Devil You Know (The Diavolo Crime Family 2)

Part of me feels guilt for taking advantage of his current mood, and his request, but I can’t pass up the opportunity. “Is Lucas okay?”

He spins me to face away again, so he can finish brushing and drying my hair. “He is alive and should remain so if he does no more stupid shit.”

“Can I see him?” I whisper.

The brush snags on a tangle, and I wince.

“No, you can’t see him. Not yet.”

“Not even to see if he’s actually alive?”

“Really, stellina? You don’t trust me? I’m wounded.”

I jerk myself from his hands and turn around once more. “I just wanted to make sure.”

He sits the brush on the bed with a long sigh. I can’t help but stare at him. I’ve never seen him like this. And every moment since I woke up feels important somehow. And because of it, there’s an extra layer of pressure not to fuck things up.

“Tell me why you care. Why it’s so important to you.”

Again, I’m shocked at his rational request. He seems to be a different man, and I don’t understand if he’s been like this all along or if he’s just changed overnight. “I told you everything I knew last night. He knows something about me, about my family, and I want answers.”

He tips his head to the side to study me, tracing my cheeks, down my neck to where the towel is wrapped securely above my breasts. “That’s not enough. I don’t want you near him, or any man.” His tone is strained, like he’s moderating it for my benefit. And hell, he’s been strange all morning, acting like he actually cares about me. What a ridiculous idea.

I tug the towel higher and slide off the bed to look down at him. “What the hell is this? Why are you keeping me here? Is this just another level on your twisted game of revenge? Make me care so you can break me in a new fun way? Sell me as broken and a virgin?”

He shifts his legs from underneath him, and I get a full-on look at every inch of his naked body. The smirk on his face tells me how much he likes it. “I told you I wasn’t going to sell you. If you bring it up again, I’m going to get angry.”

“Wouldn’t want you to get angry,” I murmur sarcastically. “And your revenge plan to destroy everyone I love? I assume that’s still on the table.”

His shoulders stiffen, and he sits up straight. “You don’t know anything about my plans for your father. But trust me, when I get to him, he’ll pay for his sins. That, however, has nothing to do with you. I’ve changed my tactic. I’ll find a way to hurt your father without using you. “

I wave at him. “You think I’ll be able to touch you, to look at you, after you’ve murdered my family? Did you consider that angle in your grand plan for things?”

A knock on the door interrupts us, and he hops off the bed and opens it. A few seconds later, he turns back to face me with a tray of food. “Let’s talk about this later so you can eat.”

“I don’t want to fucking eat. I want answers. I want you to understand how much all of this hurts me. We might not be a loving family, but they are still my parents. The only family I’ve ever known. Every second you plot and plan against my family is like a punch to my heart.”

He carefully sits the tray on the bed and faces me, hands on his hips. “I didn’t ask for your opinion, and I don’t want it. If I desire to know how you feel about my murdering your family one by one, then I’ll fucking ask. Until then, sit the fuck down and eat.”

I swallow against the lump lodged in my throat. Obviously, his good mood couldn’t last forever. And he and I have a way of butting heads. Every time we fight, things get out of hand, and I step away from him, waiting for when he’s had enough of my mouth and makes a move to shut me up.

“I was just trying to be honest with you, but as I thought, you want a sex doll, not an actual woman with thoughts and feelings.”

He stalks forward, and I jerk away from him. When he drops his hands, I dare to meet his eyes. My knees are already trembling in anticipation of whatever violence I’m luring out of him.

“You aren’t being honest. How can you be when you don’t know the entire story?” he says.

I wait for him to elaborate, but he doesn’t. “And what, I don’t deserve that either?”

Again, he charges forward, and I tuck my chin, trying to anticipate how he’s going to grab me and what he’s going to use to punish me this time.