Chapter 27

I had meant to cloud his judgment, and instead, I had done it to myself.

"Careful." He warned, but I was lost between the details of the inked lines that slipped through his collar. Massimo's warmth brought me back as his hand securely gripped my nape and his fingers curled behind my ear. My scalp grew sensitive to his hold, and a shiver ran through my body like the wind.

"I will ruin you." Was it a warning or a promise?

In a daze, and taken by desire as the skies roared, I dared to taunt him as he did me.

"You can't ruin me." The pressure in my chest ached, and heat burned my skin as if the tip of a blade had broken through it.

Massimo's body closed any distance left. His eyes flared out of control, and when my smile broke, his thumb wiped over its feeling.

"You should listen. It will hurt less."

"Pain is not something I fear, Massimo."

Massimo scoffed, "Don't feed my twisted mind, Alessandra." His lips lowered, and my heart raced. "It's sick when it's let loose."

Mint, bourbon, and a hint of smoke feathered my lips. I stood still, waiting for his mouth to collide and for me to take and relish on what could've been. Even if it was for a moment.

But his lips never reached mine, and he stole any suggestion as his hand untangled my hair and his body spread distance.

"I said I would have you begging in torture before, and I will ruin you. The moment I fuck you, you will learn I never lie."

Massimo's dark eyes released me and left. All while my legs shook and my body expelled the pent-up desire he'd built. And I won nothing.

MASSIMO

Alessandra had finally met me in the match of want. I had wanted her since the moment she first stepped into my study. It had been a difficult feature to hide from so many eyes on us. I wanted to take her and brand her with my name to spite the Zanetti. To take her as they've foolishly taken from me. But her poise and the fire in her irises had turned me on as easily as her looks had. She had been a woman created just for my tainted soul.

I wanted her to trust me. I wanted her to believe there was love in me to give. I wanted her to think of a fulfilling future in this hell of a world.

I wanted to own her heart.

That was my initial plan. To give an inch and take so much more until her body and soul could only see me. And when all her walls were broken, and her spirit seared with hope, shatter each piece slowly. But each day, new barriers got in the way. All of them took time away from my intention to make it happen.

I had to find the balance, but for now, my men needed me. Tomorrow, I will focus on her.

Running on nicotine, bourbon, and a fresh clean suit, I sped through the streets of Miami. A deadly mix as my body couldn't take much more in its sleep deprived state.

The storm outside mirrored my control, and I rode in silence, feeding off its roars. Traffic was light for a late morning, making my time to the shipping dock quick. After ignoring Elio's call earlier, I'd received his coded text message for urgency. I was ready for the worst. I just hadn't expected it to be to such a degree.

"What do you want to do?" Elio asked.

I stared at the dead body as his echo traveled through the empty shipyard building. The smell of rusting metal and wet muck filled my lungs with each short breath I took. It didn't matter how potent the scent was, nothing could take my attention away from the body.

Breathe.

Think.

But how could I do such things and remain calm with such a message?

It was clear the war had started, and I wasn't the target.

Alessandra was.

And I saw red.

"Massimo?"

I bent down, and in between my knuckles, I caught the tarp and lowered it down the innocent body.

It was a woman. Her hair, skin, and height matched Alessandra's, but her build was slightly different, and her bloodless features were off. She'd worn a yellow summer dress that now filled her torso and abdomen with bullet holes. A whole clip had been unloaded onto her frame. With each entry wound, the yellow was replaced with shades of deep red and burnt orange, creating an ombre of death. One of her strapped sandals was missing, and her toes showed raw gashes and chipped nails from her weight being dragged across the ground.

She'd been killed and left to bleed, only to later be disposed of near one of my abandoned docks. Only a few knew it was mine. It was the only explanation for the missing blood puddles and the discoloration of her body. She may have been found today, but the old rope marks on her wrists spoke of days of misery.

"Glove?"

I couldn't leave a trail behind. Fingerprints could be left on any solid surface, including the human body.

When I felt the latex over my outstretched hand, I slid my fingers through it as I looked at her face. So young, so incorrupt, her only sin was the hair and skin tone she'd been born with. My hand inched closer, and my thumb ran over her closed eyes. I had to check. I pulled her eyelid open and met the color green.

I breathed in through my mouth as my jaw locked painfully at the color.

Again.

This was the second dead body with similar characteristics and eye color as hers. I knew from the first victim it was meant for me, but I never acted out of emotion. Instead, my moves were strictly strategies that would eventually outsmart and slowly kill my target. I had to confirm it wasn't a hoax before making my move.