Page 8 of Villainous Kingpin

Not that the proceeds from his criminal activities were actually hard earned money.

My fingers gripped the steering wheel. I hated this feeling of helplessness. Mom always said hard work would get me anywhere I wished. Well, I worked my fucking ass off for as long as I could remember. I was amazing on the ice and the pair figure skating gold medal was what I wished for.

The lights turned red and I came to a stop at a four-way crosswalk. I watched the lights, but in my head, I was far away. The stranger with dark eyes and even darker hair flashed in my mind. It had been three months since I’d seen him, but he’d often crossed my mind.

Something about him piqued my curiosity even before I learned who he was. When I snuck back after my training session, I overheard my uncle mention the visit fromhimto Quinn.

Basilio DiLustro. Kingpin to the New York Syndicate.

I had heard of the DiLustros, but truthfully, I didn’t know a lot of specifics about them. So I looked him up. Google was full of information on the DiLustro family. The Kingpins of the Syndicate were whispered to be one of the most dangerous crime families in the world. The speculation was that the Syndicate consisted of top dogs of Yakuza, all the way to the rússkaya máfiya, and everyone in between. They had connections to the most influential families in the States. Reading about Gio DiLustro didn’t particularly interest me. Basilio DiLustro, on the other hand, I devoured all I could find.

One day, Basilio would become head of the New York Syndicate. And he was just as deadly, if not more, than his father. Although, he didn’t strike me as being as cruel as the infamous Gio DiLustro.

After all, he caught me falling off the balcony. It was kind of romantic, if you really thought about it. Like a Romeo and Juliette kind of romance. My brows furrowed. Those two had a tragic love story.

Maybe I should refrain from that comparison.

Either way, my breath was cut short the moment our eyes connected. It felt like the world stopped turning for a single breath and my life was forever changed. It was ridiculous, I knew it. But I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him since.

I looked him up. More than once.

Unlike my best friends, I didn’t waste my time on boys. Boys were a distraction I didn’t need. But that man. He wasn’t a boy. Basilio DiLustro was a man who knew what he wanted and how to get it. I’d stake my whole life on it. My Olympic gold medals. A warm rush ran down my spine when I met his heavy gaze with the darkest brown eyes and longest eyelashes I had ever seen on a man. Even now, thinking about him, something unsettling fluttered in the pit of my belly.

Davina’s hand covered my hands gripping the steering wheel forcing my focus back to now.

“I’m sorry, Wynter,” Davina rasped.

I looked at her, pushing all the thoughts of Basilio DiLustro aside. My mouth turned down and I shook my head, my damn curls bouncing with each movement.

“It’s as much my fault as yours.” I smiled tiredly. I didn't like to see her upset. Out of the four of us, Davina worked her ass off. She was at the top of her class and worked in a coffee shop in the mornings and closed the shifts at night. “Everything happened so fast.”

A loud horn sounded behind us, startling us all. Juliette and Ivy jumped up in their seats and started cussing the car like native New Yorkers. I shook my head at them, glancing in the rearview mirror, then returned my eyes onto the road.

That was when I sawhim. He was coming from the opposite direction, driving a sleek black sports car.

My eyes widened and immediately an idea popped into my head. Basilio DiLustro was the answer to all my prayers. Our eyes connected. That same fluttery feeling shot through me, but also hope.

The doors of my red Jeep were all off and I regretted it now. Because I was a mess and in his full view. Soot marks were on my legs and my snug white shorts weren’t so white anymore. My soot stained pink off-the-shoulder blouse was sheer, giving a glimpse of my pink bra.

Though it seemed he liked what he saw. His gaze felt like a warm breeze over my bare skin and heat rushed to my cheeks. The moment barely lasted a second, but it felt like long minutes. My brain furiously worked up an idea.

“What is it, Wynter?” Davina asked, her eyes behind me, following the man that invaded my dreams and thoughts for the past three months.

“I- I have an idea,” I mumbled. Though I wasn’t sure whether it was a good or bad idea.

“What?”

Without delay, before he got too far away, I spun the wheel. The tires screeched and I made a sharp U-turn in the middle of the city, violating multiple traffic laws. Speeding up, I passed two cars, before we found ourselves behind the black McLaren.

I bet he’d know how to get rid of that surveillance video and any evidence tying us to Garrett’s place,I thought to myself. He wasn’t clueless like us and he probably had vast resources at his disposal. All we had was each other. Yes, Uncle Liam and Killian would never allow harm to come to us but what good was it when you had to depend on someone else to save you all the time.

I pressed my palm against the horn.

Honk. Honk. Honk.

“What are you doing?” Davina questioned, her eyes wide.

Honk. Honk. Honk.