Syndicate of Sins (Toxic Paradise, #2)

by Marie Maravilla

YUP, SHE’S ALREADY KILLING PEOPLE…

i love when they are blood thirsty

“Bella,” Enzo replied, drawing out the term of affection.

“Enzo, what the fuck could you possibly need from me?” I bit out, hating that I still had a handler at twenty-seven.

So, while Scarletta Romano might be under the Mafia’s thumb, my alias, Cain, was available for hire to anyone with a sizable enough bank account. Or something worth trading for.

Fuck, at one point, I was stupid enough to assume he loved me. But it was all bullshit. The affection was a lie, and I’d believed it hook, line, and sinker. All to stave off my emotional drowning of feeling alone. Uncared for. Unwanted.

No one was fucking saving me but me.

I bit the fucking hand because it never bothered to feed me, and I’d cannibalize that fucker before ever going hungry again.

his tone making a full one-eighty from what it had been seconds ago. Now it was laced with jealousy. Fucking ironic.

I’d rather be the villain. A walking nightmare for those who got in my way. So Cain was born, spilling the blood of others onto the earth.

ARE THEY HOT OR ARE THEY JUST ASSHOLES?

Kenji’s overly chipper tone had me pinching the bridge of my nose. His crazy manifested differently than mine. In all honesty, it made him the deadliest of our merry band of psychos because people often mistook his laid-back demeanor as being friendly…safe. But in moments like this, when his lips turned up in a sinister grin and violence shone in his eyes, the truth was clear. He was dangerous.

In a few minutes, his lungs would fill with the icy waters of the Atlantic, and his only company would be the fish that fed on his waterlogged flesh. Well, and the others who’d suffered the same fate.

THICK THIGHS SHOULD SUFFOCATE FACES

Our exits had caused quite the panic. Everyone was scrambling for information on our moves. The Four Families didn’t normally worry themselves with the emergence of new players on the scene. But the others weren’t the second sons of the most notorious and powerful crime families. Caleb and Kenji and I knew shit. We’d been bred for this life. Even if we’d never been destined to take over, our knowledge made us a genuine threat.

There was a rumor that Giana had once been married and that she’d had her husband killed. But it was so long before my time that I didn’t know if there was any truth to the story. All I knew for sure was that the Romano family was fucked-up, ruthless, and better off in the ground.

Caleb Callahan. Criminal, asshole extraordinaire and someone who should not be in a Russian Bratva club. Broad shoulders filled out every inch of his black button-up. It was impressive that I could even see his shoulders above the crowd. Men normally lied about their height, but it seemed Caleb was every bit of the six foot three inches his bio claimed. The lights shone off his hair, revealing its auburn hue. A chiseled jaw was accented by his trimmed facial hair. Caleb managed to toe the line of put-together and rugged. Honestly, it pissed me off that he was so hot. Fucker probably just woke up looking good.

I’d give the grab a four out of ten. Where was the kneading? The second slap? Hell, with hands the size of his, I’d want him to grab my ass and let those long fingers get close to brushing my pussy.

He grunted in annoyance but followed instructions. “Do you have fucking hollow points pointed at my balls?” he asked, irritation dripping from his tone.

“I will find you, macushla.” His voice carried over the sounds of the city. “And when I do, I will wring that pretty throat of yours.” The hair on the back of my neck stood on end with the amount of conviction he put behind his words.

Now we’d be the Four Families’ demise.

“Wanna wrap your hand around it?” she purred, causing my eyes to snap back to hers as I mentally checked that my jaw hadn’t gone slack at her words.

“Touchy, touchy.” She trailed a fingertip over my chest, shocking me when she circled my nipple before pinching it. “You looked like you wanted to choke me, big boy. Did I take your drink? Because I didn’t know.”

For some reason, I desperately didn’t want her to dismiss me. I’d share her with Kenji—with either of my brothers—but we found most women weren’t as open to that idea.

“Scarletta Romano,” she finally answered. Confusion and disbelief were evident on all three of our faces, gaining us an eye roll from her. “Yes, as in the Romano family hosting this party. He’s my uncle. Now, I have something I need to attend to. Have a lovely engagement, Caleb.” She didn’t wait for a response, just booked it out of there like her perky ass was on fire. “Well, fuck me,” I whispered.

“Do you remember what I said I’d do when I found you, thief?” My voice dripped with disdain as I tightened my grip on her throat. “I want to watch tears streak down your face as I choke you.”

But Miss Scarletta seemed to be her own version of fucked-up, if her blown-out pupils and the way her chest rose and fell were anything to go by. Ten out of ten chance that her underwear was soaked. Now I got the appeal of hate sex.

What the hell is with these men licking me? And why the fuck do I want it to happen again, maybe just a little farther south…

He winked, interlacing our fingers and setting them on his lap. I didn’t know what to make of the exchange, but it was clear I wouldn’t be getting my hand back for the time being. And Caleb still had a death grip on my thigh.

An eyebrow hit my hairline at the underhanded comment. “Your daughter’s fiancé has been close to my pussy enough times to know I’m a lady,” I mumbled, earning a choked laugh from Kenji as I sipped from my water goblet. I shouldn’t have had those shots of vodka, because they had me feeling bold tonight.

Before it could land, Niko’s giant hand wrapped around his wrist. “I suggest you don’t touch her. Ever,” Niko said, his words vibrating with barely contained rage, his chest rising and falling rapidly.

