“Seduce him. It might save you both.”
Theman’sstenchwasenough to make Cristian gag. Bastian had already done a number on him before he and Matias had even arrived.
“What did you say to Everly?”
“The truth. That you won’t do anything that puts her dignity or happiness in jeopardy.”
“You know how I feel.”
“You’ll risk a war?”
Cristian stepped around Matias. “I would risk my life if it meant she could have a chance at something normal.” He stood beside Bastian, who was holding a gun to the man’s head. “What’s this about?”
“Seems this fucker tried to sneak onto the property. He was trying to set a bomb when Marco found him. The bomb would have wiped out the entire backside of this place.”
“Why?” Cristian gripped the man’s face in his hand and tightened his fingers. “We’ve already killed one of Alessandro’s men for less and you’re going to be next. Tell me.” His hold dug in deeper, causing the man to wince in pain. Cristian wanted to break his jaw, but first he needed to hear what he already knew.
“Darby wants you dead. You took something from him and made him look like a fool.” His voice cracked as Cristian pressed his forearm into his neck. “Nothing can stop him. He will get the girl back. Even if it means leaving dead bodies in his wake.” His Spanish was rushed as he tried to breathe through Cristian’s grasp.
“The only dead bodies will be the ones working for him. And when I finally get to him, he will wish he had just walked away.” Cristian picked up a blade from the table and held it up for the man to see. “Used to be, I would just push the metal between your ribs and let you suffocate on your own blood. But that was before.” He pressed the edge of the blade against his Adam’s apple. “Before La Lama showed me how to make it more painful for you and more rewarding for me.”
The man’s eyes widened with shock. Even in Chile, La Lama was well known. He had killed many people and earned his reputation deservingly. After forging an alliance with the Anastasi Family, Cristian had become friends with Vincenzo Anastasi—La Lama. Now he would show this motherfucker who he was messing with. Cristian gave himself over to the blood raging through his veins. The man’s screams were like a drug tohim, beckoning him to do more. If Darby wanted a war, then he would get one. Cristian would destroy everyone who tried to take Everly from him.
“Brother.” Matais placed his hand on Cristian’s shoulder, pulling him from the violence he was giving himself over to. “I think you’ve made your point.”
Cristian dropped the knife and surveyed his handiwork. The man, or what was left of him, hung limp in the chair. “Get him to Darby. I want him to see I do not fear him. If he wants to go to war, this will let him know I’m ready.”
Walking from the room, Cristian faintly heard his brothers speaking. He knew what he was risking. Not just for him, but for his family. If everything went sour, the business his father spent his life building would be lost. The lives of his brothers were at risk too. But Cristian didn’t care. He was going to end Darby once and for all. Only then could Everly and the women he still had in his clutches be free.
He climbed into his car, only then realizing he was coated in the man’s blood. He wiped his palm across his pants, staining the fabric crimson. Navigating home, Cristian prayed he could get in the shower before Everly saw what he had become. The last thing he wanted was for her to fear him. It was the only thing he was scared of more than going to war with Darby.
He parked and hurried inside, relieved to see she wasn’t there to see him come in. Cristian hurried up the steps, only to find her sitting on the bed. Her eyes locked with his as he stepped over the threshold.
“You’re covered in blood.” Everly searched his face for answers. Answers he wasn’t ready to give.
“I’ll be in the shower.”
Cristian pulled off his shirt, dropped it to the floor, and closed the bathroom door behind him. He turned on the water as hot as he could stand and stepped in after stripping off the rest of his clothes. He braced his palms against the tile and bowed his head. Lost in thought, he didn’t hear the door open. His body stiffened when a sponge pressed against his back. He watched as bubbles mingled with red and swirled around the drain.
“What are you doing?” Cristian growled as his body reacted to her touch.
“What we both want but are afraid to do.”
“Everly, this isn’t a game.”
“I know. I’ve tried to push my feelings down. Confused and embarrassed that something was wrong with me. But I can’t fight them anymore.”
“What are you saying?” Cristian closed his eyes, his body still frozen and afraid to move.
“I should be afraid of you. But I’m not. I shouldn’t want you. But I do. It makes no sense to feel this way about a man I don’t even know, but the truth is—I want you, Cristian.”
Cristian gave in to the need and turned. His breath caught in his throat when he found her before him completely naked. Her body was finally filling out after being starved for so long. Her brown hair hung in wet tangles against her shoulders, but what blew his mind was the pure, honest desire burning in her blue eyes.
The crystal blue hue was captivating as he held her gaze. “If this happens, everything changes. I won’t be able to let you go. Are you prepared for that?”
“I don’t know.”
“Then you need to get out. I can’t do this and just walk away from you.” Cristian held his breath. As much as he wanted to take her, he wouldn’t. She meant too much to him.
