A Thousand Cuts (Underworld Kings)

Harris was sharp. Sharper than I’d thought. His words hit true, right in my chest, taking the breath from my lungs.

I schooled my expression, making sure that Harris didn’t see how his words affected me. “I’m aware of the stakes here, Detective Harris.”

He tilted his head ever so slightly. “Just wanted to make sure. The bad guys are easy to hate at the start. But when they’re handsome, when they can see inside you and manipulate you, when they have millions of dollars...” His eyes ran over my outfit, bought by Cristian, the purse that cost as much as a deposit on a house. “It can be easy to forget you’re sleeping with the enemy.”

My gaze and stolid demeanor didn’t falter. “I’m very aware of who I’m sleeping with.” I clenched my fists. “And I definitely know that evil isn’t always as it appears.”

Not giving him the chance to respond, I turned on my heel and left.

I got up early the day of our engagement party.

Early enough that Cristian was still sleeping. It was the first morning I’d woken up with him still in bed with me. I’d never seen him asleep before. He exhausted me every night, without fail. No mean feat for a man of his age.

But I was determined last night, making sure to set my alarm earlier, my sleep thin, perched to silence the alarm before it woke Cristian.

I was the one who’d tired him last night, so he remained still after I’d killed the alarm. He looked grim, tight, menacing even in his sleep. His troubles and worries followed him to his dreams, presumably because he went to such pains to hide them while he was awake.

My stomach fluttered as my eyes ran over him, the sheets pulled down, exposing his muscled torso. I didn’t let my gaze linger for long. It was much too dangerous. I’d be held captive by visions of this.

That was not my goal. My goal was to escape the house unnoticed.

Which I managed.

It was not an easy task, timing my entrance perfectly.

There was an armed guard at the entrance to the estate. I was sure he’d contacted the other guards as soon as he saw me enter. Though there were a lot of cars coming and going.

The party was in full swing.

Cars littered the driveway. All expensive. Very fucking expensive. The amount of guards strolling the property had tripled, at the least. He didn’t trust the Bianchis. Yet he’d brought them here for our engagement party. That was the way of this life... Breaking bread with people who may try to kill you in their next breath.

The door was opened for me the second I stopped the car.

“Mrs. Romano,” a handsome man in a black suit greeted me, keeping his eyes on mine.

I took the hand he offered me as I got out of the car. Though I should’ve corrected him for the use of Cristian’s name, I didn’t. I liked the way it sounded. Loved the way he made a point to keep my eye, not averting his gaze to an outfit designed to capture attention.

There was too much fear and respect there. Who knew what he might lose if his eyes lingered on the wrong part of my body, if his hand stayed in mine a moment longer than necessary?

When I walked through the door, music filtered in from the backyard.

“Nightmare” by Halsey.

The corner of my mouth turned up. Had Cristian really planned that?

The timing was too perfect to be a coincidence.

And it was the perfect tune for my entry. For this outfit.

I strutted through the house, head held high, hair tumbling down my back. I’d been aiming for the patio area, where the party was taking place, where I could see a collection of people I didn’t recognize.

But someone grabbed my arm, yanking me into the dining room.

I didn’t cry out. Not when I recognized the hands the second they laid on my skin. I had been expecting this, after all.

My back slammed against a wall beside the door. I could see the catering staff running back and forth in the kitchen. That was until Cristian’s hand went to my chin, and he forced my face to meet his.

My blood sang when I looked into his eyes.

They were fucking apoplectic.

“Where in the fuck were you?” he demanded, voice garbled with fury.

I liked the fear I felt as his anger settled over me like a blanket. My body responded immediately and carnally.

“I’m sure you have a tracker in the car I took, so you know the answer to that question,” I replied sweetly.

Cristian’s fist slammed into the wall beside me.

I smiled.

He glowered.

“You test me when you shouldn’t, Sienna.” It pleased me to see his nostrils flare. “Making me look like a fool, guests arriving at an engagement party when my bride is nowhere to be fucking seen. And when she does show up, she’s half fucking naked.” His eyes flickered over my body. It was darker in here, the drapes were drawn, but the door to the kitchen was open, and the light flickered in.