Shadow Warrior (Shadow Riders 4)

Vittorio let the body fall away from him as he landed on his feet in a crouch. He stood for a moment looking down at the man who had destroyed so many lives. He looked small and pitiful as he lay beside the dead body of the dog. Vittorio didn’t feel pity. He felt weary. He just wanted to get back to Grace. And to his family.

“Justice is served,” he said softly, and stepped into a long shadow.CHAPTER TWENTYVittorio stood for a long time looking down at the woman who had completely changed his life. She slept curled up in the middle of the bed, that heart-wrenching position that made her smaller and less of a target. She’d been a target too many times and he was determined to change that. In her childhood, Owen and Becca Mueller had abused and beaten her. Haydon had completed the job by terrorizing her for years.

Vittorio pulled back the sheet to examine her body. The bruises were fading. Before, they’d stood out stark and vicious on her pale skin. Now they looked like smudges. Time had taken care of the physical evidence. He was determined that he would take care of the emotional toll on her.

The cool air wafting over her bare skin sent a little shiver through her and he wasn’t surprised when her lashes lifted, and she blinked sleepily up at him. He waited, counting his heartbeats. Her smile was slow, but it spread across her face and into her eyes, bringing him sunshine. She seemed to glow.

“You’re home.” She sat up, reaching for the sheet.

He bunched the soft material in his fist, refusing to relinquish it, telling her silently he wanted her to remain uncovered, so he could see her bare body. It took a moment before she let go of the sheet, but she drew her legs up. He let her get away with it for the moment.

“Stefano wanted to wrap up a few things, just to get all the details clear. Art Maverick and Jason Bradshaw dropped by to talk to him today. They haven’t made any progress on finding out the identity of the killer or killers of the bodies found in the dumpsters. They say they’ve hit a dead end everywhere they’ve turned and unless anything new develops, they aren’t any closer to finding why they were killed or who killed them.”

Vittorio gently put his hand on her thigh and pressed to indicate for her to put her knees back down. Looking up at him, she complied. His cock reacted with a hot rush of blood pounding right through his groin. She had such a beautiful face. He ran the pad of his thumb over her lips and then strummed for a moment, fascinated by the fullness and curve.

“Stefano said the detectives think our family knows more than what we’re telling them, but if we did, we’d be after the killers ourselves.” He shrugged out of his jacket and removed his tie, setting both on the back of a chair. He crossed back to the bed. She hadn’t moved, he noted with satisfaction. She was learning his preferences.

“Does your family have any additional information?”

He lifted the soft weight of her breast in his palm, his thumb sliding back and forth across her sensitive nipple. Every shiver that visibly went through her body sent heat rushing through his. He kept his gaze fixed on hers.

“Other than being certain the Saldi family is somehow involved, no, unfortunately, we don’t.” Reluctantly, he had to take his hand back to unbutton his shirt. “We don’t have any proof they are involved, nor do we know why they would start a war. We just have to be vigilant.”

“Didn’t Valentino convince all of you that his family had nothing to do with the killings? Emmanuelle said he sounded very sincere, and she can hear lies.”

“Emmanuelle is in love with him. She’s been in love with him since she was sixteen years old. That bastard seduced her when she was no more than a child. That should tell you something about his character.” His voice was mild as he imparted the information. He had long ago learned to keep the infamous Ferraro temper at bay with his meditations and working to find that place inside of him that was calm and at peace. Having his woman helped more than anything else.

“What happened? When he looks at her, he looks at her with love.”

Vittorio shrugged the shirt from his shoulders, and carefully placed it over the jacket before turning back to face her. She already was aware of his preferences in how to keep their room and house and she always made certain that everything was organized and orderly. Grace was looking at his chest. At the muscles running up and down his body. She drank him in hungrily. Clearly appreciating his body. She did every time, as if she was shocked and awed by what she saw.