Page 48 of Beautiful Sinner

Viktor is in the living room, despite it being past midnight. He stares at me as I stop in my tracks. His eyes flick to the back door and then back to me. “Where were you?”

“What?”

“You’ve been gone for hours. I went to talk to you about Connor, ask you if he hurt you, but you weren’t there. I searched the whole house and you weren’t there. I sent my guards out looking for you and yet, here you are, just casually walking back inside.” He stands up. “Where were you?”

If I tell him about Matteo now, while he’s upset, it will for sure lead to Matteo’s death and I cannot have that.

So, I lie again.

“I’m sorry,” I blurt out. “I snuck out to take a walk along the river.”

“At night? It’s dangerous at night.”

“I know. It was reckless. I know anyone could have found me. You don’t need to lecture me. I just had to clear my head.”

He lets out a slow breath. “Is this about Connor? Has he hurt you? Inessa told me he cornered you in the kitchen.”

This could be the moment I tell Viktor but then Connor could still tell Viktor the truth about me and Matteo. It’s better if Matteo and Dante manage to kill Connor. That way Viktor doesn’t know the truth about me and Matteo. Connor will be dead.

“He… did corner me,” I admit. “But he didn’t hurt me. He just wanted to talk about the wedding. But I’m fine. You don’t need to ruin your alliance with him over that. I’m sorry I snuck out. I just needed to clear my head. I have a lot on my mind. But it won’t happen again.”

Some of the tension leaves him. “I trust you, you know that? I just want you to be safe.”

“I know. But I’m tired and want to go to bed now.”

“Of course.” He doesn’t stop me from leaving but I can feel his eyes on me until I get into my room and shut the door behind me.

Matteo

It’s time to kill Connor.

Dante and I come up with a plan to attack him when he shows up at Dante’s club. Despite the fact that we saw each other at Coney Island, he keeps coming back to Dante’s club, almost like he’s trying to show off how unafraid he is of us.

Well, he’s just going to make it easy for us to kill him.

“We can’t have Viktor gaining any allies,” Dante says as we head into his club.

“I’m right there with you.” But more so, I don’t want Connor to ever get the chance to put his hands on my girl.

Shit. I’m already thinking of Julia as my girl when she isn’t.

Connor is up in his private booth, drinking away and laughing like he doesn’t have a care in the fucking world. I see him kiss a woman next to him. Fucker. He’s going to marry Julia and already he’s sleeping with other women.

Granted, Julia is technically cheating on him with me but she doesn’t want this marriage. Connor does.

“We’re going to bring him into my office,” Dante says.

The reality is that I know that Connor is somewhat onto us. It’s the reason he wanted to attack this club with Viktor. But Dante doesn’t know any of that because he doesn’t know the real reason Viktor came to the club and that I stopped an attack from happening.

Dante calls one of his guards on his phone. “Bring Connor Barry to my office. If he tries to fight, knock him out.” Dante motions for me to follow him. I’m worried that Connor is going to attack before we can kill him.

I’m also worried he’s going to tell Dante the truth about me and Julia.

Before we reach the hallway to Dante’s office, I see movement out of the corner of my eye. Connor is trying to run from the guard trying to grab him.

“He’s running,” I murmur to Dante.

“I figured. He must have known coming back here was a risk if he’s working with Viktor.”