Page 5 of Blood and Penance (The Puglisi Crime Family #1)

Chapter Four

Phoenix

Nervous energy runs through my entire body as I grab the burner phone from under the bathroom counter and stuff it inside the pocket of my robe.

It’s now or never. The last of the guests left more than an hour ago and I have no doubt Lio is trashed.

He always drinks a little more after our gatherings.

It wouldn’t even surprise me if he’s having his fuck fest with the Italian model as we speak.

Do I have a surprise for them.

“You got this,” I say to myself trying to give myself a little pep talk before I do this. If this works, I’m free. If not, I’m dead.

After checking myself in the mirror one last time, I open the door and of course Georgio is standing right there waiting when I step out. He’s the main reason for the outfit I’m wearing. I hope it works.

I roll my eyes. “Do you ever fucking sleep?” I ask as I stroll pass him toward the giant staircase.

I feel his eyes on me as he chuckles. “I can ask the same about you. Where are you going?”

“The last I heard this is my house, Georgio. I don’t need to tell you shit,” I say as I make my way down to the first floor. “But if you must know, I’m going to go fuck my husband. It's been a while and I'm horny.”

“I don’t… Mrs. D’Amico,” he stammers. “I don’t think that’s such a good idea.”

When I reach the bottom of the staircase, I face Georgio with my hands on my hips and his eyes land on my robe that I’ve left open at the top so he can see some of my cleavage.

“And why is that Georgio?”

“Umm,” he stutters before his eyes land back on my face. “Boss is in his office.”

I know what that means but I want to see if he’ll say it.

“And?” I arch my brow. “It’s where he spends most of his time, Georgio.”

I’ve never seen Georgio so flustered in my life. It’s the truth, Lio is always in his office. If he’s not in there discussing business, he’s in there screwing someone. And at this time of night, both me and Georgio know which one he’s doing.

He sighs and pauses for a moment like he needs to get his words together. “And he’s not in there alone.”

I don’t know why people believe I’m so clueless about what my husband does.

I’m not some docile woman, who doesn’t know the signs of a cheating bastard.

Even the wives and girlfriends of his associates believe I’m just so na?ve that I don’t know my husband is running around on me.

I don’t know how many conversations I’ve walked in on where someone’s talking about my husband’s latest conquest. But I’ve just turned a blind eye to it because I don’t give a damn what Lio does, or who he does it with.

He can fuck his way through the entire European continent for all I care.

“I know, Georgio. I’m going to join the fun.”

I wink at him, and I know I’ve shocked the hell out of him because his eyes got as big as saucers. I can’t help but smile at the dumbass look on his face. “Would you like to join, too?”

“Wh…What?”

"I said would you like to join?" I trail my manicured nail down his chest, his breath hitches, and his anticipation is more intense as I move closer. I rise on my tiptoes. “I can make it worth your while,” I whisper in his ear. “Or better yet, meet me in my room, and as soon as I’m done, I’m all yours.”

I lick the shell of his ear for added effect, and his body shudders.

“Fuck me,” he mutters under his breath.

“I see the way you look at me, Georgio.” I move my hand across his stomach toward his belt. “I know you’ve wanted me for a long time. Now’s your chance.”

I step away from him right before I reach his crotch, and by the look in his eyes, he’s so close to taking me up on my offer.

He just needs a little more incentive. So, I undo the tie on my robe, inch by inch open it, giving him a view of my silk pink nighty that’s underneath.

It's lace and molds to my curves. When his eyes zero in on my breast, then move down my body, I know I’ve got him.

Hook, line, and sinker.

“He’ll never find out.” I grab one of his huge, calloused hands and bring it to my breasts. “I can be all yours.”

He groans when he squeezes my full breasts. “Fifteen minutes,” he says.

“Twenty. I need to give him a show, Georgio.”

He pauses for a minute then nods. “Twenty minutes. That’s it.”

I nod, and he drops his hand then immediately heads upstairs. I blow out another breath. “One down, one to go.”

I’ve got twenty minutes to do what I need to do, then get the hell out of here before Georgio comes looking for me. It’s cutting it close, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

Before I even reach the door, I hear Lio's moans sounding down the short hallway, causing me to roll my eyes. You’d think they are filming a porn with the amount of noises I’m hearing.

I don’t bother knocking and push open the door. He’s sitting on his brown leather couch with his pants around his ankles and her between his legs. Her black cocktail dress is hiked above her ass and one of her hands is shoved between her legs playing with her pussy.

