Chapter Five

Diego

"Can we just get this shit over with already?" I growl, glaring across the console at Mattia. "Jesus Christ. We've been out here for four hours already. If the stronzo was going to make a move, he would have done so by now."

Mattia's only response to my outburst is an arched brow.

"Fuck." I throw myself back against the seat in his SUV, exhaling a breath. "Sorry."

It's not his fault I'm in a bad mood. It's not even his fault we're out here, tailing Domingo Borelli. He's become a problem for us, so we're handling him the easy way.

By letting the FBI deal with him.

If they're watching me, as soon as they see me talking to him, he'll become the next man on their radar. There isn't anything he can tell them about us, but if they dig even a little, they'll find a treasure trove of dirty laundry in his closet. Enough to make sure he's no longer a problem for us.

We keep our hands clean. He gets handled. It's shady as hell, but the other option involves sinking him to the bottom of the river. Considering that I'm already on the FBI's radar, it's not a viable option at the moment.

"Feel better?" Mattia asks.

"Fuck no."

His soft chuckle floats across the SUV to me. "You're moody as fuck."

He's not wrong. I've been an irritable bastard for the last three days…ever since Athena fled my office after coming all over my hand. She hasn't been back since, and it's driving me fucking crazy.

I never thought I'd live to see the day I wanted the FBI up in my face, but here I am. Mad as hell that she ghosted me. I'm half-tempted to show up at her office myself. In fact, that's precisely my plan if she doesn't materialize by tomorrow.

She's had more than enough time to wrap her head around what happened between us. I'm not inclined to give her more. Either she comes to me, or I'm going to her. It's as simple as that.

"Things didn't go well with the FBI agent?"

I roll my head to the side, looking at Mattia. "Are we gossiping about my love life now, motherfucker?"

"Your love life?" Genuine surprise flickers in his eyes.

Fuck.

"I thought this was a means to an end for you."

"It is," I mutter.

Mattia waits me out.

"Maybe." I sigh.

"You like her."

"Does it matter?" I shrug, not willing to give up that info, not even to Mattia. The simple fact is, she's gotten under my skin in a major way. She's been on my mind non-fucking-stop since I met her. I'm mad as hell that she ran the other day, but I'm worried about her, too.

I don't worry about anyone, least of all a fucking fed. Yet I can't stop worrying about this one. Is she safe? Is she thinking of me? Has anyone put their fucking hands on her?

I'll burn this city to the ground if they have.

Mattia and I sit in silence for a good five minutes, watching the brownstone across the street, before he's compelled to speak again. "Not saying it's a good idea to fall for a cop," he murmurs. "But if she matters to you, it matters."

"Yeah, I know," I sigh, pinching the bridge of my nose. The only question is what the fuck I'm going to do about it. Before I have time to figure it out, Domingo's front door opens. "There's the little coglione."

"Good." Mattia pops open his door, his gaze already focused on Domingo. "Let's go frighten the neighborhood children into behaving."

"I'm here to see Agent White," I announce, dropping my ID onto the desk at the FBI's headquarters on West Roosevelt.

The clean-cut desk agent gives me a cursory glance, and then his gaze falls to my ID, his interest already waning. I clock the instant he reads my name.

"Holy shit." His gaze jumps back to my face as he sits upright. "Uh, you want to see who?"

"Agent Athena White." I drum my fingers against the top of the desk, feinting boredom. "I believe she's been looking for me."

He snatches the phone from the desk, quickly dialing an extension. To his credit, he keeps his eyes on me. I note what numbers he punches in, just in case I need them in the future, and then listen as he informs my little goddess that I'm standing at the front desk waiting for her.

I don't know what she says in return, but judging by the way the desk agent pales slightly, I'm guessing it's full of vitriol and probably threats on my life. I smile at the thought, my dick lengthening in my pants.

Christ, I've missed her fiery little ass.

I should have come after her the day she ran out on me, but I wanted to give her a little time to stew. Part of me hopes she's spent it looking over her shoulder, just waiting for me to appear. The other part hopes she's spent it coming to terms with the fact that she's powerfully attracted to me.

