Darkest Sins (Perfectly Imperfect, #9)

by Neva Altaj

“So, care to fill me in on why you have his men stationed all around the house?” “I’m not taking chances with my girls’ lives. The pricks you have as security couldn’t guard a damn library.” “So you hired the team of hitmen instead?” He opens the car door for me. “Exactly.”

“The safety of you and my daughter has no price tag,” he grits out, then clashes his mouth to mine. “Let it go, Nera.”

“I didn’t like the way he was looking at you.” Kai stops at the street light and takes my chin between his fingers. “I don’t share, Nera. Not even in the platonic sense. You better make sure he’s out of my sight if you want him to keep sucking air.” “There’s never been anything between Salvo and me. I can’t be certain, because he’s never mentioned it, but I think he’s in love with my sister.” “Don’t care. Next time I see him looking at you, he’s dead.” Kai captures my lips with his.

He’s nearly upon me, his limb a just few inches away, when Kai’s arm shoots over my shoulder. The barrel of his gun presses to the bridge of Lotario’s nose. “Back. Off.” “Nera?” Loratio goes still, his eyes cross, staring at the gun. “What’s go—” Kai pulls the gun away and backhands Lotario so hard, that the man ends up sprawled on the polished tile floor several feet away. “It’s Donna Leone to you,” Kai says, then fires his gun. Shards of slate explode from the spot next to Lotario’s hand. “Come any closer to her than ten feet, and that’s going to be your brain matter.”

“Just give the word,” he says. “And I’ll kill everyone inside.”

my eyes finding Kai again, still leaning on the same spot. Our gazes lock, and, just for a fleeting second, I let him see the panic I’m feeling. He pushes away from the wall and reaches inside his jacket, pulling out his gun. He raises his hand toward the ceiling, and the sound of a gunshot explodes in the confined space. The ornate golden chandelier, a smaller version of those hanging in the lobby, comes crashing down on the tabletop. Absolute silence descends over the room. Investors and casino managers stare at Kai open-mouthed. “The meeting is over,” he says nonchalantly and crosses his arms over his chest, leaving his gun in hand as a subtle exclamation mark on his statement. “What . . .? H-how does he . . .?” Lotario stutters, his eyes glued to the shattered crystals spewed in front of him. “Nera, this is really not—” Bang! Lotario’s chair tilts backward, then topples, his body hitting the floor. “Does anyone else wish to add something?” My demon drags his eyes over the men. “No? Then, please wish Donna Leone a good day and be gone.”

“I think we agreed you’ll stop offing my people without prior discussion with me.” “He was disrespectful. No discussion was needed.”

“Is there video or audio surveillance here?” My breathing picks up. “Video only. The camera mounted above the door.” A corner of his mouth lifts. “Perfect.”

Kai looks up, over his shoulder, and reaches inside his jacket with his free hand. He keeps stroking my cleavage with a light touch as he aims his gun at the camera. Bang! “Now, we can start.”

“I love your smell, cub.”

“I absolutely adore how you taste.”

But in bed”—a light bite on my clit—“I’m the one in command.”

“I imagined doing this to you in that club. While you were dancing with that schmuck, I wanted it to be me.”

“I couldn’t handle it, cub. I knew I had no right to think of you as mine at the time, much less put my bloodied hands anywhere on you, but you were. Mine. And I wanted to snap his narrow little neck for daring to touch you.”

“I fantasized about fucking you with my hand, and then with my cock right there in the middle of the crowd, letting every motherfucker in the vicinity know that you were mine.”

“You were mine back then just as you are now when I’m finally free to touch you, but I still need everyone to know that, tiger cub. I want them to see you melt in my hands and picture your fervent face as you scream in ecstasy when I fill you with my cock.”

“That camera I shot? I’m afraid I missed, baby.” My eyes snap open. The feed from that camera is streamed directly to the surveillance company that handles the security at all of our casinos. And one of the capos is the owner of the firm. In a few hours, the whole of Cosa Nostra will see the footage.

“So brave and beautiful. And only mine,”

an idiotic plastic ostrich that sits on a small toilet and shits tiny pink balls into the john.

“I still think you should just let me kill them all.” “No. We have a deal.”

“Do you think Lucia likes the shitting ostrich?” Nera laughs and kisses me. “She loves it. But you didn’t have to buy her all that stuff. There are already too many toys lying around.” “I don’t care.” “You’ll spoil her.” “Children are meant to be spoiled.” I stop in the middle of the living room and let Nera slide down my front to the floor. “I’ve missed three years of her life. I understand that presents can never compensate for that, but I need you to let me do this. I . . . I want her to love me. Please.” Nera raises her hand and cups my cheek. “Lucia already loves you, baby. But not because you buy her toys.”

“You will not feel bad for keeping yourself and your family safe,” I bark. “You got that, cub?” “Okay.” Her lower lip trembles. “Good.”

“I’ll never forgive myself for not being there for you. But, I’m here now, and no one will so much as look at you wrong going forward. Whoever dares, will instantly meet his maker. And if you decide you’d rather keep this weird criminal empire of yours, I’ll off your scheming stepbrother the moment he’s out from behind bars so he can’t take it from you.” “I don’t want it,” she whispers. “I’ve never wanted it. I just want me and Lucia and Zara away from all of this. And I want you. With me. Always.” “You have me, cub. Always.”

