Gates of Paradise (Blue Bloods 7)

“What is it?” Gio called. “What is so important that you must disturb us on the morning after our bonding?”

“My deepest apologies for this intrusion, but we do need to consult with you in this matter,” the Venator captain explained.

“I suppose we should see what he wants,” Gio sighed.

Tomi removed her arms from around his chest, her legs from around his. “I suppose we should. Alas,” she said with a smile.

They dressed quickly and walked out to the courtyard, to find Valentina and Bellarmine standing at the door with white faces, looking agitated and upset.

“What happened?” Tomi asked, feeling a dread rise in her stomach. There was something terribly wrong, but she did not know what.

Valentina turned to her, her face ashen. “The Mistress—Simonetta has been killed, and her baby gutted.”

Tomi gasped and Gio turned to the Venators angrily. “No harm was to come to her! How did this happen?” he growled, his handsome face flushed an angry red.

“We were bespelled. When we awoke, Simonetta was dead, and we found this by her bed,” Bellarmine said, offering up a bloody dagger.

“Andreas’s blade,” Gio said with a scowl.

“Then he survived the fire,” Tomi said, her heart sinking. She had been certain they had triumphed, that the devil had been destroyed. “But why would he kill his own child?”

“So that we would not torture it?” Valentina offered.

“It doesn’t make sense,” Tomi said, confused.

Gio grasped the dagger. “We will find her killer. We will find Andreas and we will destroy him.”

Tomi shuddered at the anger in his voice, at the wildness in his eyes. She had never seen him this way before. Kind, gentle Gio. He was on fire with rage. Tomi shrunk back from him, frightened, and remembered their lovemaking the night before, the wildness of it, the ferocity.

She looked at him and he was a stranger to her. She did not know who he was.

THIRTEEN

Schuyler

he sound of breaking glass woke her from her sleep. Schuyler glanced at the clock on her bedside table. It was four in the morning. She put on her robe and walked out to the living room. “Who’s there?” she called. She padded through the dark hallway, looking for the light switch.

She turned on the light and saw Kingsley in the middle of the room, with a broken wineglass in his hand. “Oh, sorry, sorry—we were trying to be quiet and I tripped over the damn rug.…” he said.

“I’ll get the vacuum.” Schuyler frowned and pulled the vacuum cleaner out of the closet.

“Bye, Dani,” Kingsley said, as a sleek blonde walked out of his room, dangling her stil

ettos on one finger. She was a dead ringer for Mimi Force. The same almond-shaped green eyes, the same mane of lustrous platinum hair. The same sexy-pouty expression.

“Bye, darling,” she said, kissing him on the cheek.

“Mind the mess,” he warned, motioning to the broken glass on the rug.

“Always do,” she said, delicately picking her way around it.

Schuyler gave Kingsley the look he had given her when he’d caught her holding hands with Oliver.

“What?” said Kingsley, with an innocent smile on his face.

“Bye, King-king,” another girl said, this one equally stunning and equally blond. She wore only a bra and a miniskirt. But at least she was wearing shoes.

“Bye, Antoinette.” Kingsley smiled and kissed her on the forehead. “We were playing strip poker,” he explained, just as a third lovely girl stepped out of the room. This one had dark hair cut in a bob, and brown eyes. Not a Mimi clone, then.