When He Takes: A Dark Mafia Romance (Fallen God Book 2)
When He Takes: Chapter 5

Did he mean it?

I close my eyes, rinsing the suds out of my hair and trying to convince myself it’s impossible.

“I don’t know. I…might not come back at all.”

This is another trick, another way Nero’s trying to manipulate me. Why would he come back to New York just to die? He wouldn’t do that to protect me. My father would have never put my mother’s life above his own, and Nero is just like him. A criminal who thinks about himself first and foremost.

There’s something he’s not telling me. This situation is likely far more complicated than he made it seem. Nero must have a plan to smooth things over with his boss and these Ferraro people. In a few hours, he’ll be back.

I step out of the shower and wrap a thick white towel around me. This bathroom is so big it takes me five steps to reach the marble vanity. I drag my fist over the fogged-up mirror and stare at my reflection.

The bruises are beginning to fade. Apparently, they’re as impermanent as my conviction, because the question still lingers.

What if he meant it?

If he was truly willing to lay down his life in exchange for saving mine…then I still don’t know who he really is.

My husband is a mystery to me.

The words I said to him echo inside my head. “I hate you. I hope I never see you again, Nero.”

My stomach clenches painfully. Why did I say that? If those are the last words I ever say to him, I won’t forgive myself. I was so angry that I wasn’t thinking straight. It didn’t feel good to spit that vitriol at him, and yet I couldn’t hold it back.

I’m furious with that man, but I don’t want him dead.

What I want is for him to come back here in one piece and tell me that I’m free to leave. There has to be somewhere other than here where I can live safely.

Australia. That’s far enough, isn’t it? The Iron Raptors won’t chase after me if I’m on the other side of the globe. If I can get a fake passport and a bit of money, I’ll be set. I’ll replace a simple job and live a simple life, and I’ll convince Del to come visit me once a year.

Since when do you want a simple life? What happened to your thirst for adventure, passion, romance?

It disappeared once I realized living the plot of a romantic thriller is a lot more difficult than simply reading it.

I dry off, pull on some clothes, and venture outside.

My footsteps are quiet as I walk through the palatial penthouse.

The open-concept living space feels like three rooms in one. The kitchen alone is the size of my old house. Arched windows. Dark hardwood floors. Black granite countertops. I grab a rag and wipe off the thin layer of dust that’s collected on them since Nero’s been gone.

The largest bedroom is a sanctuary of dark tones and extravagantly crafted furniture. I walk up to the heavy wooden desk and sift through the drawers, replaceing Montblanc pens, lighters, and an old case of Cuban cigars. The walk-in closet is full of crisp dress shirts, tailored suits, and silk ties. There’s an entire case of watches that look like they should be locked inside a safe, but I suppose there’s no need for that when this entire penthouse is basically a safe.

I replace two more bedrooms, an astounding five baths, an office, a sauna, and even a gym filled with equipment.

The level of luxury is hard for me to comprehend. How did a man used to all of this manage to become Rowan, owner of a home renovation company in an inconsequential small town?

I get lost, then replace my way back, only to get lost again. Everything in this penthouse screams expensive, but the loudest feature is the view.

I don’t have my phone, so I can’t check my location, but I’m pretty sure I’m looking at the Brooklyn Bridge down below. The skyline on the other side of the river is a glittering silhouette against the dark sky.

My fingertips make contact with the glass. It’s thick and sturdy, without a latch and no way to open it. There’s no way out of here but through the front door.

What if he doesn’t come back?

I stare at the city below.

He lied to you. He put you in danger. He destroyed your only hope of getting out of Darkwater Hollow.

He’s a criminal. He loves being a criminal.

You fell for him like the world’s biggest idiot. You’re just like your mother. You have no idea what’s good for you.

All of that is true, but other things are true as well.

He took care of you better than anyone else ever did.

Until a few days ago, you’ve always felt safe around him.

He never told you to stop dreaming. Instead, he tried to help you with your dream.

My chest grows tight. I lift my fingers to my cheeks and discover they’re wet. When did I start crying?

I squeeze my eyes shut, and that’s a mistake, because immediately, he’s there. His image is so clear in my head. He’s lying in bed with a lazy grin on his handsome face and his tatted arm tucked under his head. Come back here, Sunshine. It’s not even nine a.m. yet. I want you. I need you.

The penthouse is empty. There’s no one to witness the way I sink to the carpeted floor. There’s no one to hear my desperate sobs.

How can one man be so full of inconsistencies and contradictions? Which parts of him were real? Which were pretend?

And does it matter that it once felt so right to be with him?

I’ve seen firsthand what happens to women who let a man like Nero into their lives. In the end, there’s nothing but disappointment and pain waiting for them.

The front door opens with a click.

Silently, I wipe the tears off my face and get to my feet. Nero?

What if it’s someone else? What if he’s dead, and the Ferraros have decided they want to kill me anyway, and now someone’s here to tie up the loose ends?

Fear sinks its claws into me.

Whoever it is, they’re not saying a word.

I tiptoe to the kitchen, swipe a knife out of the wooden block, and tread softly through the living room.

I’m halfway there when Nero steps over the threshold.

The wave of relief that crashes through me nearly brings me to my knees.

Thank God. “You made it back,” I choke out, taking a step toward him.

