Syndicate of Sins (Toxic Paradise, #2)

by Marie Maravilla

I’d rather be the villain. A walking nightmare for those who got in my way.

I was greeted with a toned chest adorned with hauntingly beautiful traditional Yakuza ink. Kenji was like a human tapestry, and I wanted to drink every part of him in.

“Apparently, being kidnapped makes me horny because I’m imagining your tongue buried in my pussy.” I leaned as far forward as my restraints would allow. “Let me out, and let’s play, Kenji.”

Ironically, they thought I was a helpless maiden, not the hidden player.

Maybe instead of making her an enemy, we make her an ally. I was only one head of the Cerberus, though. My brothers would have to agree to the deal too.

A tingle ran down my spine at the way she slowly dragged her gaze over to me, a calculated expression firmly in place. It was borderline creepy how she cocked her head to the side while the corners of her lips drew up ever so slightly. The blood I’d smeared on her chest glistened under the light, and the shadows cast from that sole bulb danced along her skin, making her appear unhinged.

I chuckled at how she’d expressed so much without speaking. “I’ve only met two others before you that are the same kind of fucked-up. We trauma-bond over the shit our families put us through. You’d fit in well with us, Scar.”

“You wanted a wife? Here I fucking am. Should’ve thought about what you’d use your one favor on.” She leaned back, putting on a facade of calm and collected, but I saw the ticking of her jaw.

“Your threats were getting us nowhere. Thought she should hear what it is we’re after. Maybe she’d be more willing to help,” he said, shrugging a massive shoulder.

“Little one is insulting. You’ve just packaged it with a pretty bow instead of going with bitch,” Scar responded, her eyes narrowing on Niko. He stiffened at the accusation. She was right. He hadn’t meant it affectionately. He’d hoped the sweet words would get her to open up.

She literally snarled when I leaned over and booped her nose.

“Do you plan on killing him?” For the first time since I’d met her, she sounded small, unsure of herself.

“We’re going to gut him, Scar.” I brought my finger to her breastbone, running it down to her navel, painting her skin with her blood and drinking in the way her breath shuddered. “Split him down the middle and pull his entrails out. Use them as bait for the sharks when we dump the bastard in the water. That was always the plan.”

“I want to hold the knife,” she stated. Caleb’s head whirled back to her, while Niko arched a brow in surprise, mumbling about nature making her most deadly things beautiful.

“We have a common goal. I want Dominick dead, and based on that lovely description, so do you. So

“You better have some food in this fucking place because not only did you roofie me and then tie me to a chair, but the worst part? You didn’t let me eat the lobster ravioli.”

Of course she was more pissed about not being fed than being drugged and interrogated. Now that she had my attention, she wouldn’t be able to shake it. Obsession was what I did best. Taking in everything about a person and figuring out what made them tick—what they would do next. People wondered why I could always find my mark. It was because I crawled inside the person’s mind.

She might be his match, though, because I didn’t think she was as innocent as her posh exterior tried to convey. She might be perfect, though.

I hitched an eyebrow at her smart-ass comment. She didn’t enjoy feeling out of control and covered up her discomfort with her sass.

“Only my brother’s wife,” I stated, standing up after placing a bandage on her skin. She gawked at me. Her mouth opened and closed several times, but no smart-ass remarks came out. “You broke her, brother.” Kenji’s hand slapped my back as he chuckled. “Wait till she hears about how we like to share.”

“Let’s cut the bullshit. I don’t have time to play games. You aren’t going to move me in here, ignore me for weeks, and ice me out. I won’t wallow and try to gain your attention. So tell me the fucking plan, because I have better shit to do.”

No sane person glared at me while my hand was wrapped around their throat. No one but her.

My cold smile faded at the distinct pressure of a knife’s edge. I peeked down to find a switchblade at my balls. Where the fuck had she gotten that?

“Well, Scar, welcome to the family. You survived your first anger blowup,” he said,

Niko might be the scariest one to look at out of the bunch, but damn, he was secretly the sweetest.

Fuck, this man felt like danger and poor decisions.

It didn’t matter how much healing you’d done. When accepting your body, there were always bound to be moments where you’d need to rebuild your walls and remind yourself that you were a hot bitch whose worth was determined by more than appearance.

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.

“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,

“She’s not a fragile flower, Kenji. I’m sure they’re either taken care of, or she has a plan for them.”

“You may like sharing, but I won’t fucking share you,”

“You’ll never go hungry while you’re in my care.”

“You can call me your dirty slut and shove your cock down my throat and still cook for me and tuck me into bed,”

“You can be both hard and soft with me, Niko.”

“Ms. Scarletta is the one who regularly shops here.” I gave Caleb a blinding smile when he looked at me in confusion. That’s right, asshole. I’ve got money too.

“Your little game is going to cost you, Caleb. I hope your bank account is bigger than your dick.”

I looked over my shoulder at Mikayla, motioning toward the pile. “You can start bagging those up for us. Oh, and by the way, those dark roots of yours are far more distracting than my fresh face.”

“What the fuck did you just say about my wife?” Caleb bit out. Warmth pooled in my belly at the term.

“You aren’t going to call or report anyone. Believe me when I say I can find out anything about you. And I have a feeling your days are numbered.” I wiped the crimson liquid off on his white shirt, mentally noting that I needed to call my cleaners to get out here ASAP. “Sleep tight. We’ll see you soon,” I called over my shoulder.

“What? Don’t like a bitch with a backbone? That’s a shame because that’s what you got. See, if I’m rude, it was because you fucking deserved it.” I moved in front of him, giving the boys my back as I perched my ass on the desk. “I’m not rude. You’re upset that you weren’t able to assert dominance over me. But just because I don’t have a dick doesn’t mean I’ll get on my knees to suck yours.”

“I owe you nothing. Not my name. Not my attention. And sure as fuck not my politeness,” I bit out. Men like him preyed on women who’d been told “don’t be a bitch.” That term had been used to shrink women for so long that some still believed the lie. Be a bitch. Eat the ones who want to prey on you.

“You fucking gem of a woman.” His mouth found mine again. The onslaught of his kisses made me dizzy. “You’re so much more than you let on, aren’t you?”

I loved when they underestimated me.

The dark goddess below me held me in a choke hold. There was no way I would survive without her. She was a drug in my veins.

Caleb had selected the seat directly across from me so he could stare into my soul like he was trying to consume me from the inside out.

“Wait, you fucking know Cain? No one can get a hold of them. They’re a fucking ghost. So how the fuck did you?” Understanding flashed in his eyes. His thick brows hit his hairline as he leaned forward on his powerful forearms. “You mean to fucking tell me that you are the infamous merc for hire?”

“I honestly don’t know why everyone assumes Cain is a man anyway. Has no one watched an episode of Snapped? Women are fucking ruthless; we push out humans we grow, for God’s sake.”

You don’t want a white knight. You want someone whose soul is as twisted as your own.”

“Okay, Scar, we can’t all be fucking John Wick and take people out with pencils or whatever the fuck you use.”