Page 36 of The Enforcer's Revenge

“You’re my favorite,” Tino said into the darkness as he ran his fingers up from the curve of her sides to the edge of her right breast. He circled her nipple, making it tighten for him. “You reallyarebeautiful.”

She sighed and held him closer. “Thank you.”

He caressed her hair next, fingering it before he confessed, not for the first time, “Redheads are my favorite flavor.”

She smiled, feeling the tears sting her eyes. “Then lucky me.”

“Don’t tell anyone, though,” he added.

“I won’t.” She kept stroking his wet hair, pushing it away from his face. “It’ll be our secret.”

He let her hold him for a few minutes, though she understood it was mostly because she asked. She could feel the energy in him still humming under the surface, and she wasn’t surprised when he asked, “Can I use your shower?”

“Yeah, sure.” She let him go even if everything in her wanted to keep him close. When he slipped out of bed, she suggested, “Why don’t you stay the night?” He hesitated, his dark eyes unnaturally bright as he stood there naked in front of her, so she pressed, “It’s what I want, Tino. You don’t have anywhere else to be. You can stay with me.”

He shifted and looked to the bathroom. “Okay.”

“Okay,” she agreed. “Go take your shower.”

He left like he couldn’t get away fast enough, and she wondered if that was what he used to do with his real clients. Years ago, when he was a slave to others’ needs instead of a slave to his gun and the bidding of the mafia. Surely, those women noticed how desperately he needed to wash the sex off himself.

She suspected none of them did.

Likely none of them cared enough to notice.

Brianna used a towel to clean up rather than get in the shower with him. She tied on her robe and opened her door. The smell of cigarette smoke hit her when she walked into the living room, but Carina wasn’t there. She must’ve been smoking in her bedroom recently and was probably still awake.

Another complication Brianna didn’t need.

She tried to keep her steps light as she walked to the kitchen, but before she was halfway there, the door to Carina’s bedroom opened. Brianna groaned and turned around, meeting Carina’sgaze in the semi-darkness of the apartment, with the city lights twinkling at them from the floor-to-ceiling windows.

Carina stood there in a long, black nightgown, holding an ashtray in one hand and a cigarette in the other as she stared at Brianna knowingly.

“You’re up late,” Brianna said conversationally, trying to keep her voice light. “What’s up?”

“Couldn’t sleep. I was binge-watching my soaps in the living room when he got here.” Carina raised her eyebrows. “I tried talking to him, but he didn’t answer. He just walked straight to your room like I wasn’t here.”

“He probably wasn’t paying attention.” Brianna shrugged. “He’s just had a hard business trip, and?—”

“How high is he?”

Brianna pulled her robe closed tighter and looked back to her bedroom.

“Brianna!” Carina shouted at her.

“Very high,” Brianna answered, feeling like she was betraying Tino on a soul-deep level. “He’s completely wired.”

Brianna’s entire face was on fire. She was mortified by the horrible feeling of selling out Tino. In their world, being a nark was the gravest of sins.

“Do you think it’s coke?” Carina asked.

“I dunno.” Brianna gave her a look of annoyance. “How would I know?”

“You said you’d ask him after the last time!”

“I tried, but it upsets him when I bring it up. He’s private about it.” Brianna could hear the whiny desperation in her own voice. “We both know it’s coke. Why do I have to embarrass him? And it’s only sometimes.”

“Coke is an extremely addictive drug. Only sometimes is gonna turn into all the time, I promise you,” Carina said with grim assurance.