Lana’s POVWhat do you do when a man springs his throbbing, big dick free right in front of you?You suck it.And that’s exactly what I do.The moment my lips wrap around his dick, I taste the salt of his skin. I feel the thick, heavy weight of his dick filling my mouth.I close my eyes, savoring every moment as my tongue teases along his dick. My hands grip his thighs for balance. “Fucking hell, Lana….” His low groans send a pulse straight to my core.And yet, even in the heat of it, my mind betrays me. I’m sucking the man who murdered Maria.I’m on my knees now, metaphorically and literally, for the man who would slit a twenty-year-old’s throat without blinking, who wouldn’t think twice before putting a bullet between Charles Gregory’s eyes.My Charles Gregory.The thought gnaws at me, but my mouth keeps moving. My moans are muffled around him. I feel ashamed and guilty. I should stop. I should shove him away. I should remember who he is, what he’s done, what he’s planning to do.B
Charles’ POVRicardo just left, tossing a string of taunts over his shoulder, but out of everything he said, the nurse’s voice is what sticks in my head.“We’re going to extend Miss Lana’s stay by two more days.”Lana.She’s here. In this hospital. And not for some trivial check-up. She was admitted, under observation for blood loss.Blood loss.My nose flares, and my fists clench. What the hell did that motherfucker do to her?Heat crawls up my neck. I’m seething, boiling, ready to tear down every ward door until I find her. I start after Ricardo and the nurse, keeping my pace slow so I don’t draw attention.Just then, a man in a white coat steps into my path, holding a sheet of paper that looks far too official.“Officer Charles,” the doctor says, smiling grimly like he’s rehearsed this moment. “We’re glad you’re here. We’ve been expecting you. The family to receive the official death notice is over there.”He points, and I follow his hand and see them. They were a small group, hudd
Lana’s POVI stir awake, blinking past the fog in my eyes. The white ceiling above me is unfamiliar, and the lights are too bright. My body aches everywhere. There’s something in my nose; tubes.Wires cling to my skin, beeping sounds echo softly in the background. My heart skips when I turn my head and see him.Ricardo.He’s seated in the chair beside my bed, with his arms folded, staring at me like a storm about to break. The moment he notices I’m awake, he stands. And in three quick strides, he's at my side.I panic, trying to shift away from him, but the wires hinders my movements and pain shoots up my arm. I’m trapped, helpless and exposed. My breathing turns ragged. “What the actual fuck is wrong with you, Lana?” he snaps as he crouches beside me. His voice is filled with fury and his eyes are dark and wild. “You almost got yourself killed.”I swallow hard and I begin to tremble as his anger coils around me. Tears threaten to spill, but I blink rapidly, willing them away.“What
Charles’ POVRicardo’s gotten the letter by now. I know it. He’s read every goddamn word, and he’s probably pacing in some huge mansion, fuming like a cornered animal.Good. Let him stew. Let him know I’m not afraid. Let him know that I’m not just coming for his empire, I’m coming for his fucking soul.But it still leaves the one question that eats at me like acid.How?How do I burn him down without burning myself with him? How do I destroy Ricardo Borrelli when every law I once trusted is either scared shitless of him… or bought by him?Then my mind wanders where it always does when I can’t sleep. Lana.She’s the key. She always has been. She was my weapon. My ace. My everything. No one gets in Ricardo’s world like she does. No one can read or get information from monsters like her.She doesn’t just survive evil, she adapts to it. But now she’s stuck inside his walls, in his grip, and I hate myself for letting it happen.I hit the desk before me once, twice, and then I lose count.
Lana’s POV“Golden cop dies today."His words repeat like a curse in my head. I hear them over and over. Ricardo meant it. He doesn’t bluff. He doesn’t warn. When he says he’s going to kill someone, he does it.Charles is going to die. No. No, I’m not going to let that happen. I can’t.Even after everything, even after the betrayal I saw with my own eyes; Charles kissing Alma outside that damn casino in Mexico, breaking whatever was left of my heart, I still can’t let him die.I won’t lose him. He was the first man who ever gave a damn about me. The first one who looked past what I was and saw someone worth saving. He took me in, gave me a second chance, a home, a reason to survive. Ricardo’s gone. It’s just me here. Alone in this damn mansion. I pace the room as my mind races. I need to send a warning. I need to get out. But how?I clutch my hair, tugging at the roots as I slide down the wall with a beating heart. I begin to panic. My breaths are short and my thoughts are wild. I a
Ricardo’s POVI know Lana really hates me now. I don’t need her words, her silence is louder. The way she gripped me, tugging at me for answers, screaming and trembling with tears she thought I didn’t notice. Maria.The girl whose death still gets under their skin, not mine. Never mine. I don’t do guilt or regret. Murder is just what happens when you have ultimate power and the right to decide who lives and who dies. Maria’s death is simply a result of my authority, and I won't apologize for exercising it.Angelo hadn’t liked the order either. He’s currently not speaking to me because of it. Now Lana was just like him, disappointed and disgusted. But I don't care. I can’t afford to care. What's done is done, and there's no bringing back the dead.After a long, scalding shower, I walk out of the bathroom with my towel slung low on my hips, watching Lana as she sleeps. Her back is bare, and the sheet is only covering her waist. She looks like sin and salvation all in one breath. She