My heart pounded harder with each floor we passed. I didn’t know what waited at the top or who waited. I took deep breaths, trying to prepare myself for the end.
The elevator slowed, then stopped. The doors slid open silently, revealing a sleek entryway. Beyond it, floor-to-ceiling windows showcased the glittering Las Vegas skyline, a view so stunning it momentarily distracted me from my dangerous situation. This wasn’t a hotel. Or at least I didn’t think so. This was somewhere new, somewhere I’d never been.
“Move,” the guard said, giving me a gentle push forward. I stepped out of the elevator into the unknown, my body tense with anticipation and dread. I had been so damn stupid.
The penthouse was nothing short of spectacular, with polished marble floors that reflected the city lights streaming through the wall of windows. The Las Vegas skyline glittered beyond the glass. There was a tall man standing in the center of the room.
Lord!
He looked exactly the same as the last time I saw him, but somehow harder around the edges. His blonde hair was perfectly styled. His blue eyes were cold as ice as they locked on mine. He wore a charcoal gray suit that I’d never seen before, tailored to accentuate his broad shoulders. Even now, after everything, my traitorous body responded to the sight of him.
The two men released my arms as soon as we stepped fully into the apartment. Lord dismissed them with nothing more than a slight nod of his head. They retreated to the elevator, and I heard the soft ding as the doors closed behind them, leaving me alone with the man I’d run from.
Lord didn’t speak immediately. He began to circle me slowly, like a predator assessing its prey, keeping several feet of distance between us. His shoes made no sound on the expensive flooring. The silence stretched painfully between us. I wanted to say something, but I was too stunned to speak. What was going on here? Was he going to ki—. No, of course not.
“So this is what betrayal looks like.” He finally said. His voice was dangerously quiet. “You’re living with my cousin. Fucking my cousin.”
I lifted my chin despite the fear crawling up my spine. I cleared my throat because I had something to say.
“And kidnapping is how you handle a breakup? Classy, Lord. You’re really showing that Bregoli side of you.”
A muscle twitched in his jaw. I’d learned to recognize when he was controlling his temper. “You left me, blocked my number, moved in with Maurizio, and you think this is about a breakup?”
“What would you call it?” I crossed my arms over my chest, trying to project confidence I didn’t feel. “We’re done. I left because you cheated on me with that ugly, long-faced Italian bitch.”
Lord stopped his circling. His expression shifted to something almost like confusion. “Is that what you think happened? That I cheated on you?”
“I don’t think. I know.” The words came out sharp and laced with the pain that still felt fresh. “I saw the pictures on your phone. I read the texts. I followed you to that restaurant and watched you kiss her. So don’t stand here and lie to me again. Aren’t you ti?—”
“You followed me?” He cut me off. “You spied on me instead of opening your fucking mouth and asking me what was happening?”
“Would you have told me the truth?” I challenged.
“Yes.” The single word hung between us. “Because there was nothing to hide. Lolita is a business connection, nothing more.”
“You kiss all your business connections in the mouth?”
Lord took a step closer, and I instinctively backed up. “A peck. The LaGrassas’ are valuable to the organization.”
I was appalled at his blatant disregard for my brain. This blue-eyed devil really thought I was stupid, born yesterday and that my favorite color was seven.
“Lord, the nude pictures on your phone? The sex messages asking when she could see you again?”
“Do you think you’re the only woman that wants me?”
Fuck! That stung more than I could’ve imagined. “Doesn’t matter. I don’t want you anymore.”
“You don’t know what you want. I’m telling you, you were mistaken.” He took another step toward me, and this time I held my ground. “Or you misunderstood what you saw.”
“Don’t gaslight me, Lord. I know what I fucking saw.”
“And yet you ran straight to Maurizio without giving me a chance to explain.” His voice took on a dangerous edge. “My own fucking cousin. Tell me, Labria, was he being nice to you? Was that pretty bitch waiting for his chance to fuck you? How long after you left me did it take before he was inside you?”
The crude question made me flinch. “That’s none of your business.”
“No, tell me. One minute or two?”
“None of your fucking business!” I yelled.
