Page 50 of Power & Punishment

Instead, his lips trail up and down my neck until he lands at the tender spot right below my ear. I bite my bottom lip hard enough to taste blood.

“I need you to be good when we get in there. Even if you don’t want to be my pet, you need to play the part,” Leo pants. “If Enzo finds out who you are, it’s over. Got it?”

I nod slowly, a cold realization sweeping over me. While my mind races, he places a chaste kiss against my lips and pulls away. I guess we both are good at using kissing as a diversion.

Two big red doors stare back at us as Leo wraps his arm around me tightly. With all the excitement of tonight, I didn’t think about coming face to face with the man who might be responsible for my brother’s death.

The music from the clubs dulls behind the thick wall of a small room filled with poker tables. No one pays us any attention as we navigate through a cloud of cigar smoke and expensive cologne.

“Remember,” he murmurs, pulling me close. His voice is no longer teasing. It’s stoic and wrapped in a million layers of discomfort. “Don’t speak unless spoken to. Don’t make eye contact. And don’t react.”

“I’m not a child. I can handle myself,” I whisper, squeezing his hand with conviction.

“No,” he sighs. “You’re a liability.”

I gulp nervously.

It feels like there’s more to that statement. Like something I need to dig deeper for. But I can’t because he doesn’t give me time before he’s whisking me toward a raised stage with a booth full of men wearing black and dripping in gold accessories. It almost feels like home except most of the men here are responsible for ruining my family.

Anger surges inside me.

Leo must sense it because his hand sinks to my lower back, rubbing gentle, reassuring circles. It makes me instantly on edge.

I don’t like this version of him.

It’s unpredictable and jarring.

He keeps rubbing circles as we get closer. And then he grazes the top of my gun and goes still.

But he doesn’t get upset. He doesn’t even look scared. All he does is offer a short-lived quirk of his lips and rolls his eyes slightly enough for me to see.

Another unpredictable and annoyingly endearing reaction.

Ugh. What an asshole.

Leo’s posture shifts into his usual loose and bored demeanor as we step into Enzo’s line of sight. I can still feel the vibrations of music pulsing around us, but other than that everyone’s conversations are low and whispered. It’s almost serene.

When I spot Enzo, my palms get slick with nerves. He sits in the center of the worn leather booth like a king on a throne, but instead of a crown he’s wearing a thick golden chain that glints against his open collar. His middle strains the thin fabric of his button-up, but that’s the only thing soft about him.

He’s both sharp and assessing. The smile stretched across his face reminds me of a snake sizing up its prey.

“Leo,” he greets with an excited tone. “I was starting to think you’d forgotten about little old me.”

Leo bows his head slightly, attempting to look respectful, but there’s not an ounce of submissiveness lining his strong chin.

“I was tying up some loose ends on your ordinance and didn’t want to show up empty-handed.”

Enzo nods approvingly before his attention switches to me.

“It doesn’t look like you showed up empty-handed.”

Leo’s arm wraps around me, and I can feel the resentment radiating from his skin. “She’s my accessory for the night. You know me. I like the ones that look pretty and know when to shut up.”

A few of the men around the table chuckle, but I can barely hear them over the sound of my teeth grinding against each other.

Enzo is the only one who doesn’t laugh, but it’s not because he doesn’t agree. It’s because he’s too busy studying me. I have to force my eyes to stay fixed on the outdated carpet to look passive and uninterested.

“Does she have a name?” Enzo asks. My heart rate surges.