Never Have an Outlaw's Baby (Deadly Pistols MC #3)(124)

I watched 'til Lev came up behind me and slammed a hand on my shoulder. “You're really into this chick, yeah? Don't f*cking fret. She'll be back as soon as her * uncle's gone.”

“I know. We never miss our target twice. That's the easy part.”

He stared at me as I turned, heading inside. I wasn't in the mood to enlighten him.

Gioulio Ligiotti and his crew were gonna die by our hands one way or another. That much was sure. What I didn't know was how I'd get a second chance with her heart if something got f*cked up.

The world I was holding in my hands was like slippery, fragile glass. It was good as long as it was in my hands, but there were a million ways for it to roll away and break in the world beyond my grasp.

And once it did, there was no putting that shit back together.





7





Twisted Truths (Sabrina)





It was beyond surreal being at the Silver Pear again after what felt like a lifetime away. The driver, Misha, let me off a few blocks from the place and then took off, flooring it as he turned a tight corner, heading away from enemy territory as fast as he could.

Honestly, I didn't know who the real wolves were anymore. I'd lied to Anton. Pretended to play along with his plan, the only way to get away and discover what was really going on.

Still, my body hadn't lied to him last night, or the night before that. He'd taken my virginity and come dangerously close to stealing my heart. Each time he made me come, I lost a piece of myself, offered it up to him on a quivering silver platter.

Fucking him felt good. Felt right. His body consoled me when everything I thought I knew about my family turned to ashes. The sex protected me, possessive and safe as it was pleasurable.

I just wasn't sure if it was enough. Even if I didn't have these terrifying truths up ahead, I needed space. I had to take my time away and figure out what the hell Anton Ivankov had done to me.

This thing between us went way beyond a family blood feud, and way beyond fiery loving too. He'd been the only man with the balls to treat me like a lady right before he f*cked my brains out.

That had to count for something, didn't it?

I should've expected this freakish love-lust thing storming in the middle of our family war. But nothing prepared me for how much I loved feeling him pressed up against me, not to mention how much I missed him now that he was gone, separated by a divide far more vast than the country bleeding into Chicago's concrete jungle.

I sat down in the bar without a second look, ordering my favorite martini. It tasted bittersweet. I wasn't sure if I should linger there all day or try heading back to my condo.

Regardless, Uncle Gioulio wouldn't take long to find out about my return. The sooner he did, the better. It meant this would all be over that much quicker.

The burner phone in my purse blazed hot every time I reached inside it, fumbling for a tissue or a piece of gum. I had the power to betray my family and kill my uncle. It was a sick curse to have this justice weighing on my shoulders like a stone, but I refused to use it unless I knew there was total reason to.

I wouldn't do anything until I knew the truth. And even then, I had my doubts. If everything Anton showed me was real, and my uncle was really a disgusting sex trafficker who'd murdered papa, could I really pull the trigger by dialing the brothers?

I choked on the thoughts, coughing up the last uneven sip of my martini. I was still trying to stop when a big hand fell on my shoulder. I turned, blotting my mouth with a napkin, and looked up into Vitto's nervous eyes.

“My god! It's really you, Miss Ligiotti. Wonderful to see you again. I thought my waiter was mistaken.” His lips twisted from side to side, as if he was chewing on the revelation. “I already placed a call, just in case. Your uncle will be here soon. He's been worried, looking all over for you since he heard about the breakout. It's been all over the news.”

Panic shot through my chest. Almost set off a dry coughing spell, but I managed to keep it together, reaching for the glass of water on the table and guzzling it down.

“Are you okay? Please, just say the word if there's anything you need from us. Water, aspirin...ambulance?” The last word was strained. I knew my uncle told him not to involve the police.

I threw off his trembling hand, shaking my head, rising from the table and carrying my water with me, heading for the benches near the front. “I'm fine. I'll wait for him near the steps.”

Vitto hesitated, but he didn't pursue me. Whatever. He'd played his lackey part too well.

I'm sure he would've been screaming after me if I'd taken a single step outside the restaurant. As long as I was waiting for my uncle to collect me, in a place where the manager could watch, he'd done his job.

I wished it were just as simple for me.

Waiting for Uncle Gioulio was worse than death row. He must've come racing from one end of Chicago to the other because the sleek black limo jerked up to the curb five minutes later. Rough, stoic men jumped out in their neat suits, opening the door in the back.

Uncle Gioulio wore the killer look I'd dreaded ever since I was a little girl. It was the look that transformed him from my favorite uncle, my protector, into the cold blooded mobster he truly was.

I shuddered. It wasn't so different from Anton's expression during the prison break, was it?