But despite all of that she didn’t fear that, not right now. What she was afraid of right now had everything to do with the absolute brutal expression on Edoardo’s face that was trained right on her. It was one I’d never seen him wear before. He’d always been so stoic, almost seemed so unaffected.
But this… this was the same dangerous man that I saw when I looked into my father’s face. They were cut from the same cloth. They all were.
When she didn’t move fast enough, Edoardo faced her and took a step forward. That had her gripping the skirting of her dress and turning, hustling down the hallway with only one last glance over her shoulder at me before she rounded the corner and then it was just Edoardo and myself alone.
He slowly turned back and faced me and I couldn’t breathe, the air being sucked out from all around me, the suffocating feeling of his anger aimed full force on me.
“I–I didn’t see anything.” I didn't know why I’d said those words . He and I knew the truth, knew what I’d witnessed. It was clearly written across my face.
“Let’s not make a liar out of you, Amara.” He took a step forward but I had nowhere to go.
With a wall at my right, and Edoardo blocking my left and in front of me I was trapped.
I licked my lips. I could scream, call for help. But the tightening of his jaw, and the thinning of his lips told me he knew where my thoughts were going. He lifted his finger and placed it on his mouth.
“Shhh. We don't want anyone to hear a commotion.”
Telling anyone what I saw wouldn’t have hurt anyone but Francesca and her family. I may not have thought very highly of Francesca, but her mother and father had always been kind to me. But he wouldn’t believe me even if I told him so I kept my mouth shut.
Another step forward and I held my breath, not sure what he planned. Threats were obviously on the horizon, but I didn’t like the way he looked at me, like he planned on doing things to me to ensure I stayed quiet.
Like he wanted me to break my word and tell everyone what I’d seen so he could make it a reality.
It was this darkness that spread out from him. It was the way he raked his gaze up and down my body with degrading intent.
“I’m not going to say anything,” I said again and tipped my chin up in almost defiance. “I’d never want to hurt Maria’s family that way.” He smirked, as if what he thought I said was funny. “Let’s just go back to the reception. I’m sure Nikolai is waiting for me.” I wasn’t ashamed to throw my husband's name out there, hoping it would put fear into Edoardo. But all he did was take a step closer. His gaze roamed across my face and I curled my fingers into my palms, my nails biting into the flesh, the pain sparking into pleasure.
“Here’s what’s going to happen, Amara,” he said in a low voice as he reached up and rubbed a strand of my hair between his thumb and forefinger, his focus trained on the act. “You’re going to stay quiet because I’m not going to lose my station. I’m not going to be punished by your fucking father because I broke the rules. And you’re going to keep that pretty mouth shut or I’m going to do all kinds of things that you’re not going to like.” He slowly lifted his gaze from that lock of hair to meet my gaze. “But it’s definitely going to be things I like,” he whispered.
A long pause of silence stretched between us, as if he wanted to let those words sink in, let that meaning really solidify.
“Do you understand what I mean, Amara?” I wanted to slap him, to scream in his face, to tell him he couldn’t speak to me like that. I was above him, not just in morals and dignity, not just in respect or status, but because he was the lowest of the low. He was a killer, willing to force me to do what he wanted simply to keep my mouth shut.
Oh I understood. But clearly he didn’t. “What do you think will happen when I tell them the truth? What do you think they’ll do to you when I tell my husband that you threatened me?”
Edoardo’s eyes darkened even further and he tightened his fingers on that strand of hair until it was being pulled, a sting to my scalp that had me gritting my teeth.
“Fuck the Bratva,” he spit out. “Your father is a weak man for making deals with those lowlifes.” Edoardo lifted that lock of hair up to his nose and inhaled deeply, this disgusting sound of pleasure leaving his throat.
Motion in my peripheral had me glancing to the side.
Time seemed to stand still as I watched Nikolai round the corner and slowly walk down the hallway, his focus on me, so intent, so deadly. He lifted a hand and I watched with what felt like huge eyes as he slipped his hand inside his tuxedo jacket. I could hear Edoardo talking, his voice a distorted rumble that I couldn’t process anything else.
I heard this buzzing in my ear, drowning out everything else, making it impossible to know what he said. But I could feel him tugging on the strand of my hair, and I took my focus off of my husband for a second to see Edoardo grin at me lasciviously as he leaned in, his gaze now on my mouth.
“You’re going to listen to me and keep your mouth shut or I’m going to fuck you so hard you bleed for days afterward. Do you understand me?”
My skin prickled, tingled as I looked back at Nikolai, my eyes widening even more, my mouth slightly parted. He pulled out a gun, the silver metal catching the light.
“Or maybe you want me to do that. If you’re married to Russian scum, you probably like it rough and raw, don’t you?”
Edoardo was too absorbed in his disgusting plans for me that he didn’t even sense the monster who stood right beside him.
It was only when Nikolai lifted the gun and trained it at Edoardo’s temple that I felt the air around me change. And it took a millisecond for Edoardo to realize we weren’t alone. But it was too late.
Because when Nikolai gave me a slow grin and an arrogant wink, I knew this was the end.
And then my husband pulled the trigger.