Scar’s nostrils flared at the command, but she followed the instruction, discreetly flipping him off as she moved toward me. I chuckled at her antics. She didn’t enjoy being ordered around. She might’ve been quiet and obedient during the dinner, but she was like a panther lying in wait.

God, watching her and Caleb battle was going to be fun. Because they would. I’d heard about how she made him lie on the floor while she hogtied him—barrel of a gun pointed at his balls. I thought I pulled a muscle I laughed so hard, and I hadn’t stopped giving him shit for it since.

“If you want to tell a woman what to do, go tell your own fucking wife, Enzo.” Caleb canted his head toward Scar. “She can wear whatever the fuck she wants. One, because that’s her fucking prerogative, and two, I know my dick is good enough to keep her coming and coming and coming…back to me every time.”

The ghost of a smile pulled at his lips, but he squashed it almost as quickly as it appeared. “Deal is the same, Dominick. I’m still marrying your blood. Why does it matter if it’s a daughter or a niece?” he asked.

“Tell me what I want to know, Scar, so I can keep you,” I whispered, pulling the lobe of her ear between my teeth while dragging the knife closer to her center, being careful not to pierce but still exerting enough pressure that red scratches marred her.

With that one word, he bolstered her defiance. Now she didn’t fucking care what he was talking about. She’d push back solely on the principle of fucking him over. Even at the expense of her life. How did I know this? Because the dumb motherfucker was the exact same. “Shit,” Niko whispered from beside me.

“We have a common goal. I want Dominick dead, and based on that lovely description, so do you. So how about a deal? We team up for this endeavor, and then, when the asshole is gone, you three let me go on my merry way.”

Caleb and Scar did not get along because they were exactly alike. Full of fire and fight, unwilling to kneel to the other.

Someone should have a talk with my body because the fucker was acting without permission. Or maybe Scar was a witch, and she’d hexed me. Because there was no way I should’ve leaned forward and cleaned up her thigh with my tongue. She tasted divine, and I longed to lap up more than her blood. I glanced up at her. She tipped her head back, lips slightly parted, and white-knuckled the counter like she was restraining herself from pulling my face to where she really wanted me. Or maybe those were all wishful thoughts on my part.

“You broke her, brother.” Kenji’s hand slapped my back as he chuckled. “Wait till she hears about how we like to share.” “Kenji,” Caleb barked. He’d been leaning against the wall observing, but apparently, that bit of information was the breaking point of his composure.

I hadn’t even heard her behind me until she asked about food. It pissed me off that my first reaction was concern that she hadn’t eaten. Then, as if my resolve wasn’t already being tested, her tanned flesh taunted me as Niko kneeled between her thighs, his saliva leaving a glistening trail on her skin. The scene had been fucking erotic and only made my irritation flare higher. Now Kenji was piling a selection of meats and cheeses on the countertop for her to choose from. Of course he liked her.

I didn’t want to admit it, but her demeanor was so damn cold that I couldn’t get a read on her other than her hate for me.

My dick hardened because I didn’t think fear was causing her reaction. No sane person glared at me while my hand was wrapped around their throat. No one but her.

“Actually.” I turned, taking in his beautiful face and the way he watched my every move. “I need help getting out of my dress.” He moved slowly, like I was a caged animal who might bolt, stopping when we were a hairsbreadth away. “You want me to help you out of your dress, Scar?” he asked, hitching a brow. “You sure about that?” Raw lust dripped from his questions.

Every ounce of sexual tension fled my body as satin pooled at my feet. My eyes clamped shut at the shocked gasp Kenji let out at the sight of my body. Shame swirled in my gut at the sensation of his finger tracing over the marks and scars marring my thighs. “What the fuck, Scar?” My hackles rose at the irritation in his voice. That single question charged the air with intensity. I’d heard it all before, the disgust over the way my body looked. How ironic that my nickname was a reminder that, like the marks on my skin, I was an unwanted blemish placed upon my family. “You weren’t supposed to do anything more than unzip me, Kenji. If you don’t like the way they look, then turn away,” I bit out. My fingers twitched against the cool marble as I resisted the urge to cover up.

His voice was tight when he finally spoke. “Kenji doesn’t give a shit how they look. He cares about who the fuck thought they could touch you like that. So…who the fuck did this to you?” he asked. His voice was deadly calm, but the tendons in his neck flexed.

Kenji piped up from beside me. “Yeah, I fucking love scars. Who wants perfection? But I do give a shit that those weren’t given to you willingly.” He gripped my chin, bringing my focus to him. His playful demeanor was nowhere to be found.

“If they aren’t dead, I expect you to tell me because I’m going to peel off their flesh for laying a finger on you.” Rage gathered in his eyes, making it impossible to hold the contact.

White hot rage had replaced the pity party from seconds before. “You may not want to fuck me, husband, but if you stick your dick in another bitch, I’ll cut the fuckin’ thing off. Which would be a shame because it feels like it’s a nice mouthful.” I stepped in closer. “You may like sharing, but I won’t fucking share you,” I snarled, releasing his dick and walking into the shower before he retaliated. I watched him from under the spray of water. His chest heaved while he balled his fists, his knuckles white. I could practically hear him thinking. He didn’t know what to do with me. Men rarely did. Without a word, he turned on a heel and stormed out. “Hope you’re good at making yourself come with your hand,” I shouted after him, grabbing the massaging showerhead and laughing at the sound of my door slamming closed.

Unknown: Hey, tell Callahan that I need some fucking underwear. Unknown: Well, I need clothes and shit in general. And when are we going to get to the killing? Unknown: Also, sorry if I woke you up.