Hope flickers in his eyes as he steps toward me too, but then his gaze drops to the knife in my hand, and he stops.

A beat passes before a sad grimace crosses his face. “You thinking about finishing the job?”

That comment twists my relief into anger. I cried over him. I made myself sick with worry. I regretted every cruel word that had spilled past my lips, and he’s acting like it’s all a joke?

“What happened?” I demand.

“I work for Gino Ferraro now.” He doesn’t sound upset, just resigned.

“The man who you said wanted to kill you?”

“That’s the one.” He rakes his fingers through his hair.

That doesn’t make any sense. “How did he go from wanting you dead to wanting you working for him?”

He shrugs, looking exhausted. “Beats me.”

I frown. That’s not an explanation. “I don’t understand. So that’s it? Everything is fine now? You’re back to business as usual?”

“I wouldn’t say that.”

I stare at him, tempted to beg him to let me go again. If he’s fixed his issues with Ferraro, won’t he be able to get me the documents I need to leave the country? Won’t he be able to give me some money and put me on a plane?

Yeah. Probably. If he wanted to.

But even if he did, he’d know my new name. He’d know where I went. And he’d always be able to track me down.

That’s not good enough. What I need is a real clean slate.

It’s going to take me some time to figure out how I can get that.

But I will.

Eventually.

He nods at the knife. “I’ve got to be up in six hours for my first day of work, and it’s been a long day. I need to get some sleep. If you decide to kill me, it’s probably better for you to wait until I’m unconscious.”

My eyes narrow. “I’m not like you, remember? Not everyone’s a murderer, Nero. The knife’s for self-defense.”

“Self-defense? No one can touch you here. I told you that.”

“What about you? Who’s going to keep me safe from you?”

His entire face darkens. For a second, I think he’s going to say something, but then he turns and walks out of the room, apparently done with this conversation.

I drop the knife onto a credenza and follow him. “So what now? What about me?”

“What about you?”

“What am I supposed to do here while you’re at work?”

He moves into one of the bedrooms. “I can get you some entertainment tomorrow.”

“You can’t expect to keep me inside all day long. I’m not a house cat. I’ll go insane.”

He takes off his jacket and throws it over the back of a chair before starting to work on the buttons of his shirt.

“It’s not forever. But for now, you have to stay put.”

“Why?”

“Because I don’t know what Gino Ferraro’s agenda is. He’s planning something, and until I know what it is, it’s too risky for you to move around the city. Let me get my bearings. I need a few days to settle in.”

“Can I get a phone?”

“Not yet.”

“I need to call Del. If she doesn’t hear from me soon, she will call the cops. She’s relentless. She won’t give up until she replaces me.”

Nero sighs and slips off his shirt. “You can call her tomorrow, but only to let her know you’re okay. I’ll arrange it.”

My gaze slides down his body, over his golden chest and his rippling abs.

I shouldn’t replace any part of him attractive anymore.

It’s infuriating that I still do.

He tosses the shirt into the empty laundry basket and then moves his hands to his belt.

I force my gaze back up.

“Fine. You can have three days to ‘get your bearings,’ as you say, and then I want a key to this place and a phone.”

He unzips his trousers and lets them fall to the floor. “How do I know you won’t try to run again?”

I ignore the way my skin prickles with heat at the half-naked view of him. “You’ve made it abundantly clear there’s nowhere else for me to go. But I will not be your prisoner, Nero. If you keep me locked inside this glass box, I’ll bring a hammer to your window and hurl myself out of it.”

My statement makes his eyes flare with fury. It’s the kind of fury that makes even the weakest of men dangerous, and Nero’s anything but weak.

He steps out of his trousers and advances on me wearing only his underwear. I back away until I hit a wall.

His tattooed body blocks my view of the bedroom. Palms appear on either side of my head. I’m acutely aware of the few inches between us and how they simmer with heat.

“You can be mad at me,” he says in a low voice. “You can hate me. You can wish me dead. But you will never threaten to hurt yourself again. If you do anything to put yourself in harm’s way, I swear to God, Blake, I will build a cage and lock you in it.”

He’s so close that I can make out the gold shards in his irises. My gaze drops to his lips. “I’m already in a cage.”

“If you think this is a cage, you’ve lived a charmed life.” He says it so softly that I glance up again. There’s something else licking at the edges of his fury now. Something tender and raw that makes my heart pound against my ribcage.

I swallow, unable to keep my face from growing hot. I wish I could erase our history from my memory bank. I wish I didn’t remember what he felt like inside me.

“You know I haven’t.”

“Then take a deep breath and relax.” He dips his head, nearly brushing his forehead against mine. “Tomorrow, I’ll get you all the creature comforts you could possibly need. You can start to settle in.”

He pushes off the wall and takes a step back, but his intense gaze doesn’t leave my face. “I need a shower. Unless you want to join me, let’s end this conversation here.”

Join him? Fury licks up my spine. How dare he?

His masterpiece of a body might taunt me, but I’m not so weak that I’ll let myself be tempted by it.

I give my head a hard shake. “Better get used to being on your own, Nero. I’m taking the bedroom next door. Just because we’re living together, it doesn’t mean we’ll see much of each other.”

Disappointment flashes across his expression, but before he can argue with me, I leave the room and let the door slam behind me.