Page 88 of Sins of the Orchid

“I’m afraid that is not possible,” he finally said.

A glint of satisfaction shone in his eyes and something violent spread through my veins like poison.We shall see. I would not lose her.

“Everything is possible,” I replied. “I'll bear your cost for breaking the contract.”

“The contract can’t be changed.” The words cut through the tension between us.

I ground my teeth with frustration. I fucking hated hearing something couldn’t be done. There was no such thing, and what I wanted, I always fucking got.

Savio’s gaze narrowed as we stared at each other. I got the sense that he enjoyed telling meno, though it showed he didn’t know me at all. If I was anything, it was persistent and being denied made me more determined.

I never had anything against Savio, even before our truce brought on by Amore. We had reluctant respect for each other, but I would never put up with any of his shit. The Russo territory and profits were bigger, and I never tolerated anyone encroaching on our territories, no matter who they were. You give a finger, they take a hand and all that.

“Who?” I wanted a name. They’d be dead by the morning. One way or another, Amore was mine.

He studied me for a heartbeat before he shook his head.

“I can’t give you that,” he finally said. Ice snaked through my veins and straight to my heart. He was worried I’d hunt the man down and kill him. Damn fucking straight. “Santi, you can’t have her.”Watch me, old man!He must have seen it in my eyes because he added in a hard tone, “Try forcing my hand and you’ll start a war.”

I stood up, signaling this meeting was over and Savio followed.

He strode out of my office and my chest hardened.

Amore would marry someone else over my dead body. And I wasn’t fucking planning on dying anytime soon.

War it is!

CHAPTER28

Amore

June.Finally!

I was so eager to touch Santi, feel his hands on my body. FaceTime and phone sex were exciting for the first few weeks, but it got old fast.

It had been over two months since I’d felt him inside me, felt his mouth on my skin. He almost came for a weekend in May, but Cosa Nostra business got in the way. It was the only objection I had in dating a don. But he couldn’t change that any more than I could change who I was.

Lorenzo and Uncle Vincent had to travel back to the States to take care of some business. DeAngelo was taking some personal time after our last mission in South America. Frustration crawled up my spine remembering our search mission through the jungle. We tried to locate the Perèz camp in the jungle. It was where they kept their product before sending it off for distribution to their suppliers.

DeAngelo believed it was where they kept me all those years ago. He got in touch with a Carrera Cartel member and obtained the information about the area where they’d found me. He was able to conceal the reason for the inquiry, but it was for naught. We trekked through the jungle and hadn’t been able to find any trace of the camp where Mom died. The burning anger and sadness mixed in my chest as I remembered how cold the killer's eyes were when he ordered my mother’s throat to be sliced. I wanted him dead. Santi had killed one; I wanted the other one dead too.

After three days of nothing but sweat, dirt, and bug bites, we had finally called it quits. Knowing DeAngelo was from Colombia, I suggested he stay behind and visit with his family. He took guarding me seriously and initially refused. It took some convincing and coordinating of security before he finally agreed. I had him arrange my security coverage with Santi’s men in Italy.

So, it worked out perfectly.

Glancing down at myself, I smoothed the wrinkles out of my dress. The white top with a deep V cut looked modest and the rusty copper color of the bottom half matched my hair, which I had pulled to the side and braided into a fishtail braid.

“We are here,” the driver announced, pulling over inside the private airport. One of Santi’s men drove me here.

I didn’t bother waiting for him to open the door. Sliding out of the car, I shut the door behind me. My eyes traveled over to the private airplane parked in the middle of the runway.

And just in time as the door to the plane opened and Santi stepped out of the cabin. As if he could feel me, his head turned in my direction and my heart fluttered into turbo speed. We’d talked almost every day since I left New York, but it still felt like a dream. He had been my crush for so long, and then, seemingly overnight, he went from being my best friend’s brother to my lover. My boyfriend. Some days I almost expected him to revert back to ‘you are just a kid’status.

I loved him. Every single thing about him. His rare smiles. His direct, demanding ways. His darkness. Everything!

He descended the stairs of the plane in rushed movements, a lone dark figure against the white of the plane. Of course, he looked so damn hot in his crisp, white shirt and dark pants. I rarely saw him dressed in casual attire. Well, except when I’d ripped at his clothes, eager to touch him.

His aviator glasses hid most of his face, and the familiar butterflies fluttered in my lower belly. It was always the same, even when he’d call me. I’d get all flustered and excited.