The Tyrant (Banker #3)(71)

I gripped the rail as I moved down to the bottom, keeping my eyes on his the entire time. He was the last man I’d expected to fall in love with, and the last man I’d expected to trust so deeply. And he was definitely the last man I’d expected to risk my life for. Now we had a family together, another little one on the way.

A lot had changed in a year.

I reached the bottom floor, and he circled his arms around me. His hands rested on the steep curve in my back, and he pressed his forehead to mine, his eyes on my lips. Time seemed to stop as he held me in the entryway, in no rush to head to Florence to bind our lives together forever. He didn’t press his lips to mine to kiss me, probably wanting to wait until I was his wife.

My arms rested in the crook of his, and I enjoyed the silence with him, the hum of love that vibrated between us. Our love had deepened so much, and just when I thought I couldn’t love him anymore, I did. He was the father of my children, my protector, and my provider. He was everything to me.

He rubbed his nose against mine. “Let’s get married.”





Cato arranged for the town hall to be open late so we could have a private ceremony. We signed all the paperwork and exchanged our vows before the clerk married us in the eyes of our friends and family.

It was the same experience many other couples had, but it felt special to me. It seemed like we were the only two people who really loved each other like this.

He cupped my face and locked his eyes on to mine. “I do.”

I said the words back. “I do.”

He didn’t waste any time leaning in and kissing me. It was a soft embrace but one packed with his undying love and devotion. He kissed me like his mother wasn’t watching, and my brother could look away if he didn’t like it—which he probably did.

Cato rested his forehead against mine when he pulled away. “Mrs. Marino.”

“Husband.”

He smiled. “I like that.” He took my hand and guided me to our family.

Chiara held Martina in her arms, and she handed her over so we could hold her on our special day. “Congratulations, you two.”

“Thanks, Mother.” Cato kissed her on the cheek.

I held our daughter and looked down into her face. “We’re going to miss you. Have fun with Nana. We’ll see you in a few days.” I kissed her forehead before I handed her to Cato.

He rocked her back and forth gently before he did the same. “We’ll see you soon, sweetheart.” He handed her back to his mother.

“Let’s take some pictures,” Chiara said. “That way you can run off and live happily ever after.”





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The Skull King Prologue





Two Years Ago

Balto





The Mediterranean style mansion was several miles outside of Florence. Tucked away behind lush landscaping and a limestone wall, it carefully hidden in plain sight. The iron gates with his family seal integrated into the metal were left wide open.

Tensions ran high.

This was the deal of the century.

Lucian was getting what he wanted.

As was I.

But we were exchanging two extremely valuable things, commodities men would sacrifice anything to get their hands on. Neither one of us wanted to give up what we had, but we also needed what the other offered.

Instead of meeting in a neutral, third-party location, I agreed to meet him at his estate. He might assume he had the upper hand, but I never went into a meeting without being prepared for battle.

Lucian sat across from me, a man nearly ten years older than me, with greasy black hair, sparse eyebrows of the same color, and lips so thin they looked like pencil marks. It made him appear constantly displeased. A gold cross hung around his neck, visible in the V neck of the shirt he wore. It was a hot summer day, humid as fuck, and it was no time to wear a suit.

I didn’t even own a suit.

Fuck that shit. I didn’t need a designer suit worth thousands to prove my worth. I could be buck naked, and people would know exactly who I was. They would know exactly what I was capable of.

He took one more drag of his cigar then put it on out in the ashtray. “You first.”

I’d already agreed to have the meeting on his property, but that was because I was fearless, not cooperative. His limestone wall and armed men would be helpless if I decided to turn on him. I had every single man on this property targeted by a sniper, not to mention the man I’d brought with me to this rendezvous. I always came prepared—and I outsmarted my opponent before he even realized his lack of cleverness.

I pulled the box from my pocket and set it on the table in between us. We sat on the back patio of his home, a large area hidden from the sun by a thick overhang. There was a hammock to our left, a large patio seating arrangement to our right, and a huge pool with several naked girls splashing around.

I saw tits all the time, so I didn’t look.

The second Lucian spotted the box, his eyes widened with greed. His eyes needed several seconds just to acknowledge the ordinary box before he even reached for it. Like it was a bomb that could go off any second, he handled it with the utmost care.