Page 44

Margot

I’m panting, lost in the feeling.

If I had known it would be so electric, so consuming, I would’ve given in sooner. My mind floats away, caught in the haze of what we just did.

Until he breaks the spell.

“Why did you leave?” His voice is rough, still thick with remnants of what just happened between us.

It takes me a moment to register the words, but when I do, reality slams back into me.

Roman. His conversation. The truth I tried to forget.

Matty is a bad man.

A killer.

A killer for you.

But he’s killed others too. People who had nothing to do with me.

I try to pull away, but he doesn’t let me. With his grip pinning my hips and his body caging me in, there’s nowhere to go. I unwind my legs from around him, drop my arms from around his neck, and shove at his chest.

It’s useless. He barely budges.

Although, a grunt of irritation escapes him. “Don’t make me pin you down again.”

I keep pushing.

He follows through on his threat. With one hand, he captures my wrists, securing them above my head. His other grips my chin, tilting my face towards his.

“Tell me why you left. Everything was going so well, then suddenly you run.” His tone is firm, unwavering. “I need to know why.”

I grit my teeth and swallow down my defiance. I want to fight. I want to lie. But I know I won’t.

You’ve never been able to disobey him .

“Because you’re a criminal. A psychopath.

A murderer .” My voice is raw, sharp with fury.

“You and your sick brothers. You’re all fucked up and should be in jail!

That’s why you took me in the first place.

But I’m too much of a tramp to remember that.

I let myself get sucked in. I let myself forget.

I think with my pussy when I’m around you.

But not anymore! I won’t fall for it again.

I’m getting away the first chance I get. I’ll never give in!”

I scream the words in his face. My chest heaves as my pulse beats like a wild drum.

His nostrils flare. His voice is deadly serious when he speaks. “Do not talk to me that way. You will respect me. And do not ever speak about yourself like that. You will respect what’s mine. And you. Are. Mine.”

His words hit like a slap. His control coils around me, tightly and suffocatingly .

Then, his voice dips lower, darker. “Maybe I’d believe you, if I couldn’t feel your peaked nipples pressed against my chest. If I couldn’t smell your arousal.”

I freeze as shame crawls up my spine.

“I bet my boxers that you're wearing are soaked through with your juices. Let’s check.”

His hand leaves my chin, and trails down my body with excruciating slowness. When he reaches my breast, he pinches my nipples hard.

I gasp as a traitorous moan slips free. He mocks me with his cocky grin.

His fingers dip beneath the waistband of his boxers I’m wearing. I already know what he’ll find.

When his fingers stroke between my folds, he hums in satisfaction. He circles my clit teasingly, until my hips shift forward chasing the pleasure.

Then he pulls away.

I whimper at the loss, but I don’t have time to dwell on it, because he shows me his fingers.

His fingers that are glistening with my arousal.

He smirks. “Hmm. Seems I was right. Now, open up.”

He drags his coated finger over my lips, pressing on them until I obey and they part.

Even when fuming at him, you still listen, like a good little girl.

I take his fingers in my mouth and suck them clean. Tasting myself on them.

Victory flares in his eyes. He pulls his fingers free with a soft pop , then murmurs, “My good, little slut. Always ready for me. Obeying my every word. You submit so beautifully. Without a fight.”

He’s mocking me.

He’s wrong .

He’s not wrong. Just because you rebel, doesn’t mean you disobey.

Fury ignites in my veins, hot and blinding. Before I can second-guess it, I do the only thing I can think of.

I spit in his face.

Matty stills. For one charged second, everything stops. Then, slowly, dangerously, his lips curl into a wicked grin.

He slowly wipes my spit from his cheek with the same fingers that were in my mouth moments ago. And then, he smears the saliva back over my lips.

I glare at him, refusing to give him the satisfaction of a reaction.

“Such a bad girl,” he murmurs, eyes glistening with delight “That just added to your punishment. And it was already going to be hell for leaving me.”

His cock is still hard against me. He’s excited. He grinds against me, reinforcing the truth of his words.

“Now, tell me what made you run. Yesterday morning, you were excited for our date. By midday, you were gone. Why?” He almost sounds hurt, but that can’t be right.

I exhale sharply. “I saw Roman walk in. I knew who he was when you called him by name. He was the man you were talking to that day in the alley. He’s the psychopath.

He’s the reason you took me . And here he is, in your house, covered in blood, and you don’t even flinch.

Then I heard you talk. I heard you agree to step up and start killing people.

” I swallow hard, my voice raw. “It made me sick. I let a monster touch me. I knew what you were, and I let myself forget it. I won’t do it again. ”

Matty hums. “Hmm. I thought I intercepted Roman before you saw him. I guess I was wrong.”

I stare at him, stunned. “You’re not even going to deny it?”

“No,” he says simply. “I won’t insult you by lying.

