been scared for herself? Or for me?
I shook my head ruefully.
No, she hadn’t been concerned for my safety. That was a tempting fantasy.
The reality was that my wife still didn’t trust me. She didn’t even like me.
That would begin to change. Starting now.
I opened the basement door and turned on the light. A low groan floated up the stairs.
“What did you do to him?” she demanded, racing ahead of me to check on Luca.
Jealousy needled my heart, but I ignored it. I would win her affection in time. Especially once she saw what I’d done for her.
She froze with a gasp at the bottom of the stairs, taking in her gift.
Alberto was strung up by his wrists, steel shackles tearing into his skin as he struggled to balance his body weight on his toes. His face was a bloody mess—I’d gotten a bit carried away in subduing him.
But he was still recognizable, and he would bleed a lot more before I finally ended him.
