Ruthless Creatures (Queens & Monsters, #1)(100)

We take the private elevator to the eighty-second floor. The doors slide open, but she doesn’t move. She stays frozen in the corner, blinking, looking out into the foyer of the penthouse.

“It’s the whole floor. 8,000 square feet. 360-degree views of New York City. You’ll love it.”

After a moment, she steps forward hesitantly. I hold the doors open for her, ignoring the electronic alarm bell when it starts to chime. She walks out of the elevator and into my home, not stopping until she’s crossed the living room and is standing at the floor-to-ceiling glass windows on the opposite side of the elevators.

For a long time, she silently takes in the view of Central Park.

Then she turns to me and says quietly, “I’m not going back to work, am I?”

Knowing I can never hold back a shred of the truth from her ever again, I answer without hesitation. “No.”

“Or Lake Tahoe.”

“No.”

“Permanently?”

“Correct.”

“What if I said I wanted to?”

I say softly, “You don’t, baby. You would’ve already told me if you did.”

She draws a slow breath. We stare at each other. My arms ache to feel her warmth.

“I left Mojo with Sloane.”

“I’ll bring him here. Along with all your things from your house.”

After a moment, she whispers hoarsely, “Just burn that damn house down. Burn it to the ground.”

When I take a step toward her, my heart throbbing, she holds up a hand to stop me.

“Not yet, Kage. You need to leave me alone for a while.”

Her voice is broken. Her eyes shine with unshed tears.

I’ll leave her alone all she wants later, but right now she needs her man.

When I stride forward, my gaze leveled on hers, she says firmly, “No.”

“Yes.”

I grab her, pull her against my chest, and squeeze her, hard. She doesn’t pull away, but she doesn’t hug me back, either. I dig a hand into her hair and whisper into her ear.

“Tell me what to do. I’ll do anything.”

With her face hidden in my shirt, she sighs. “You can start by getting me a glass of wine. I can’t deal with this shit sober.”

“Are you gonna run away as soon as I go into the kitchen?”

“I had the thought. But I know you’d follow me, so…” She sighs again.

“I would. I’ll always follow you. You’re my north star.”

She makes a strangled noise and burrows her face deeper against my pec. My heart soaring, I kiss her throat and hold her closer.

“Stop sniffing my hair, pervert.”

“I can’t help it. Your scent is my favorite drug.”

“If you say one more romantic thing, I’ll throw up.”

She’s angry, hurt, and shell-shocked, but underneath all that, I hear something else in her words.

Love.

I almost groan out loud.

Buried in my back pocket, my cell phone rings. I don’t want to answer it, but I’m waiting for an important call.

If it’s the one I’m expecting, I can’t miss it.

“Go ahead,” Nat says softly, pulling away. “I can tell you want to.”

“I’ll get you that glass of wine. I’ll be right back.”

Nodding, she turns away and winds her arms around her waist. I leave her staring out the window and head into the kitchen, pulling out the phone and putting it against my ear.

The number is blocked, which is a good sign. Everyone else who calls me is programmed in.

“Talk to me.”

“It’s done.”

The voice on the other end of the line has a slight Italian accent. Massimo only lived in Italy until he was ten years old, but still retains a hint of his motherland in his speech.

“Good. How?”

“A fight broke out in the lunch room. Made it look like he was in the wrong place at the wrong time. Got caught in the crossfire, so to speak. There won’t be any questions.”

Hearing that, I breathe easier. Until Massimo adds, “You owe me for this.”

These pushy Italian fuckers. Always asking for more.

But I expected this. A deal as complicated as this one is never straightforward.

“I’m opening up the ports for you, remember? You can take up trade again, get the money flowing, when all the other families are still locked down. That was the deal. We’re square.”

His laugh is short and hard. “No. Knocking off the boss of a family is too big to make us even. And you know all it would take is for me to leak word of this and you’d be fucked.”

“No one would believe you, Massimo. You’re a pathological liar.”

“I guess that’s a chance you’d have to take, wouldn’t you? There’s always some ambitious malcontent in the ranks who’d be happy to start a coup and install himself as the new king.” He laughs again. “You should know.”

I’m not worried by this threat. I sense Massimo has something else he wants. He doesn’t care about exposing me, but he does care about gaining advantages.

Whatever it is, he’ll reveal it eventually.

“Go ahead. Say what you want. My men are loyal, and we’re in the middle of a war. You’d look like an idiot.”