Page 52 of Thorns of Desire

“So I learned recently.” Bitterness laced through her words.

“You never knew?”

“No.” She swallowed, her slim neck moving gracefully. “Sometimes when I get upset, I like to put people in my books and kill them.” Her cheeks turned crimson at the admission.

I grabbed her face in both of my hands. “Does that make you feel better?”

“It really does. Maybe I’m bloodthirsty and evil.”

I chuckled. “Very unlikely.”

“I write romance, you know,” she mumbled. “Smutty, hot romance. Although, I do sprinkle some plot to it… and the occasional murder.”

My lips twitched, but I said nothing. It wasn’t the right time to tell her I knew about her smutty novels under the pseudonym A.K. Mystique,or that I’d procured a copy of every single title.

“So I heard.”

“My mother doesn’t know.”

My eyebrows shot up. “Why not?”

She shrugged. “She wouldn’t approve.”

“Does it make you happy?”

Her full lips curved into a soft smile. “Yeah.”

“That’s all that matters.”

Her gaze darted to the window again and she shivered. “Do you think the ninja men will kill me? Or be back? Maybe they’ll wait another eleven years before coming for me again.”Again?A light tremor laced her voice while I pondered what else she was hiding. “I don’t want to be in the news as a girl who died in a mysterious way.”

The thought of her being hurt made it so fucking hard to breathe. Sweat coated my skin at the mental image of her dead body, shaking me down to the bone.

“I won’t let them.” And I meant it. No matter how fucked up this world was, it was a better place with her in it.

“I have no idea why, but I believe you,” she whispered. “You really weren’t blowing me off for the past two weeks?” she asked, studying me.

“Te lo prometto.” I promise. “Who in their right mind would blow you off,amorina?”

I had been busy chasing leads and digging into the past to understand why the Triads wanted Athena. It wasn’t as if Atticus had a relationship going with her or her mother. There had to be more to it than Atticus double-crossing them.

“Good,” she mumbled. “Because I sort of like you.”

Something about her words settled into my bones. A sense of rightness I’d never experienced with anyone else.

“Ugh, why is the room spinning?”

I chuckled, then kissed her forehead. “Try to get some sleep now.”

She talked some more, most of her words unintelligible, but I didn’t stop her. It was nice, getting insight into her soul and her mind, and it wasn’t long before she drifted off to sleep. I slipped out of the room and headed toward my office to make a few phone calls.

I shrugged out of my suit jacket and rolled up my sleeves while dialing Enrico on the secure line.

He picked up on the first ring. “Manuel?”

I took a seat.

“Sì. You seem eager to talk to me.” I heard shuffling on the other end, like he was moving to a place where he wouldn’t be overheard.