Everything you heard was true. The men in the alley were not the first I’d killed.

They won’t be the last. I’ve already killed again since saving you.

I burned alive the man who held you down.

And I basked in his screams. I didn’t look away.

I relished every moment. It brought me pleasure to make him suffer for touching you. ”

His voice is pure evil, and I see the truth of what he’s saying in his eyes. He takes delight in the memories of what he did.

I feel nauseous at the confession. At his glee. At the idea of murdering someone so brutally. And enjoying it.

I don’t know this man. This sick bastard.

I try to turn my head, unable to look at him for another second. But he doesn’t let me off that easily. He grabs my chin and forces me to face him. I squeeze my eyes shut.

He tsks. “You know better. Eyes on me.”

I glare at him.

“I’d do it every day for you,” he says, low and lethally. “And I’ve done it for years. For my family. For the Syndicate.”

I blink. “The Syndicate?”

“My family runs The Syndicate,” he explains.

“It’s like the Bratva but with no nationality affiliation.

We don’t answer to anyone. We run many operations in our territory.

But for the most part, we keep the streets clean.

We make sure those around us follow the rules.

And when they don’t, we make an example out of them. ”

I swallow hard.

“All the men I’ve hurt or killed, they deserved it. Rapists. Murderers. Criminals who would’ve never faced justice otherwise.”

He leans in, his voice a little softer. “You’ve never had a reason to think about that kind of world.

You’re not supposed to. That’s the point.

In your eyes, murder is wrong, and I get that.

But take yesterday. If I had let him live after what he almost did to you, do you think he’d stop?

I guarantee he’s done it before. He would’ve done it again. ”

He pauses, letting his words sink in.

“There are rules in what we do. And if we were to break them, we face consequences too. That’s what keeps this city safe. People like you don’t even know what’s lurking in the shadows because men like me are out there keeping it in check.”

I shiver.

“I’m sorry you got dragged into this. If the Russians hadn’t exposed you, you might’ve never known. But being mine means you were always going to be involved. It was inevitable.”

His hand slides to my jaw, gentler now.

“I’ll protect you from the Bratva. I know how they operate. And with the Syndicate behind us, they won’t touch you. My brothers and I will keep you safe.”

I search his face, desperate to find something good in all of this.

“But to stay safe,” he continues, “you have to listen. You have to look past your own moral compass and understand the rules we live by. This world is different. And as my woman, you’ll live by our rules.”

I flinch at the word ‘ my’, but I don’t disagree.

“I usually stay out of the darker side of business. I keep my image clean to run Syndicate Enterprises, the legal front. But now, you’re involved. That changes everything.”

A sigh leaves him, but there’s no regret in it. Only conviction.

“I’ll shield you from as much as I can. But you’ll see some of it. You need to understand, we are the good guys. We just play by different rules. And if that means hurting bad men to keep innocent people safe? Then we do it. Without hesitation. Without regret.”

His words land like a stone on my chest .

Murder is wrong. It always has been. But… if he’s doing it to protect people, does that make it acceptable? In a vigilante sort of way?

Even if it is justifiable, can I be with a man who commits such atrocities with a smile on his face?

Yes, babe. You know Matty. He’s a good man. And if he has to do bad things for the right reasons, you’ll learn to live with it.

He burned a man alive and enjoyed it.

He did it in honor of you. That man was going to rape you. He deserved it. So what if Matty took joy in avenging you?

“So… you’re the good guys,” I repeat slowly. “You just have to do questionable things to keep people safe?”

“Yes, sweetheart.” I hear the sincerity in his voice.

“We protect the people. We’re feared by our enemies and respected by our allies.

We don’t hurt people for the sake of hurting.

We have a code. It’s just not one you’re used to.

Can you live with that? Can you live knowing that I’ll do anything, anything, to protect my family? To protect you ?”

His eyes plead with me to understand.

And I do.

I don’t know how, and I don’t know why, but I do. I can live with it. He’s worth it. And maybe I do believe in justice outside the legal system.

I nod.

“I’m going to keep you safe. You know that, right? Nothing will ever happen to you again.”

His promise is absolute. And I believe it.

“I know.” My voice wobbles. “Thank you for coming after me. For saving me.”

“You’re mine. I’ll always come after you. But I won’t have to again… because you’ll never leave me. Isn’t that right?”

Despite his gentle tone, there’s a threat in his voice.

“Yes,” I whisper the promise.

“Good.” He leans in, lips brushing my forehead. “Now, time for your punishment.”

I freeze.

“You ran away from me. You need to learn your lesson, so you never try again.” He smiles, wickedly and beautifully. “Don’t you agree?”

“Yes, sir.”

I don’t know what made me say it. But the way his grin spreads, like I’ve just handed him the world, tells me he loved hearing it.

“Let’s get started.”

His grin should scare me. But it doesn’t. I trust him.

God help me, I trust him.

I always will.