Page 104 of Thorns of Blood

“You’ve seen me naked,” I said, my pulse even and steady. José had trained me well. I should give him a raise when I see him next. “Now I’m going to have to kill you.”

He didn’t seem worried, nor even slightly affected by my naked state. “You’re crazy.”

My lips curled. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”

He shook his head. “I really don’t know what he sees in you.”

Pulling the knife out of his shoulder, I slammed the butt of it against his temple and his body went limp on the hard floor.

“Fucking men,” I muttered, pushing off of him. I stood to my full height, naked, blood staining my hands. I should slice his throat and end him. Maybe I should eliminate the entire fucking family, wipe out the Agosti family line.

Only, as I stood there like a goddess of vengeance, wrapped in thorns of blood, I realized I couldn’t. Why? For the simple fact that I had fallen in love with my husband.

THIRTY-SEVEN

GIOVANNI

Ireached home around midday.

After my meetings with Mateo and the Omertà, I bolted, leaving him to deal with upcoming drugs and arms shipment’s logistics. Usually I’d remain with him, but my attention was constantly robbed by my wife, who I’d left sleeping in our bed this morning.

I stepped into the house, eager to go looking for her, when my steps faltered. There, bleeding all over my white marble floor, was my unconscious brother. I shouted for the guards, keeping my sights on him as I slipped my jacket off and bunched it up, pressing it against his wound.

Where in the fuck were my men?

“Giovanni?” My brother’s hesitant voice reached me and I lowered my eyes to his face. His skin was paler than his usually tanned complexion.

“What’s going on, Cristiano?” I kneeled next to him. “Did something happen to Lia?”

“I came looking for you and…”

“And what?”

“I caught her in your office. I thought she was snooping around.” He paused, then continued in a distressed voice. “I swear, I barely touched her, her sheet fell off, and she…”

“You touched her?” I growled, my gun suddenly in my grip and pressed against his temple. “I swear to God, Cristiano, I’ll?—”

“I just tugged her arm so she would stop walking, and then she stabbed me.”

A relieved sigh tore from my mouth. Lia wasn’t in danger.

“She doesn’t like to be touched,” I explained.

My brother’s brows scrunched. “Are you telling me your marriage is platonic?”

I helped him up before answering. “I can touch her, nobody else can.”

He muttered a few curses under his breath. “Listen, Giovanni, I have to tell you something very?—”

“You called, boss?” a voice cut in.

“Later,” I told Cristiano.

One of the guards appeared out of nowhere and I gave him a terse nod. “Take my brother to our surgeon on-call and have him stitched up.”

Without awaiting his response, I headed down the hall. I loosened my tie as I ascended the stairs, then turned the knob of our bedroom door.

The scene that greeted me was total fucking chaos. Every single piece of furniture was upturned, the mattress shredded like a wildcat went at it. The mahogany side tables in their current state were only fit to become firewood. If that. The lamp was in pieces all over the room like it had been smashed in a fit of rage.