I'm not foolish enough to believe she's spent the time doing either. Knowing her, she's spent it convincing herself that what happened between us was a fluke, a one-time occurrence that will never happen again. I can't wait to disabuse her of that notion. It will be happening again. And again and again and again.

I adjust her jacket over my arm, almost regretting what I'm going to do to her today. If her bosses don't have doubts about her yet, they will by the time I leave this office. I'm fully aware that makes me a prick. I just don't care. I accepted that I was going to hell long ago. But at least she'll be in my bed while I'm here on earth. An eternity of torment is a small price to pay for that pleasure.

"She'll be down in a moment," Desk Agent says. "You can wait here."

I jerk my chin in a nod, sliding my ID off the desk while he writes my name across a name tag for me. As soon as he slides it over, I put it on, amused by the thought of strolling the halls with it stuck to my chest. I doubt Athena will be, however. I'm guessing this is the last place she wants me right now.

Too bad for her. I have no intention of going anywhere unless she's at my side, playing my little queen.

Rafe isn't going to like it. Fuck. He's going to hate it. But I'm banking on his feelings for my sister staying his hand.

Cazzo. What a tangled web we weave.

Aside from the desk agent, half a dozen other people are in the lobby. They all do that fucking cop thing where they watch me without being obvious about it. This makes it more evident since their gazes follow the same patterns. Like the grizzled motherfucker standing near the bathrooms with a receptionist. He looks at his watch, then the doors, then the elevators, then me, before doing the same thing in reverse. It'd be less noticeable if he blatantly stared.

I pretend not to notice any of the looks, instead toying with my phone. I'm sure they'd love to get their hands on it, but it's useless to them. Mattia isn't the only one who doesn't trust phones.

Less than ten minutes later, Athena emerges from the elevator on the far side of the lobby, looking entirely too fucking beautiful in her black pantsuit. Most of her hair is pulled back in a bun, but long pieces curl around her face, framing it. If she wears makeup, it's not because she needs it. Her tawny complexion is flawless without it.

Her heels click across the FBI crest on the tile floor as she stomps toward me, clearly pissed.

"Mr. Butera. I don't recall having an appointment with you today."

"Hello, Athena," I purr, making no secret of the fact that I'm eyeing her up and down. Jesus. Who can blame me when she looks as good as she does? I lift her jacket, making sure everyone in the lobby sees it. All eyes are on us anyway. "I thought you might like this back. You left it at my place after our last…encounter."

Everyone goes silent.

"How kind of you." Her eyes shoot off sparks of fury. "Since you're here, maybe you can answer a few questions that we didn't cover at our last meeting at your law office."

She sashays her sweet ass toward me, plucking the jacket out of my hands as if she isn't bothered at all by my insinuation. She's good, I'll give her that. But her eyes let me know exactly how she feels. If we were alone right now, she might actually follow through on her threat to shoot me.

Goddamn, she's incredible. The FBI doesn't deserve her. They don't even know what to do with a woman like her.

"Did my information about Genovese not check out?" I ask. We both know she already looked into what I told her. I didn't kill Genovese's men. He did. He also started the conflict that ultimately cost his life.

"I have additional questions. Follow me." She takes off toward the elevators without another word.

I smirk, following behind her. My dick is rock hard as I watch the way her ass sways in her pants. One day very soon, I'm going to bend her over and eat both of her holes before I teach her how much she loves having my dick between her round cheeks.

She stabs the button to recall the elevator like it personally assaulted her.

"Someone's cranky," I whisper.

She responds with a death glare.

My smile grows.

The handful of agents in the lobby are still dead silent, watching the two of us. Not a single one of the motherfuckers offers to sit in on the meeting for her safety. To these people, I'm the next thing to a serial killer. Worse, perhaps. But not one of the assholes seems to give a flying fuck if Athena is alone with me.

No, they don't deserve her. They don't even know how to protect her properly.

