Well, that’s interesting. “How close are you to the Don? Do you actually speak with him or you take your orders from the Capo?”
“The Capo. I’m just a foot soldier really. I do what I’m told and try not to get in trouble.”
I regard him carefully. He’s not spy material, but he could be someone to have on my side if I need him.
“Well, the way I see it, boy, you have two choices. You go to the Capo, tell him I caught you and take your punishment, or I give you what you want, and you go back with it, and we never mention this meeting.”
Relief. Stupid kid really isn’t built for this life. I barely resist the urge to sigh and shake my head. “Really?” he breathes. “Thank you, sir. What do you want me to tell him?”
“Tell him that you heard nothing other than us talking about the ports. That we’re going to be searching them for what we’re looking for.” We have no such plans, but it will answer my question if Carlo is working with Timur at all. It might just be the kick we need to see some action.
“Okay. Okay, I can do that. Thank you.” He gives a ridiculous bow and scurries back to the edge and scales down. I don’t approach it to watch him, not wanting to give anything away if someone is watching. And I’d bet my ass that Carlo’s Capo has been waiting to see just what this new soldier will do.
I just have to hope I haven’t signed his death warrant along with it.
I wait another full five minutes before I walk with Hades to the edge of the rooftop. Some of my anger has dissipated, but when I look off into the distance toward the Belov estate, I feel it surge again.
I need to get inside. I need to find Rori. My mind circles back, thinking of the first night our little dance started, and it makes my heart clench hard in my chest. Fuck, what I wouldn’t give to go back and fix everything from the start. Maybe then she would have trusted me enough to tell me what the hell she was hiding.
9
ALONZO
Weeks Ago:
I don’t thinkmy cock can get any harder. I stare at the woman in front of me, watching her laugh and tossing the ball I bought for Hades. I don’t know why I bought the fucking thing, but seeing the smile on Rori’s face light up when I gave it to him makes it worth it.
Which is a fucking problem, but I can’t seem to stop. I can’t seem to stay the fuck away from her.
Aurora O’Brien is exactly my type. She’s the kind of woman who will always gain attention no matter where she is, but she’s not seeking it out. She doesn’t care that every time she walks into the room, everyone looks at her. She simply exists.Then there’s that smartass attitude of hers. Every time she gives me that saucy, blood-red-lipped smile, I want to fuck it right out of her. See all that red surrounding my cock as I fuck her mouth.
I like a woman who knows what she wants, isn’t afraid to go after it, and is a total badass.
Rori is all of those things, but I also don’t know where this feeling is coming from. It’s like something in my head has suddenly switched. We went from me not trusting her, thinking that she’s here to cause problems and report back to her family and their Russian connections, to wanting her terribly and realizing that she’s so much more. She’s got a soft side that I’ve only seen a few glimpses of. The glimpses she guards just as much as she does her dog.
The same dog that is starting to relax around me. Well, enough that he doesn’t growl every time I get too close to him. Now he looks at me with a stare that’s more of a warning.
Still, even with all that, I have warnings blaring in my head. This woman is connected to the Russian Bratva, even if it’s not directly. That can’t be discounted. She has secrets, too. Ones that she’s careful to keep herself, or expertly dodges. Any time I ask her about her past, about her family life, or about her work, she either distracts me or finds a way to give me a roundabout answer that actually says nothing at all.
It took a few times for me to pick up on it because she’s that fucking good, but now that I’m on to her, I’m paying more attention. I’m also noticing more of her as a whole. The way she moves, the languages she speaks to the dog, and the way she expertly makes sure that I can’t get too close to whatever it is she’s trying to hide.
I’d put it down to her not trusting me either, considering that until earlier we treated her as enemy number one, but it’s more than that. My gut is telling me to pay attention, and I never ignore it when it pushes something like this at me. It’s never steered me wrong yet.
Trying to get that kind of information, though, won’t be easy. Especially when I’m so easily distracted by her. Or pissedat her. At this point,it’s a toss-up which emotion is going to show up when the two of us are in the same vicinity.
“Why the hell are you scowling now, Goliath?” Rori demands in exasperation.
I look at her, saying nothing. I didn’t even realize I was scowling in the first place. And that stupid fucking nickname. The joke isn’t a new one, but coming from her, it makes me want to take her over my knee and spank her ass.
My cock jerks at the image. Fuck. I try to ignore the sensation. The last thing I need is her spotting me with a hard-on.
She rolls her eyes at my refusal to give her any information. “Whatever. I’m ready to get ready for bed. It’s been a long fucking day. And I suppose that means I still have to sleep in the same room as you?”
Technically, no, since Pietro said we can trust her now, or at least act like we do, but I find myself nodding. The thought of her being in another room, far away from me to cause some kind of trouble, has me irritable. “And tonight, that bed hogging asshole is sleeping on the floor,” I add with a jerk of my head toward the dog currently chomping away on his ball and ignoring us.
Rori snorts. “And you’ve seen how well that order has worked out, Goliath.” She whistles for Hades and heads toward the house. Damn it. I stalk after her, my stride long enough that I catch up to her easily. Hades glances back at me, ball still in his mouth, and a low warning growl echoing around the ball.
I glare at him. Yeah, I’m kicking his grumpy ass to the floor for sure tonight.
