Page 25 of Sins of the Orchid

“I want to find them all and kill them,” I whispered my shameful admission. It was the first time I had spoken the words out loud. “I don’t think I’m that innocent.”

Santi’s nostrils flared. “They deserve to die.”

His expression was so intense, my heart rattled in my chest in the most painful way.

“But can we be the judge and the jury?” I whispered.

He arched an eyebrow and then shrugged. “The first man I killed deserved to die,” he said, surprising me with his admission. “He trafficked women and tried to force them to work as prostitutes in Russo territory.”

“Oh.” It wasn’t what I expected him to say. I always assumed they killed people that didn’t want to pay them some kind of protection fee. Dad and my brothers kept me out of all their business, so I resorted to Al Pàcino and Robert De Niro movies to figure out the whole mafia business. “I guess he deserved it then.”

I remained quiet thinking over his words while the soft words of an unknown country song filled the car. I wasn’t sure what kind of station played country songs right after Sia. It didn’t seem to mix well together. He pulled over in front of my grandmother’s Fifth Avenue penthouse.

Neither one of us moved, waiting.

“My mom loved country music,” I muttered, not really sure where I was going with it. “The really old country songs. I don’t know why. It didn’t fit with her style, you know.” I turned my head to find Santi’s eyes on me. “She wore the latest trends, stunning designer clothes and shoes. And then she’d turn on her CD player and an old Willie Nelson song would come on. Or Alan Jackson and George Strait. I wanted to ask her why she loved it so much. I felt like there was a reason, but I figured I’d ask her one day when I was older. Or getting married.” My lip trembled and I bit into it, to hide how upset I was. My chest aches so damn much right now. “I didn’t know time would run out.” I glanced up at the skyrise. The entire building belonged to my grandmother. “I asked Grandma, but she didn’t even know Mom liked country music.”

Returning my eyes to Santi, I drowned in his gaze, sadness filling me down to the marrow of my bones. I forced a smile. “I’m just being stupid. It has been three years since they…” I swallowed hard, unable to say the words. “Anyhow, in the grand scheme of things, worse things happen to people. At least with the man you killed, you saved many women. I’m just not sure what Mom and George’s deaths accomplished. And it makes me scared because I’m blind to what the cartel wanted exactly.”

It didn’t seem that a blood relation to the old cartel was reason enough to go through the trouble of kidnapping, torture, and murder.

Santi’s hand came to my face, pulling my head close to him, then he pressed his lips to my forehead. It was an older brother gesture, but I soaked it in.

“Don’t ever be scared, Amore.” I felt his hot breath against my skin on my forehead. “Your father and brothers would tear down this world to keep you safe, so would your grandmother. And I… the Russo family, would burn it all down for you.”

I nodded and knew right then and there that I had lost my heart. My sixteen-year-old heart crushed on Santino Russo hard.

“Thanks,” I rasped, my voice full of thick emotion.

“Let’s take you to your tower, kiddo,” he added teasingly, trying to ease the tension. “I’ll get your bag.”

We both exited the car, and he threw wrapped bills of money to the valet. “Keep it here and safe. I’m coming right back.”

“Hi, Derek,” I greeted the valet guy. He has worked for Grandma for as long as I have visited her. I guess that would be four years now. “How are your wife and baby?”

“Miss Bennetti, nice to see you again.” He smiled wide and waved his hand. “Wife and baby are doing well. Thank you for the gift. My wife loved it.”

I grinned. “Excellent. I’m so glad.”

Santi nudged me forward, his hand wrapped around my elbow.

We passed the doorman and I waved to him. Santi wasn’t the chitchat type, so we continued without stopping. We strode to the elevator where he pressed the button and the door slid open. We entered and I leaned over to push the button for the penthouse.

“It’s triggered by my fingerprint,” I explained. He handed me my bag, and I unzipped it to grab my phone when I dropped my drawing pad, my drawings falling all over the floor.

“Damn it,” I muttered, and we both knelt at the same time to pick them up. I saw from the corner of my eye that he looked at each one of them. Embarrassment shot through me. I wasn’t bad but I had a long way to go before I was good.

“These are very good,” he commended. He studied the drawing that I hoped Grandma would allow me to turn into a real dress. It was a deep blue strapless dress that cascaded down to the floor with a small train in the back. “Great, actually.”

I smiled and my cheeks warmed up. “Thanks. I’m just playing around with it. I want to ask Grandma if she’d let me turn one of them into a product.”

“She is stupid if she doesn’t.”

“Ummm, I still have a lot to learn.”

The elevator dinged, signaling we were at the top floor, and the door slid open.

“There you are!” The elevator opened directly into Grandma’s elaborate living room, and she was there waiting for me in front of it.