Page 7 of Dangerous Games of Trust
I nod, understanding his meaning; he would never do anything to go against his brothers. But a week ago, I would have said the same about Enzo. Something has changed for him. Something big. “You’re all going to take down the king of the underworld?” I chuckle sarcastically, unable to contain my disbelief. He has to be kidding, right?
His gentle touch sends shivers down my spine as he traces a path up my arm, his hand weaving through my hair. “Are you ready to take back your life?” Oh, fuck, the way he looks at me melts me into a puddle on the floor. I can’t keep up my bitchy attitude toward him. He came through for me when I needed him the most.
“I have no power here,” I seethe, blinking back at him, waiting for him to tell me how we do this. I want someone to sweep in and save me, tell me how I can fix this mess and get out alive.
“Don’t you want control over your life again? A future of your own choosing. I know I do.” I can see he’s in immense pain, not just physically, but there is something else torturing him today as well. I can’t help but recall what Valentina mentioned about him and Marco being compelled to work in Italy for the foreseeable future. Enzo’s demands were spiraling out ofcontrol, wreaking havoc on all our lives. They had to save themselves as well. I’m sure that’s what this is.
I reach out, grabbing his T-shirt, craving to be nearer to him, yearning to sense his heat and breathe in his manly aroma, mixed with a subtle whiff of cigarettes. I wrote them all off, but maybe I was wrong. “Of course I do,” I whisper.
“Enzo has been allowed to rule over this town for way too long, he’s become so arrogant, so pigheaded, he can’t even see the destruction he’s causing all around him. It’s only a matter of time before his people start to see the cracks in his armor, and when they do, he will lose it all.”
I take a deliberate step back from Maddox. My heart races like crazy because I know what he’s saying is true. He’s finally seeing his cruel leader for the dictator he is. Not only that, but he’s opening up to me.
“What happened while I was out of it? What was that fight all about at the basketball arena?” I ask, needing to know exactly what they did.
“Insurance.”
I angle my head to the side, my eyes locking with his. “I’m not into the cryptic bullshit. Insurance?”
“To make sure Enzo doesn’t work out we’re working together.”
A bitter laugh escapes me. “He’s pretty fucking smart, I’m sure he already knows.”
His eyes lock with mine. “All he knows is you disappeared, so the wedding couldn’t go ahead. He thinks Marco helped you, so he’s in lockdown in this apartment with you as well. He has no idea I was involved, that underground fight had been planned for months. We just had a little more to fight over.” He scowls. I can see that even though right now he’s standing in Geovani’s territory and they’re working together for me, there is no love between them.
I flick my gaze over his bruised face, the only proof I need to know what I witnessed last night wasn’t an illusion. I know the pure violence of it wasn’t for show, they were fighting over me. “The masked men with guns?” I ask.
He takes my hand, pulling me back into him. “Alessandro and Ricky had their own agenda last night. Enzo wanted a couple of outstanding debts paid.”
I tilt my head back, craning my neck to meet his dark gaze. “Ivan Venality,” I mutter, my stomach rolling at the memory of him lying there all bloody and lifeless.
“Look, he wasn’t innocent. Nothing’s black and white in this life. He crossed the family, plain and simple. Every guy who signs up knows the rules—and what happens when you break ’em,” Maddox explains. His expression is serious, and I know it’s because of what he and my brother did for me. They went against the family to save me.
My thoughts flick to my brother, a terrible sinking feeling settling in. “Marco fucked over the family! So did you.”
“Your brother would do anything for you, and so would I.”
I drop my gaze, feeling shy all of a sudden. Maddox isn’t the declaration type, but to know I have him on my side means everything to me.
“Your brother and you are both safe here. Top-notch security system, and this is the penthouse, no one is getting in or out of this place without Geovani’s say so.”
“We’re safe while we’re locked up in this tower,” I say, unimpressed. I knew I wasn’t free. Free to get killed as soon as I step foot outside the door, that’s what they meant.
Maddox’s hand moves up my arm, and I feel the tension in his muscles. “For once in your life, temptress, do what you’re told so we can all keep you safe.” His face moves closer to mine, a flutter running through me at our proximity.
“Maddox,” I say his name in warning, tilting my head up toward him defiantly, “I’m sick of being told what to do, you all treat me like a child.”
His hand slides into my hair, tilting my head back further, the air buzzing with the same erratic energy it always does when we’re close. “Not a child, more like a pretty princess who needs to be saved from herself.”
Irritation crawls under my skin. “Fuck you. I’m not some princess who needs protecting. I see what you all did for me. I owe you so much for it. But if you keep treating me like a piece of fine fucking porcelain, I’m going to snap, and none of you will ever see me again. I’m fucking serious, Maddox. I’ll stay in this place because I realize how dangerous it is out there for me right now. But I won’t sit quietly here forever while you all go on living your lives. I want revenge for the life that’s been taken from me,” I snip, my tone extra bitchy. I need him to know how deadly serious I am about this. My attitude only seems to up the intensity between us.
His lips turn up at the sides. “You’re so much fucking trouble.” In one swift movement, he shoves me up against the closed door, his lips covering mine in a possessive kiss as he forces his tongue inside my mouth. I let out a breathy groan, heat pulsing through me. His large hands roam up, under my oversized hoodie, before he lifts me at the waist, pressing my back into the door.
My legs wrap around him, locking at the ankles, my hands roaming under his shirt, feeling his muscular torso. Every delicious flick of his tongue steals the breath from my lungs. I kiss him back with so much desperation. Out of fear that Enzo will work out what he’s doing to help me, out of gratitude for everything he’s sacrificing for me, and mostly because I was just as desperate to have his lips on mine after not tasting him for too long. He wraps his arms around me, holding me so close to him I can feel his erratic heart racing in his chest. Even after we stopkissing, his forehead drops to mine and we hold each other close, sucking in ragged breaths as we try to calm ourselves down.
“Fuck you,” I say to him again just so he knows I’m not over my hissy fit.
“I fucking wish, temptress.” His nose nestles in my hair, and I can feel him breathing in deeply, as if trying to capture the scent. “Cherries? That’s not going to work,” he complains.
