Page 27 of Tainted Obsession 1

If Evelyn thinks she has a chance of slipping away from me, she’s mistaken. I’ll allow her out of my sight so that she can wash the blood off, but I won’t stray far enough to give her an opportunity to run.

Not that she’ll get far if she tries. I can easily catch her, and I’ll restrain her if I have to. I know how to bind a woman to keep her exactly where I want her without inflicting pain.

The prospect of having Evelyn bound at my mercy makes something dark stir in my chest.

I take another step back, careful not to scare her even more. Any sign of carnal desire will terrify her, and I can’t bear the fear that pales her complexion as she watches me warily.

“Go on,” I prompt, my tone leaving no room for argument.

She stiffens with indignation, but she slowly backs away from me. She doesn’t take her eyes off me for one moment—as though I’m a predator that might pounce if she allows her focus to waver for even a heartbeat.

I don’t like that, but I don’t ease my firm stance until she disappears into the bathroom and shuts the door between us.The lock clicks into place, but that doesn’t concern me. No lock is strong enough to keep me out if I want to get to her.

For now, I’ll allow her privacy and space to gather her thoughts. Maybe she’ll process the fact that Crawford endangered and abandoned her.

“So, are you going to explain exactly what the fuck is going on?” Gian drawls from the threshold to the sitting room.

I turn and find the brothers facing me. They fix me with twin disapproving frowns.

“Is that who I think it is?” Enzo asks, the scar that curves at the edge of his right cheekbone drawing deeper on a scowl. The mark is always more prominent when he’s pissed off. “She was talking aboutGeorge.She’s Crawford’s fiancée. The one you saved that night you killed Duarte’s men.”

He doesn’t finish with a question. It’s a statement of fact: a condemnation.

“Why is she here?” Gian demands. “And why isn’t Crawford dead yet? Unless you’re keeping her as bait.” His frown deepens. “You’re not usually this sloppy, Massimo.”

“She’s not bait,” I snap back. “But I am keeping her. She’s not going anywhere without me until Crawford is eliminated. She was almost shot tonight because of him.”

Enzo hisses out a disapproving breath. We’re all perfectly happy with our lawless lifestyle, but none of us like collateral damage. Innocent civilians are kept out of the line of fire.

At least, that’s the way we conduct our business in Naples.

“Send her back to the feds,” Gian insists. “You’re not her babysitter. Let her be someone else’s problem. We have enough of our own to be dealing with.”

“Not happening,” I refuse. “I’m not sending her back to the DEA. Crawford will be able to get to her.”

“She might want to be with him,” Gian counters, infuriatingly calm and rational. “She’s his fiancée, after all.”

“She’smine.” The fierce declaration leaves my chest on a snarl that I usually reserve for my enemies, not my closest friends.

Enzo blinks and takes a step back.

Gian looks like I’ve punched him in the face.

A beat of heavy silence passes, and I force my fists to unfurl.

“I won’t let her go,” I declare, a hint of a growl still roughening my tone. “She’s safest with me.”

“Massimo, be reasonable.” Gian maintains his cool demeanor despite his shock at my aggressive outburst. “I get it. She’s beautiful. But just because you want to fuck her?—”

“Don’t talk about her like that!” I thunder.

Enzo takes another step away from me and places a restraining hand on Gian, a warning to back off. I’m rarely this unstable, and Enzo knows my moods well enough to recognize that I’m on the edge of violence.

“Fine.” Gian is as smooth as ever, placating. “Keep her if you want. Just don’t forget why we’re here. We have to conclude our business with Duarte and his Colombian partner, Rodríguez. If we fail, we won’t be able to take on the Boss back home.”

His dark green eyes glint on the last: hatred and something more fervent. He has a burning need to wrest control from the old man who commands our lives with the Camorra.

Most of the aggression drains out of me. “I won’t fuck this up for you,” I promise. “You know where my loyalties lie.”