I take a seat next to her, grab her around her middle, and pull her astride my lap. Her eyes are closed, and her breaths are fast and shallow—it’s plain as day how terrified she is. “It’s okay, cub.” I brush the back of my hand down her cheek.

“It was the hardest fucking thing I’ve ever had to do. Not being able to hold you in my arms, have you next to me.” I kiss her. “But I have you now. You’re safe. I promise.”

“I love you,” I whisper into his lips while everything around us shakes and rattles. “I live for you, my tiger cub.”

There are scary men in this world. But compared to Salvatore Ajello, they all seem like fluffy baby ducklings.

“Do tell your watchdog to relax,” Ajello says offhandedly as he takes out his phone and presses it to his ear. “If I wanted to kill you, you’d already be dead.” I gape at him. Does the man have eyes on the back of his head?

I stare at his retreating back. How the fuck does he know that? Ajello’s phone rings while he’s still in earshot and I catch his response. “No, Milene. We’re not getting another cat. Two is more than enough . . . No, we’re not getting a hamster, either . . . I know they are small. It’s still a no, cara mia . . . Yes, I’m a very bad person. Love you, too.”

“Clown A. Go get my car.” “Please don’t call my security ‘clowns,’” I grumble as he hands his car key to the man in question. “Take off your coat and give it to Clown B. Put on his jacket.”

“Clown B, pull up the hood and descend the stairs.” Kai taps the tip of his gun on the man’s back. “Slowly.” My heart rate triples as I keep my eyes fixed on my decoy while he descends the stairs. He’s halfway to the tarmac when a gunshot explodes into the night. The man jerks back, then topples to the ground.

“Why are we chasing the people who’ve just been shooting at us?” “So we can kill them, baby. Get down.”

I look down at the shooter. There isn’t enough light to clearly see his features, so I take a closer step and gasp. “Armando?”

“I’m afraid this will have to wait. Wouldn’t want that beautiful pussy of yours to catch a cold now.”

Just two people heading home after work. With a guest in the trunk whimpering over his broken limbs.

“Everything is going to be okay now,” I whisper. “Your daddy promised he’ll make sure we’re safe. And he kept that promise.”

“I’m going to tell her that her dad is Kai Mazur. The man who’s been watching over me for years, keeping me safe. Who took a bullet for me. The man who has barely slept in weeks because he’s been protecting us. Who spent hours simply watching her sleep, instead of getting rest himself. Our guardian angel. The love of my life.”

“The man who loves her and her mamma more than anything else. Just as we love him. That’s what I’ll tell our daughter.”

“Nera . . .” he whispers into my mouth. “Kai. Let me . . . let us love you. Please.”

“It’s the dream I’ve been dreaming but never dared to hope would come true. People like me are not allowed such ambitions, tiger cub.” “Well, we’re going to live our dreams from now on.” I kiss him. “And everything else can go to hell.”

“It’s Ajello,” I shudder. “He almost never calls. I need to take this.” “Want me to kill that psycho for you?”

Since the minute she allowed me back into her life, the urge to have her marked as mine has been clawing at me day and night. I don’t believe in ceremony. I don’t need to sign some stupid piece of paper handed to me by a nameless clerk to claim her as my own. Or a geezer in funny clothes to proclaim her as so. If any man dares to approach my cub to steal her from me, I’ll just snap his neck. But still . . . I stroke her ring finger one more time,

I need a priest. I want to get married.

Send me your location and stay put. Is it the Mexicans again? I’ll have Sergei come get you out. When was the last time they drugged you? 06:41 Kai: I’m not high. Find me a priest and have him delivered by the end of the day, or I’m going to gut you real slow the next time I see you.

“Do you think it was wise to leave Armando in the basement overnight?” “If you’re worried about the wine that’s down there, don’t be. He can’t drink it with his arms broken.” “I’m not worried about wine.

“Why do you call Mommy ‘cub’?” Lucia’s tiny voice breaks the silence in the room. “Um . . . well . . .” I steal a glance at Nera, hoping for help, but she just giggles into her hand. “It’s a nickname.” “Why do you call her nicky name?” “Because . . . I love her.”

“How about tygrysek? It means baby tiger.” “I like.” She grabs a handful of my hair and starts to brush it. “I have a nicky name, Mommy. Rapunzel-boy loves me, too.” My lungs contract so hard that I can’t draw a breath. Nera’s hand grabs mine, squeezing it. “Yes.” I barely manage to speak. “I love you very much, Lucia.” “I know.” She looks up at me, right into my eyes. “It hurts, but you let me make your hair pretty. ’Course, you love me.”

“I’ll love you till the last drop of blood courses through my veins, tygrysek,” I whisper.

She said my daddy gotted lost a long time ago in the storm. But that he gonna find us one day. Are you my daddy, Rapunzel-boy?” I feel like someone dropped a fucking mountain on top of me; its weight bears down on my chest. I can’t move. I can’t even breathe. I open my mouth to say something, but no sound leaves my lips. “Yes,” Nera says, her voice breaking. “He finally found us.” “Oh. Good.” Lucia nods in a serious manner, then pulls on my hair with a quick tug. “Don’t get lost again.” I close my eyes and kiss the top of her head. “Never again. I promise.”

“Where did you go after breakfast?” “To get you flowers.” My eyes wander to the bouquet of red tulips on the dining table. “And that’s all?” “I might have had a small errand to run on my way back.” Kai shrugs. “Did it involve my capos?” “I haven’t put a finger on them, cub. Only asked them to open their dirty mouths real wide.”