The elevator finally descends to the lobby. Two agents step off. The eldest of the two—a bulky bastard with a square jaw and lines around his eyes—runs right into Athena, knocking her back a step. I recognize him on sight.

James Tackett, one of the first assholes they sent to try to convince me to talk. To pricks like him, the only good criminal is a dead criminal. He made no secret of the fact that he would have loved to put a bullet between my eyes if he could have found a reason. Funny thing about men like him…the same propensity for violence runs in his blood that runs in ours. The only difference is that we're honest about who we are. Men like him, the dirty cops who thrive on chaos and violence, hide behind a badge and pretend they're righteous.

He grunts, intending to step around Athena and continue on his merry way without so much as an apology.

Fuck that.

I step into his path, blocking him.

"Watch where you're going," I warn him.

Hard blue eyes snap up to mine. "Excuse me?"

"Mr. Butera."

"I said watch where you're going, Tackett. You walked right into her."

"She was blocking the elevator."

"Mr. Butera," Athena says again.

"So was I, yet you didn't plow into me. You plowed into her. So how about you at least pretend like you were taught manners and apologize?"

The stronzo shifts his gaze from me to Athena and then back to me. "My apologies," he practically spits.

"To her," I growl, spearing him with a contemptuous look. "You apologize to her."

"My apologies, White," he growls at her. "Now, can you get your fucking guard dog out of my way? Some of us have actual work to do."

"Sure." Athena smiles brightly. "Good luck with your actual work. I hope it's as easy for you as getting Mr. Butera here to come in and talk was for me. Honestly, I don't know why you guys acted like getting him to talk was so hard. He's been perfectly cooperative." She bats her lashes as Tackett's face falls into a mask of fury.

I laugh in his face, amused as hell. She doesn't need me to defend her. She's capable of doing it herself. That doesn't mean I won't put a motherfucker in his place for disrespecting her. No one treats her like this pezzo di merda just did and gets to walk away from it unscathed.

"That's because you aren't an ignorant prick like this motherfucker," I say just loud enough for him to hear.

"Fucking murderer," he mutters under his breath.

I step around him onto the elevator, making a mental note to pay him a visit later. He's a fucking bully and a coward. Maybe I'll let him live long enough to teach him how to speak to women. Or maybe I'll rip his goddamn throat out.

The elevator doors slide closed as Athena jabs the button for the third floor.

"Does Tackett treat you like that often?"

"Are you serious right now?" she hisses at the same time, whirling to face me. "You showed up at my office?"

"You're avoiding me."

"I've been busy," she lies.

"Interesting."

"What?"

"You managed to graduate from the FBI Academy, but you're a terrible liar."

"I'm not lying. I've been busy."

"Doing what?"

"My job, Diego." She rolls her eyes as if that should be obvious. "I don't see how you forgot about it, considering you're currently in my building."

"Don't be a smart-ass, bella."

"Who, me? Never."

I smile, unable to help myself. "You're cute when you're pissed."

"Don't." Her warning reflects in her eyes.

I decide to heed it for the moment since we're on a public elevator. "You didn't answer my question."

"What question?"

"Does James Tackett treat you with such disrespect often?"

She snorts indelicately. "Tackett treats everyone with disrespect, Diego. He thinks this is his world, and we live in it."

"I see."

"What does that mean?" She narrows her eyes on me, suddenly suspicious. "And why are you asking?"

"Curiosity."

"Now who's lying?"

The elevator arrives on her floor, sparing me from responding. She shoots me another death glare and then marches off. Apparently, word has traveled ahead that I'm in the building because the entire floor has found an excuse to congregate around the receptionist's desk.

Athena mutters a curse under her breath when she sees everyone.

No one tries to say anything to me. No one even speaks to her. They just watch us parade past like we're goddamn bugs under a microscope. None of them seem particularly pleased that I'm here.

I scowl, beginning to put the pieces together. There's a reason this is Athena's first RICO case, and she's working it alone. I'm guessing this is a trial by fire, and they're praying she fails. It's a hell of a grim realization. Because my position has suddenly become uncomfortably untenable.

