Chapter Five

DANIIL

“Hello.”

“I have been trying to reach you for hours now. I did not receive a confirmation. What is the status of the project?”

I wish that I could reach through the phone and strangle this evil, stupid man. She is not a project.

I’ve brought her to my family’s villa in Aspen, Colorado. We arrived here from Italy after a long flight. I know she’s tired because she didn’t get any sleep on the flight.

“I encountered a problem.”

“What kind of problem? Is she—”

I interrupt him. “I have your wife, Gallo. Trust me, she is going nowhere.”

“Why is the mission incomplete?”

“We have unresolved issues. I am in Aspen, Colorado, and I have your wife.”

“Why is she there?”

he demands.

“I will text you an address,”

I say, ending the call.

When I hang up, I text him the address just as I feel a soft hand on my shoulder.

“May I have a word with you?” she asks.

“Yes.”

I lead her upstairs to my room. Although she could have her own room, I’ll be damned if I’ll allow her to sleep anywhere except for under my watchful eye.

I close the door behind us and lead her to the sitting room.

“Daniil, I’ve spent the last three years in a loveless marriage. One where he pleasured himself with other women. A marriage where he denied me children because I denied him my heart.”

“Why does he want you dead?”

“I overheard a meeting that I shouldn’t have. Royal is working with the Barones, my family’s enemy.”

“Esmé, are you sure?”

“Yes. The men came to our home on multiple occasions when Royal thought I wasn’t there. My phone was linked to our security cameras, so I saw when they arrived. I was surprised, to say the least, but I came home immediately. I took pictures and recorded every conversation.”

“How did he find out you knew?”

“He caught me eavesdropping a few weeks ago. He beat me, took my phone, and forbade me to leave the house. Royal placed guards on me to ensure I didn’t leave. He returned my phone, but he monitors every call.”

“You are safe now. Go back downstairs with my mother and sisters. I have some things I need to handle,” I say.

“What types of things?”

“It is better if you do not know. Please. Go.”

Esmé stares unblinkingly at me before she turns angrily at my dismissal. I gather my father, uncle, brothers, and cousins in my father’s office.

“What’s going on?”

my brother Sergei asks.

“Esmé discovered that her husband has been working with the Barone family to take her father down. When he learned that she knew, both he and the Barone family decided to take her out.”

“The worst betrayal. The svoloch′,”

my father grunts, rocking back in his chair with his tattooed arms crossed over his chest.

“Exactly,”

Sergei says.

“I have spoken with Gallo and given him this address to meet with me. I’m sure he’s not coming alone. So, we need to prepare,” I say.

My father nods, clasps his hands on his desk, and says, “I know Giotto Allegra. We have done business in the past.”

“Giotta?

“Her father.”

“Will there be war, Papa?”

“Maybe. We should prepare.”

My father, brothers, uncle, cousins, and I spend the next hour planning.

When I return to the bedroom, she’s sitting on the edge of the bed.

“What’s going to happen?” she asks.

“We’re taking care of everything.”

Esmé stands, walks to me, and grabs my wrist. I glance at her delicate fingertips against my skin and then slowly back up to her soft, pleading gaze.

“I lied earlier.”

“About?”

“Royal loving me, or even insinuating that I loved him.”

“I know. A man who loves his wife doesn’t kill her. A man who loves a woman, sacrifices and surrenders everything for her.”

“I’m sorry that I slipped out on you like that all those years ago, Dani. I just wanted to feel alive before I resigned myself to the life that I’ve been living.”

“You could have told me you were leaving. You could have said goodbye.”

“I know,”

she says, lowering he gaze.

“What do you want from me, Esmé?”

“The same thing I wanted that night three years ago.”

“We’re back to Christmas Eve, and you’re back to using me.”

“It’s not like you had feelings for me. I was just another woman in your bed.”

The fact that she believes that bothers me for some reason.

I pull her to me, capturing her lips with mine and crushing them underneath me. She’s sweet and soft. A hum like that of a songbird flees from her mouth.

Our tongues duel, speaking a language that has never existed before. My hands drop to the curvy hips that have expanded in time. Esmé locks her hands behind my neck, pulling me closer as she presses her soft, hot body against mine.

I can’t control my arousal and the way my dick jumps when she’s this close to me. She moans her approval in my mouth.

When she pulls away and takes a few steps back, I want to pull her close again. I miss the heat from her body.