Page 75 of Tainted Obsession 1

Chapter 29

Massimo

My hands are coated in gore. I need to clean up; Evelyn won’t like the sight of blood on me. It upsets her so much, and this time, the blood isn’t my own. I suspect she’ll like that even less.

My delicate little butterfly has a kind heart and a sweet nature. I won’t disturb her by showing her the darkest parts of my life. She knows that I’ve killed men to protect her, and she hasn’t turned from me in revulsion. As long as I don’t show her the bloody evidence, she won’t be upset by what I did tonight.

Adrián, Mateo, and I saved the girl who was put up for auction. Every man complicit in selling her virginity is dead.

She chose to go with Adrián and start a new life in his employ.

I approve of her choice. There’s nothing for her here in this impoverished town. If she allies herself with Adrián, she’ll be safe and might even become powerful in her own right. She will never be a victim again.

I can at least tell that much to Evelyn. She still seems to harbor naïve notions about good and evil. What she witnessed tonight might’ve given her a good dose of reality. The drug lords that she thinks are so evil worked together to save an innocentyoung woman. We killed the men who hurt her and empowered her to make her own choices.

That suits the code I live by. If Evelyn thinks that’s evil, I’m not sure if I’ll ever be able to sway her.

The thought makes me uneasy, so I push it away. She’ll become accustomed to my lifestyle once we make it home to Naples. She’ll settle into my life and become comfortable in my care. I will make her happy.

I enter the mansion quietly, not wanting to draw her attention just yet. I take a few soft steps down the long hallway, and something crunches beneath my shoe. I look down and see the diamonds glittering on the floor.

The house is dark and silent.

“Evelyn!” Her name booms through the cavernous space.

No reply.

“Evelyn!”

I could search the rooms, but I already know she’s gone. Her necklace is on the floor, discarded. Did someone tear it from her neck, or did she take it off?

But if someone else did it, surely, they would’ve taken it with them? The gemstones are valuable, and a thief wouldn’t leave them behind.

I manage to pull my phone out of my pocket with shaking hands and call Stefano.

“Where is she?” I demand as soon as he answers. My voice is barely human.

“Evelyn? I dropped her off safely and then returned to the club to help you and Adrián. But you’d already finished with your fun by the time I got there. She should be at the mansion.”

I stare at the fallen diamonds. They wink up at me, mocking me.

My chest hollows out. Evelyn ran away from me. I left her alone, and at the first opportunity, she fled.

She said she wanted to return to America, but I never thought she’d try to escape from me as though I’m her cruel captor.

“She’s gone.” I choke on the words. “Fuck!”

I barely stop myself from smashing the phone against the wall. I need to stay calm so that I can find her.

And punish her for thinking she could ever leave me.

If she wants me to be her captor, I can be that villain.

She looks at me like I’m her savior, like I’m a good man. And I’ve become addicted to it.

But the truth is that I’mcamorrista. I’m a ruthless criminal, just like Stefano and Adrián. She fears them, but she’s never feared me.

At least, I thought she didn’t.