Page 30 of Scream (Duchess & Devils #1)

Parker.

Four fucking days .

It takes me four fucking days to find the little village outside of Verona where Maksim's family lives.

Four. Days.

That's not the worst part.

The worst part, mind you, is that once I found it, the village was so heavily guarded I couldn't sneak in... until Wednesday morning, when everyone and their mother went to Mass just down the road at an old, gorgeous church. Only about twenty percent of the guards remained.

Then it decided to rain.

Hard .

And it was fifty degrees out.

So by the time I showed up at Maksim's villa, I was tired, cold, hungry, and wet, literally shivering like a little bitch. When I knocked on the front door, some little Italian lady opened it, and behind her... Sabrina .

It's like I'm looking at a mirage. I want to take her in my arms. The surprise on her face is evident, but her eyes fill with tears as she takes me in.Hell yeah, my hellcat missed me.

"Oh my god! Get in here!" She bristles past the little old lady, grabs me by the sleeve of my shirt, and doesn't let me talk.

She just shoves me into the nearest bathroom so I can shower.

Because I'm disgusting. But I don't care.

I watch the rest of the grime that didn't wash off in the rain go down the drain as relief floods me.

My entire body relaxes under the heat of the water, little rivers going down my body.

I let myself relax further, placing my hands at the nape of my neck and letting my head hang back as far as it can.

I found her .

She looked pale. Circles under her eyes.

I didn't get a chance to grab anything. As soon as Raven let me know Sabrina was being taken to the airport to fly to Italy, I took a cab to JFK right behind them.

After almost being shot off the tarmac trying to get to the jet, I paid for a ticket to Italy.

Anywhere in Italy. Which turned out to be Venice.

So I took an almost two-hour train to Verona, having to ask the town folk where the Giordano's stayed with my extremely limited Italian.

Most looked at me with interest, the rest told me to stay away.

Christ.

But I would do it again.

I would do it all over again to see her face.

What feels like an hour later, I leave the bathroom to find sweats laid out for me. They fit perfectly. Normally I wouldn't wear another man's clothes, especially knowing these belong to her now-husband, but I've been wearing the same clothes for nearly five goddamn days.

There's a small knock on the bedroom door, and when I open it, already knowing it's Sabrina, I drag her in with me by the elbow. "You're sick," is the first thing out of my mouth.

She lifts a shoulder but doesn't shy away from my touch. It almost feels like she’s leaning into me, green eyes staring into mine. "Just some allergies. Too much country air. You know me."

She's right. I do. Still, I look her up and down. "You ain't been sleepin’ right, have you?"

She looks a little guilty, and her shoulder lifts in a little shrug. Fuck, she’s gorgeous. "Here and there."

"Your dreams?" God, I'm dying to touch her.

Really touch her. Her hair is in a messy bun on her head, and her glasses are on, and all I wanna do is tuck away the loose strands behind her ear, to feel her against me, to have her feel me against her, trap her with my warmth and give her a real kiss, the kiss that tells her I'm giving her my entire soul.

"Snippets. Nothing I can't handle," she whispers back, eyes wide, pupils dilated as she looks up at me, and fuck if my heart hasn't slowed to an alarming rate.

"Baby..." I breathe in her scent to let it nourish me, and she replies with a shaky " Savage ."

"What the fuck?" Maksim practically roars when he opens the door, and I break away from her. "What are you doing here?"

I tear my eyes away from hers and look at the monster staring back at me.

"My job," I reply cooly. Which is a half-truth, but I don't miss the flinch Sabrina makes, and I regret it instantly.

But what else can I say? I'm in love and obsessed with your wife?

I bleed just for her. Let's get this over with and fuck her together so I can have my girl back?

Huh.

That last thought makes my dick swell a stir for the first time since before the wedding.

Maksim's gaze bounces between me and her, and the hold I have on her elbow.

The one she still hasn't shirked off. Gears are turning in his head, his mind is whirring, and I can see as it all seems to shift into place, brick by brick.

"I have business to attend to with the heads for a few hours, take her out to the city. I'll have a car drive you."

"No leather." I speak.

"What?"

"No car with leather seats. They're not good for her skin."

Maksim blinks then shifts his sight to our girl.

Our girl?

"Why didn't you tell me that?"

"I didn't exactly think I was going to leave this place," she replies.

His mouth drops a bit, taken aback. "You aren't being held hostage, wife."

