“The man who said it. Me.”
“No gifts with purchase,” Fedor said, his voice cold.
“Put it this way. You try to touch this woman. The deal is off and the guns we made a deal on will be pointed at each other.”
The man who had been sitting to the right of Fedor made his way over. He said something in his ear, breaking the intense stare-down between Saverio and Fedor.
Fedor thought about the man’s words for a second, then spit on the ground.
He smiled, but there was nothing friendly about it. “Since the deal is made…” He spread his arms wide. “I guess you will get a gift today. From me to you.” He put two fingers to his lips and blew me a kiss. “Another time, little birdie.”
Chapter13
Mia
Our men wasted no time turning and heading for the exit. Saverio picked me up from the side, my feet barely touching the floor, carrying me. Matteo was behind him, followed by a train of our men. Some of them walked backward.
We made it through the bottom layer of the city in what felt like record time. The stairs were a blur as Saverio seemed to take them two at a time. But I wasn’t sure if he was rushing.
My head was even fuzzier. And his touch…it made me almost squirm from want, even if I didn’t want his hands on me.
The man guarding the door moved to the side. Once through, the men huddled together, discussing where Marianoshouldhave been.
“Two women,” I barely got out. “He’s with two women.”
“Saverio.” Evelina seemed to appear out of nowhere.
“Fuck,” he said. “I should have known.”
“You can’t leave Mariano. We need to leave all together. They’re not chasing us, but it’s safer if we leave together. Bykov’s men are always out of here an hour from now. Same time.” She looked at me. “With different women.”
Saverio looked to the left and to the right. Elio came to stand next to him, a drink in hand. He waved at me, wearing what I could only guess was a smirk underneath the mask. Saverio looked between the two of us. His eyes were apoplectic.
“There’s a room, Rio. Take her there until it’s time to go. It’s her they want. We’ll find Mariano.”
“You come with us,” Saverio said.
“No.” Evelina shook her head. “I can help.”
“I’ll take care of her,” Matteo said. “She’ll stay close to me.”
Saverio nodded and then turned in the direction of the room Evelina had found. She slipped a key in his hand. He kept me stuck to his hip, carrying me like he did before, my feet barely touching the floor. This time, though, my nails stabbed his skin.
I was torn between wanting him and wanting to strangle him.
With one hand, he slipped the key in, turned the lock, and let us in. He shut it behind us and dropped me without preamble. Whatever was coursing through my blood was strong, because I stumbled. He had to catch me before I hit the wall.
He locked the door and turned me around so fast that I gasped. His eyes narrowed against mine. He came in close, sniffing at my lips. I slapped at him and got the tip of his nose—behind the mask.
“Stay away from me,” I hissed.
“After you came all this way to see me?” His voice was so cold, it seemed to shock the warm air around us. He took me by the arms, refusing to let me go. “What did you drink?”
“Nothing,” I said, my voice a whisper, but as sharp as the cold steel in his. “All I did was put this mask on.”
He nodded, studying my eyes for another second, and then turned around. He slammed his fist into the thick wooden door and then rested his fist against it, along with his forehead.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” Every word was punctuated by a breath.