One of his hands is intertwined in her long dark hair, and a cigar is in the other while her head bobs up and down on his cock.

His eyes land on me, then move down my body.

When he focuses back on my face, he arches his brow.

He puffs on the cigar, then blows the thick white smoke into the air.

He groans, tightening his grip on her hair.

“What are you doing here, amore mio ?”

My love.

I hate when he calls me that.

I close the door behind me, then face the man who has become my nightmare instead of the man of my dreams. “I thought I’d join you.”

I walk over to his mini bar, ignoring the skeptical look on his face and the noise of her giving my husband a blow job in my home.

“Join me?" he questions. "Hmm.”

After I pour a glass of whiskey for him. I pull the small baggy from my robe’s pocket and slip the entire package of powder into his drink. Even though I could give him just a little to put him to sleep, I prefer him to sleep permanently.

I stir it with my finger, making sure the powder dissolves. When I face him, I plaster on my face a fake smile, and stroll toward him and the woman who hasn’t even acknowledge I’ve even come into the room.

She sure is ambitious.

“Yes, Lio. Unless you rather someone else scratches this itch. Perhaps Georgio. Maybe Matteo.”

I hand him the drink, and he doesn’t hesitate to grab it, then down it in one shot as anger swirls in his eyes. While he fucks around on me, he doesn’t like the idea of any man fucking me.

Such a hypocrite.

He yanks the woman’s mouth off of him. “Leave.”

She wipes her mouth with the back of her hand.

“Lio… are you fucking serious!” she yells as she stands to her feet, then pulling her dress down over her ass.

“I said, leave!” he shouts, not taking his eyes off me. I see the desire mixed with anger dancing in them, but this night won’t end the way he wants it to.

She jumps from the loudness in his voice, snatches her clutch from the couch, then rushes to the door. When it slams behind her, I focus back on my husband. I take the whiskey glass from his hand and place it on the table beside the couch.

“What are you up to, Phoenix?” He grabs me by the waist and pulls me close to him so I’m standing between his legs. “You never come to me.”

I straddle his hips, wrapping my arms around his neck. His hard dick brushes against my stomach. With slurred words, he’s struggling to keep his eyes open. Drugs and alcohol don’t mix.

I lean forward. “Things change, husband.” I grind my hips against his erection, ignoring the fact that it's covered in that woman's spit. “Are you going to fuck me Lio, or should someone else do the honors?”

He groans, but his head lolls to the side. “Phoenix… some… something’s wrong.”

"What do you mean?" I ask with fake concern.

He’s breathing harder, and his skin is getting redder by the second.

“Help me.”

I ignore his plea for help. I ignore the alarm in his eyes, and the bluish tint of his lips. “Help you?” I chuckle. “I rather see you in hell, husband,” I whisper in his ear, then climb off his lap.

He’s not dead yet, but it won’t be long.

Gazing at the large wall clock behind his desk, I have five minutes before Georgio comes looking for me.

I tie the belt of my robe, then rush to the door of his office.

I look back over my shoulder, and now he’s slumped over, his body leaning over the arm of the chair.

Good riddance, you bastard.

I take a deep breath, step into the hallway, then close the door behind me.

I make my way to the front door of our home as fast as I can. I don’t expect anyone to stop me because the staff are all gone home, and Lio’s men except for Georgio and Matteo are never inside the house unless he orders them to be.

I open the door, walk outside then run to one of Lio’s cars, idling in front of the house. I snatch the door open and slide into the passenger side then close the door behind me.

Matteo looks at me, then puts the car into drive. “Is it done?” he asks as he makes his way toward the front gate. It’s the last hurdle we have to cross, then I’m free.

“It’s done. Now hold up your end of the bargain.”

He smiles and turns his attention ahead as we approach the gate. I’m expecting us to be stopped, but instead it opens.

“How?” I ask as we go through the gate without anyone trying to stop us.

“You and I aren’t the only ones who has issues with Lio.”

Your enemies are always the ones closest to you.

I pull out my phone to send a quick text to my sister.

This plan has been in the works for months.

I wasn’t sure if I could trust Matteo, but I also know that he’s ambitious.

It was risky approaching him, but with a little persuasion, and giving him a way to take over, he was all in.

Now all that’s left for me to do is to make sure I’m far away when they find Lio’s body.

“It was nice doing business with you, Matteo. May this be the last time we ever cross paths.”

While he went along with the plan, I don’t trust him. But if I go down for Lio’s death, he’s going down with me.