“How was I supposed to know? Huh?” She throws her hands up in the air, my hold on her elbow finally off. "I was practically kidnapped. The only difference is I had to agree to save face!"

"Oh yes, the poor little Duchessa, being taken away to a lavish villa in Italy. Must be sooo fucking terrible." He growls with an eye roll.

Good to see nothing has changed while I was gone.

"It's not the place I was taken to; it's the ogre I had as company."

"Ogre?!"

"Right, that may have been a little harsh," she inhales sharply, and then, "But the brute qualities are the same!" I don't think she realizes her finger is on his chest and she's on her tiptoes to do her best to get in his face. Holy shit, it's the most alive I've seen her since the plane incident.

She's breathtaking.

A little red in the face, sure, but the energy between them is palpable and I'm getting a little hard watching her simmering anger burst a bit. It's like a sparkler on the fourth of July.

Fuck, I love it.

Maksim grabs her hand and flattens it on his chest, and he smirks cruelly at her. "A brute you didn't mind having in your bed."

What?

"That's different, and you know it." She argues right back.

"Is it? Moaning my name in the middle of the night like my slutty little Duchess." He hisses .

The slap comes out of nowhere. Well, almost-slap .

Maksim catches her other hand coming at him, but he doesn't even flinch, just stares down at her, dark eyes wild.

He breathes a little harder and she shrinks, taking a step back, but he doesn't let her go, just clutches her wrist a little tighter so his knuckles are white.

"Try it again, Duchess , I fucking dare you," he growls.

"I'm s- I'm so s-sorry. I was way out of line. I'm sorry." She lets out a gasp and wretches her hand out of his grasp with a strength that causes her to stumble back, and I catch her.

"Get her the fuck out of here," he says without looking at me. "I have too much shit to do today. Be grateful you didn't draw blood, little wife." Then before he leaves the room he says, "Welcome to the shitshow.” And the door slams behind him, making Sabrina flinch in my hold.

"Are you okay?" I ask.

She runs to the bathroom and retches followed by "Oh my fucking god! I almost assaulted a Mafia boss slash Pecan in the face," she replies with a shaky voice. I hear the commode flush, and then the sink is on.

I grin, head into the ensuite to join her, cross my arms over my chest, and lean on the door frame, watching her. "It was kind of badass."

She moans, water still dripping from her face. "What did I do, Savage? I could've gotten myself killed."

I shake my head. "I think you could point a gun at that man's face, and he'd find you adorable. I know I would."

She stands straight and her eyes find mine in our reflection. "You're both crazy."

I lift my shoulders and let them fall. "Reckon I’ve been called worse, Miss Winters."

I don't miss the way she inhales a little deeper. "You should get some sleep but let me bring you some food first. The wives taught me how to make calzones. They're probably terrible... but you need to eat. I'll be back in a bit."

So she leaves me for a few beats while I take in my surroundings, the dark oak antique bed, the white of the comforter against the brown of the bed frame, matching nightstands, the plush pillows, and last of all, the view. It's fucking beautiful.

Even from miles away, it looks so tranquil.

So... peaceful. It kind of reminds me of home.

Hmm. Haven't thought about that in a while.

Since I've been with Sabrina, I haven't thought of going back. I’m grateful she always loved when Rory visited from college and never pressured her to leave during any breaks.

Sabrina makes everyone feel welcome ( except Maksim), even when she wants to be alone.

Which is why this villa, grand as it is, is also cozy.

I know it must make her feel a certain way - not like Maksim's penthouse will make her feel.

There's no personality there. It's not a home. It's a mausoleum-in-waiting.

She comes back, hands me the warm calzone on a plate.

I take a bite of the buttery crust, and the perfect ratio of sauce, cheese, and vegetables concoction hits my tongue, and I practically moan.

When I take another bite quickly, the tops of her ears turn pink, and she smiles so brightly it fills me with more warmth than the food, the shower, and the sweats ever could. She leaves me to eat.

Once I'm done eating, I pull back the comforter and slip in. My eyes shut and soon, I'm back in dreamland, my favorite place, where I can touch and kiss Sabrina as much as I like.

"Parker?"

I blink a few times, the blurry vision of blonde hair and green eyes angelic. "Yeah?"

"There's a touristy place in town. La Vita Dolce. We have to ride gondolas to get to it. Wanna go?"

With her? "Absolutely."