I lift the cup of coffee to my lips, scanning for any signs of Dante Russo or his men. I spot one man at the bar, out of the corner of my eye. Another member of his security team strolls down the quaint, brick sidewalk that has been here for hundreds of years.

I shake my head. Dante’s men stand out like a sore thumb. They need to learn to at least wear clothing that helps them to blend in. Look inconspicuous. Otherwise, they might as well stand at Dante’s side and look as menacing as possible to try to keep people away.

“Mr. Conti, a pleasure to meet you. I’ve heard many great things about you. Although, I’m surprised to learn you didn’t bring a security team with you since that’s what you specialize in,” Dante says, towering over me at my table.

I resist the urge to roll my eyes at this man. I simply stand and hold out a hand. “Just because your men haven’t identified my security team, doesn’t mean I don’t have one.”

“Touché, Mr. Conti,” Dante says, as we both sit back down.

He scans me up and down, and I wait for the comment about my age.

“You seem young to have become such a leading voice in security, Mr. Conti.”

Yep, there it is. I do roll my eyes this time. I’m sick of men like him thinking because I’m young, and I didn’t inherit my company from my father like he did, that I’m not capable.

“Why did you take this meeting with me, Dante, if you didn’t think I was capable of delivering?” My eyes burn into his as I speak. I hate men who waste my time.

“I never said you were incapable, just young, Mr. Conti.” He repeats my formal name. He wants me to give him the same respect, but he hasn’t earned it. Dante Russo may be a powerful man, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to cower at his feet like everyone else in this country. I may not have his money, but everything I earned, I built on my own. I was given nothing.

I take another sip of my coffee while I wait for him to speak again. I’m anxious, too anxious. And if I let him know that, he will realize this is more than just a deal for me. So much more. Dante doesn’t understand I know exactly who he is.

“As I said, I’ve heard many great things from you, Mr. Conti. And as you know, security and discretion are of utmost importance to me. Money isn’t an issue. I will pay you well, if you are, in fact, the best.”

I don’t care about his money. But I don’t tell him that. It’s time to impress. “You have two men at the bar. One on the street. Four in cars around the perimeter. And one sniper on the building across the street. They all use a Retevis RT21 system to communicate with, which can easily be dismantled…” I pull out the device from my pocket and press the button. “With the touch of a button.”

Dante scans his men, all grabbing for the earpieces in response to the loud fog sound blowing out their eardrums.

I nod at my sister behind me, and my team moves in on all of his men. His men drop to the ground, put there by my team. My team knows how to blend into the shadows.

Dante freezes as a gun presses against his temple, but only after his gun in the back of his pants is pulled free and tossed to the side.

I smirk as I lean back in my chair, and Dante glares at me. “Meet my sister, Mr. Russo,” I say, using his last name to make a greater impact.

Dante lets out a breath and chuckles.

I nod to Adela who slowly lowers her gun.

“I’m impressed. I didn’t realize your team was here, or that you had a sister.” Dante eyes Adela with lust. This is why I never tell anyone I have a sister. She is fully capable of taking care of herself, but I can’t handle creeps staring at her like a piece of meat.

“That’s all, Adela,” I say.

She nods and disappears again.

“Like I told you when I contacted you last week, I’m the best. I believe in being discreet and working with the best technology around. Technology that no one but me owns.”

“How long to get your systems and my team up to your level?”

“I can have my system installed in your home as soon as payment hits my bank account. A week. Shorter, if you prefer. And your team? I would recommend firing them and starting over. If I hire your team, I can have you the perfect team within two weeks.”

Dante frowns. “My men are good men. They have been with me for a long time. I trust them.”

I glance over at the man slowly dusting himself off after my team tackled him to the ground. “Ezio there? He’s been stealing money, drugs, jewels, anything he thinks he can take from you without you noticing for years.”

I glance toward the man at the bar. “Gareth has been getting paid by Domenèc for any interesting tidbits about you. Do I need to continue?”

“No.”

“Would you like me to find you a better-qualified team and fire your current team?”

“Yes, hire me the best you can find. No women, though.”

I snigger. I wouldn’t expect anything less from a chauvinist like him.

“It’s not good for the business I run. Women bodyguards are too emotional to handle the work I require.”

I nod. I don’t doubt women get too emotional when they realize he smuggles women like drugs. Although, I bet most women, if they worked with Dante, wouldn’t say anything. They’d be too afraid they might face the same fate if they told anyone.

“No women. Got it.”

Dante scowls as he looks at his men with his hands folded on the table like this is a simple business meeting, and we aren’t talking about men’s lives. “No need to fire them. I’ll take care of it.”

A chill creeps down my spine at his words. I know how he will ‘handle it.’ They will all be dead by morning. Not that they don’t deserve it, or that I disagree with his tactics. I would do the same if he left the firing to me.

His phone buzzes, and he pulls it out. “One moment, Mr. Conti. I need to take this. Then, we can discuss your price.”

I nod as he stands, leaving me alone at the small table on the edge of the sidewalk. I sip more of my coffee as a black Escalade pulls up outside. The man in the driver’s seat rolls down his window as he speaks with the man on the sidewalk.

I narrow my eyes. These men aren’t part of Dante’s security team. They do other work for him. I don’t have time to deduce precisely what work, before the back door is thrust open and a beautiful woman falls to the stone drive.

I can’t take my eyes off of her as she pulls herself to a standing position. Her arms are tied behind her back, and I have no doubt what she was doing in the back of the SUV or who she belongs to. She’s one of Dante’s women. He hasn’t touched her yet, that much is clear. She has fight and determination in her piercing green eyes, visible even though we are several feet apart.

