Page 45 of Darkest Desire

“I’ll take that as a no,” I say. “Well, you know where to find me if you want to find out.”

I give her a wink just to mess with her. Sasha stares at me open mouth and it takes everything inside of me not to go right back to her and kiss the life right out of her.

Sasha

I get dressed for the dinner party in a beautiful navy gown that hugs my body in a flattering way while not being too promiscuous. Nico told me that he wanted to impress his guests so that meant I needed to look good, like a mafia man’s wife, not a whore.

My stomach is feeling much better now. There’s still some bruising but the initial pain has passed. All I’m left now is the memories of what happened that day. It’s the reason I haven’t tried to leave. I don’t want to risk getting hurt again. Every time I’ve disobeyed Nico, I’ve gotten hurt. Maybe the universe is trying to tell me something.

And besides, Natalya promised me that she’d find a way to get me out of this house. Nico doesn’t know I called my sister. This may be my only chance and if I leave the house, I could be setting myself up to not be saved.

If I’m being honest with myself, I haven’t fully wanted to leave the house. It’s a beautiful place. And while there isn’t a ton to do around the house, Nico did deliver on the Italian language book so I can start to learn. I’ve been reading it all day and practicing.I have a long way to go to get better but as long as I’m stuck here, I want to be prepared for anything.

I finish applying my makeup then leave the room. Nico is downstairs waiting for the guests to arrive.

I nod at the guard outside the bedroom. There’s always a new guard on sight. I’m not sure who this one is. I haven’t seen him before.

Right as I’m walking past him, the guard grabs my arm gently.

I gasp. “What are you doing?”

“My apologies.” He lets me go. “But you should know, Sasha, that I was sent here by your sister to save you.”

I go rigid. Is this for real? Or is this some test from Nico?

“Mikhail sent me,” he says in a low voice. “My name is Alek but everyone here thinks my name is Lorenzo. Only call me Lorenzo. Nico doesn’t know. We have to wait until the right moment for me to get you out. Understood?”

“How did you get to be a guard?”

“Mikhail has contacts and not everyone is loyal to Nico. I’m here to help. But you have to be patient and you cannot reveal any of this to Nico. Not if you want to get out of here. Now, you should be heading downstairs.”

Slowly, I walk away from Alek or Lorenzo or whatever his name is. I’m in shock. There’s a chance for me to get out of here.

But as I walk down the stairs to my husband, there’s a tiny part in the back of my head that wonders if I truly do want to get out of here.

Chapter Eight

Sasha

Itry to keep my face neutral as I approach Nico in the foyer. He cannot know about Alek/Lorenzo and that he’s working for Mikhail. It’s my one chance to get out of here and I cannot lose it.

But Nico is good at reading me. He knows I’m really a virgin despite me lying that I’m not. How am I going to keep this Alek secret without him finding out?

Nico’s eyes rake me over and they send goosebumps over my skin. He’s always had that power over me. The ability to just make me uncomfortable while also making me feelseen.

“You look stunning,” he says.

“Well, you wanted me to wear this dress.”

“I did.” He trails his fingers down my arm. There’s a small part of me that wants to lean into his touch; to see what it really feels like. But I snap out of that. Nico may have saved my life a few times but he’s the reason I was in those messes in the first place. I can’t ever find myself leaning into his touch.

“So, who’s coming to this dinner party?” I ask.

“A few friends. Business associates.”

“Like the one you killed in your maze?”

His eyes darken while his lips thin out. “I only killed Jeffrey because he was attacking you. And because you didn’t listen to my orders.”