If she succeeds, Rafe will have no choice but to kill her to silence her. If she fails, these pricks get exactly what they want. One way or another, she loses.

I shouldn't care about that. I'm not supposed to care. And yet I do, goddamn it. I care all too much about this fiery little FBI agent and what happens to her. I've cared since she cornered me in the fucking parking garage like a ferocious little kitten.

She stomps into a small interview room, holding the door wide for me to enter.

I step through and glance around. It's little more than a closet. The only things inside are a table, three chairs, and an ancient coffee pot that's seen so much use the glass is permanently stained. A camera hangs in the corner.

So we aren't free to talk here. Fuck that.

"I'd like to record this interview," she says, closing the door behind her.

"Do I have a choice?"

"You always have a choice, Diego." She rolls her eyes.

"Is the camera on?"

"Yes, but it doesn't pick up audio unless you agree to let me record."

"Good. Turn it off, bella."

"I just told you it's not recording audio." She scowls, though we both know she isn't surprised. We also both know she only asked to record this meeting out of sheer desperation. She's terrified she won't be able to resist me if we're alone. Three days wasn't long enough for her to convince herself that the other day was a fluke.

"And I told you to turn it off." I meet her gaze. "Unless you want to explain to your bosses why you were wrapped in my arms while I was dry-humping you against the fucking wall. Your choice."

She stares at me for a full five count, trying to assess if I'm serious or not.

"One…"

"Infuriating, arrogant, pain in my…" she mutters, stomping toward the table. She slips her hand underneath the side, hitting what I'm guessing is a hidden control for the camera before she whirls around to face me again. "Happy now?"

I'm at her side in two steps, dragging her into my arms.

She doesn't try to stop me. She doesn't even tell me no. I boost her up into my arms, planting her back against the wall as I crash my mouth down on hers, stealing her breath. She tastes like peppermint and sin.

"Goddamn," I growl, grinding my dick against her hot little cunt as her hands sink into my hair, pulling hard. "You're trying to get yourself fucked right here, aren't you?"

"No," she lies.

"Liar." I bite her lip. "Did you dream about me, bella?"

"No. I haven't thought about you at all."

"No? I bet your panties tell a different story, Athena." I drag my lips across her cheek and then down her throat, not giving a fuck if anyone walks in and catches us. Let them. It'll solve my problems. "I smell how fucking hot you are for me right now."

"I can't stand you."

"You wish that was true."

She pulls my hair again.

I grind my dick against her again, breathing her in. "Fuck, you smell good."

"You smell like trouble."

I chuckle against her skin, my hands digging into her luscious ass. "Baby, I'm your favorite kind of trouble, and you know it."

"Whatever," she mumbles.

I tip her head back, kissing her once more. She goes pliant in my arms this time, her body softening. When I grind my dick against her again, she circles her hips, a soft moan pulled from deep in her chest.

"You want to come? Right here, right now?"

"I…" Fear and excitement war in her eyes. She wants it, but she's scared.

I push like the asshole I am, dragging her out of her comfort zone. It's what she wants. She's just too fucking afraid to reach for it. Her heart and body are beginning to catch on, but her mind isn't done rebelling against the thought of us yet. Too bad.

I balance her on my thighs, holding her gaze captive as I quickly undo her pants. Her breathing picks up speed, her eyes darting toward the door and then back to me.

"Diego…"

"Don't scream, and no one has to know, bella."

She bites her lip, the pulse in her throat fluttering wildly.

I slip my hand into her pants, my eyes locked on her face the whole time. As soon as I touch her, the fear disappears. She arches upward, moaning. Goddamn, she's beautiful.

"Don't scream," I remind her, circling her hard little clit with my finger.

She nods, catching her bottom lip between her teeth to keep herself quiet.

I don't drag it out. As much as I need her out of the FBI…I don't want it to be this way. I won't allow anyone to see her like this except for me. Her pleasure is for me alone. I own it. I control it. I'll work like a fucking dog to earn every drop of it.

