“That right?” My voice took that darker edge whenever someone unknowledgeable decided to test me, but she didn’t seem to catch it. Or maybe she really was the first to not give a fuck about who I was.
“I came here to make some fucking money. Not waste my goddamn time with a washed-upCapo.”
The corner of my lip raised with a smirk. “You don’t sugarcoat, do you?”
“We got a deal or not?”
“Gìovanni and your father know you’re throwing your weight around like this, threatening their most essential partner?”
“I might not be the current or future Don, but I’m a lot more important than you think.”
“Sure thing, sweetheart.”
Francesca pushed her chair back with a loud, angry screech against the cement and stood – fully with the intention of walking away.
But I was faster. Older. More experienced.
I’d decapitated more men than she’d ever met in her life.
Still leaned back, and with my legs spread out under the desk, I hooked my foot around the leg of the chair and pulled it back with a hard tug, causing her to fall back down.
A soft gasp escaped her before she could stop herself, an angry blush threatening to stain her cheekbones. Her anger was practically energetically visible, begging to get a release.
I leaned across the desk, hands clasped, close enough she could headbutt me if she wanted to.
Francesca watched me, eyes full-on murderous now.
Mine were stripped of any niceness too, as I spoke in a low tone that was a thousand times for threatening than if I’d had screamed it in her face.
“I ran shit long before Zach took over. Don’t forget who you’re dealing with,pequeña.”
Her breath fanned against my face, sweet and a little warm, and my eyes dropped to her red lips. Just for a second.
She moved quick. One arm to the side of her thigh, then in the air before I could blink.
The blade splintered the desk, buried half-deep into the wood.
And exactly in between the pointer and middle fingers of my left hand.
My eyes dropped.Close enough to touch skin. Not close enough to draw blood.
I smirked.Smart girl.
She grabbed me by the unbuttoned collar of my shirt and pulled me in, bringing my eyes back to hers, her face a sheet of paper away. A surprised breath escaped me, the corner of my lips lifting slightly higher.
Her blonde hair flowed around us like a vail, casting her like a jaguar ready to kill. Black eyes, void and deadly.
I could feel the gun in my waistband digging into my skin. Though that wasn’t really the thing I was worried about poking through my pants.
“Don’t underestimate whoyou’redealing with. Or you’ll see how easy it is for a woman to take a life, just the same as give one.” Her bewitching eyes took an even darker turn. “And when you get home tonight, make sure to thank your baby brother for keeping your hand attached to your body.”
She breathed hard, chest raising with anger and frustration. Neither looked away. Both caught in a trance.
My hand came up, engulfing hers until she slowly let me pull away, putting some much-needed distance between us.
Her cheekbones were tainted, and I wondered if it was because of her anger or our proximity. Shit, maybe even the feel of my touch on her skin.
Either way,allbecause of me.