Her eyes shine brightly beneath her black hair that cascades down the sides of her face. When my eyes find her breasts, I bite my lip and groan. Perfectly round mounds spill out over the top of her shirt. And I don’t even dare let my eyes travel down her long, lean legs or heels I want digging into my back as my cock slams inside her.

I don’t know who this woman is. But I will. My cock aches at the sight of her. I have to have her. I have to know her. Go near her. Touch her. Taste her. Fuck her.

It’s clear from her designer outfit and the way she holds her head high that she comes from money. Old wealth, no doubt. I don’t know how Dante got her. Is she payment for an old debt? Did he steal her?

I would understand the urge if he stole her. I’m very much feeling the same, and I’ve only just seen her.

The dark beauty considers her next move. I see it in her eyes. She wants to run. Is desperate to. But she glances down at her spiky heels and the men who are slowly becoming aware she is no longer in the back of the car. Amateurs. How hard is it to keep a woman retained in a car? It’s clear the ropes will do nothing to contain a fire like her.

Her eyes search quickly for any chance at escape. For freedom. For help.

Her eyes stop when they find mine. For a flicker of a second, I think I see lust in her eyes as she checks me out. But realize it is most likely my own lust reflected in her eyes. No woman in her predicament would think about such silly things as lust at a moment like this.

She runs toward me. She’s choosing me. Thinking I’ll be her salvation.

She’s wrong.

She may think she sees some kindness in my blue eyes, but there isn’t any caring left. Any kindness I once had was taken from me years ago, as easily as her freedom is being ripped from her now.

She stumbles, approaching me. My arms go out automatically, catching her as she falls into my aching lap.

She smiles, catching her breath. She thinks she’s safe in my arms.

I smirk. She couldn’t be more unsafe.

“Help. Please.”

I raise an eyebrow as I get a whiff of her shampoo and perfume. It’s strong, just like her. But not overwhelming. Just strong enough. Not overly flowery, but feminine nonetheless.

I stroke her hair, resisting my urge to grab the long strands roughly and drag her to my car waiting on the next block so I can fuck her in my bed.

What the hell?

I shouldn’t want to fuck her. She’s Dante’s. Fucking her would ruin everything I’ve planned and worked on for years.

I push her up until she’s standing again. Hoping that some distance between us will ease my discomfort and need for her. My cock only strains harder in my jeans.

Jesus, she’s gorgeous.

Her eyes widen. She thinks I was helping her when I helped her stand. She believes that was kindness. She may be strong, but she has no idea how to read people. She needs to learn fast if she’s going to survive a year with Dante.

“Help me. Please. A man named Dante has kidnapped me.”

She glances behind her and sees the guards approaching. I think she’s going to change her mind and make a run for it. It’s instinct. Any person would run.

But not her.

She keeps her feet firmly planted, as if she knows exactly what’s coming and is ready to face it. She does everything she can to show no fear. Her body stands tall, robust. Her body doesn’t quiver or shake. Her breathing is steady and calm. Her lips are pulled back into a thin line. Even her eyes do everything possible to hide any fear.

I read people for a living though. So I know, despite how calm she appears on the outside, her pulse is racing. I grab her wrist.

She smiles a tiny bit, thinking I’m offering to help her.

I feel her pulse racing fast. It’s one of the signs she can’t hide. No matter how tough she tries to act on the outside.

“Help. They are going to take me. Call my brothers. They will help me. I’m Gia Ca—”

Her voice is cut off by Dante’s. “You’ve stopped my new whore from escaping, Mr. Conti. You are well worth your asking price.”

I take Gia’s hand and hand her over to Dante.

Gia. It’s a beautiful name that fits her well.

Her eyes widen when she realizes she fell into the lap of the devil instead of a saint. She wasted her one chance of escape on me.

She swallows hard, trying to keep her calm facade, when Dante pulls her into his body. He takes a deep breath, letting her know he smells her, unlike when I tried to hide my desire to smell her.

Dante grabs her chin and forces her to look up at him. He licks his lip like he can’t wait to get her back to his house.

My insides burn, seeing her in his arms. She’s mine. I found her first.

“I think I underpaid for you, whore. You are trying to hide it from me. But you are most definitely a spitfire I will get the pleasure of breaking. I look forward to it. Not many women would attempt to break free this quickly. Most are in too much of shock to even react.”

“Go to hell,” she says.

He grins, tightening his grip on her. But she doesn’t react, other than a glare.

Dante turns to me. “As you can see, I have some things to attend to. I’ll have the money to you by the end of the day. Call my secretary to discuss when you can set up my new system. Maybe I’ll even let you play with my new toy?” Dante licks her face, and she shudders.

I growl, but it’s so low I’m not sure either of them heard me.

Dante is too focused on Gia. He grips her tightly as he walks her to the waiting Escalade, where his incompetent men wait. He shoves her in the back and, I have no doubt, will be climbing in, right next to her, to ensure she doesn’t attempt an escape again.

Gia looks at me one last time. I was her only hope, and now that hope is gone. But I don’t see that reflected in her eyes. Instead, I see fire. She studies me, and I know I’ve just been added to her list. She wants revenge, to make me suffer like she is going to suffer.

I can’t take my eyes off her until the door is shut, blocking my view with the tinted windows. Even then, I don’t stop watching until the SUV drives away.

Gia wants her revenge on me for not helping her. For turning her over to a barbarian. I do not doubt she will one day get her revenge. But if I’m going to be punished by her, I’m going to do something worth getting punished for.

Dante invited me to his house to share her. I don’t share, but I can’t stay away. I’ll fuck her, get her out of my system, so I can forget about her and return to my own revenge. While I happily wait for the day she carries out hers. It will be worth it, if only to see her piercing eyes again.