I play with her, rubbing her clit in tight circles until she's mewling in my arms, unable to stay still. Her sounds grow louder, her eyes dazed and glossy. One day, I'm going to fuck her in front of a mirror so she sees herself like this.

"Diego, I…I…"

"Come," I growl. "Subito."

Her eyes lock with mine as she unravels, coming with a soft groan. My cock throbs, begging for attention as she squirms and shivers her way through it, trying like hell to keep quiet and not let anyone know what's happening in here.

Somehow, she manages it. We don't get caught.

"That can't happen again," she says a few minutes later, pressing her hands to her cheeks as she stares at me across the table.

"Don't make me prove you wrong right here and now, bella. I think we've tempted fate enough for one day." She may think she's strong enough to resist me, but deep down, she knows she isn't. It's the only reason she's trying to fucking hard to establish that boundary. She doesn't trust herself not to cross it.

I'm not playing by her rules, though. I'm making my own.

She drops her hands, her eyes narrowing. "Did you come all the way here just to piss me off?"

"No." I grin, lacing my fingers together behind my head. "That's just an added bonus."

"I can't stand you."

"Do you want me to prove just how much you can stand me, Athena?" I quirk a brow. "It's not my bosses on the other side of that door."

She growls in wordless frustration. "Why are you here, Diego?"

"You know why I'm here, bella. You ran out on me."

She actually squirms in her seat, her gaze sliding away from mine. "I wonder why?" she mutters under her breath.

"I know why. You like me, and that scares the hell out of you."

"I don't like you."

"No? Your juices on my hand say different, goddess."

"We are not talking about this. I have questions for you."

"So do I. Why are you on this case?"

"Because it's my job."

"Why this case? Why you, specifically?" I press, leaning back in my chair, trying to get a read on her.

"Why not me?"

"They want you to fail, don't they?"

The faint tremble in her hand is all the answer I need.

"Cazzo!" I growl, my temper rising. "They gave it to you because they knew you would fail, just like every other agent has for the last year."

She lifts her head, meeting my gaze. "It doesn't matter what they think because I'm not every other agent, Diego. I'm not going to fail."

She says it with so much confidence my fucking cock turns to steel. Competing desires war for dominion. Part of me wants to scoop her up and kiss the shit out of her again. The other part wants to bend her over and spank the hell out of her.

Does she even know what's at stake here? Not my freedom, but her life? A delicate truce we've spent the last year forging between the five families? If we go down now, this entire city will fall to chaos, and no one will be able to do a damn thing to stop it. Rafe and his alliances are all that hold the other families in check. If he's removed from the board now, the other families will wage war to claim his throne.

Chicago hasn't seen an actual mafia war in decades. They've never seen one like this. Mexico has. The cartel wars there have torn entire parts of the country apart. I doubt this city will fare much better.

In this moment, though, that isn't what guides me. It's her future, her fate that worries me. Somewhere over the course of the last few days, she's become necessary to my survival. How? When? I don't need anything. I don't get close to anyone. And yet this curvy little spitfire just blew up every fucking corner of my life.

Everything is different, yet it all remains the same. To save her life, I have to destroy her world.

"I'll tell you what you want to know," I growl. It's not a lie. I will tell her. But by the time I do, she'll be in too deep to get back out again. It's the only way she survives this. At the end of the day, I need her alive more than I need her to stick it to these motherfuckers. Maybe one day, she'll see it the same. "I'll answer every one of your questions if it's what you want. But I want something first."

"What?" She eyes me suspiciously, just waiting for the other shoe to drop.

I let it fall like a fucking anvil.

"You," I state succinctly. "I want twenty-four hours with you."

"No."

"Fine." I shrug like it doesn't make a difference to me at all. "Then I wish you the best." I rise to my feet and cross to the door, placing my hand on the knob.

"Wait!"

I pause, making no move to turn back around.

"I'll do it," she growls.

A smile curves my lips, satisfaction coursing through me.

Oh, rabbit. I've caught you now.