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Home / Mafia / To Love A Monster / Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

All Chapters of To Love A Monster: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

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thirty.

NicholasI drive my rented SUV to the cul-de-sac where only the top of the Ricci mansion is visible behind the stone wall they’ve erected. Pretentious pricks. That’s not my destination, though. It’s the smaller house that belongs to the Russos. Well, at least for another few days.Is it considered breaking and entering once a number is agreed upon and paperwork finalized even if money hasn’t changed hands? Not that it matters for my purposes tonight. I need to get inside because I have a sense that time is running out.I think about my meeting last night with the Riccis. How smug they are still, even when they come to me, their enemy, for money. I should have made them beg, but I remind myself that is not the goal. My game is a long one. I will swallow what I need to now to have the final laugh in the end.But I know it hurt arrogant, self-satisfied Sly’s ego to have to come to me for money.My father is a self-made man. His money is as new as it comes, and as filthy.Born dirt poor,

thirty-one.

NicholasI turn onto the driveway of the Russo house and drive up the long incline, parking the rented SUV out of sight. Although the Riccis will already have left for the gala, I don’t want to take a chance anyone might see me. I am breaking and entering, after all.The temperature is freezing. I’m in a tux, but don’t bother to put on my coat. I won’t be here that long. I make my way toward the porch, remembering how cozy it was when the Russos lived here. Now, debris has collected in the corners and the single chair left out here has toppled in the wind. I’d prefer to use the back entrance, but the lockbox containing the key is hanging on the front door, so here I am. I punch in the code Nigella had acquired from the realtor and the box opens. From inside, I retrieve the key and slide it into the lock to open the front door. Once inside, I close it behind me and pocket the key.The house is dark. I’m grateful for the moonlight shining in through the bare windows and off the snow on

thirty-two.

ValentinaCielo spins me on the dance floor. His face is stone, and he’s barely said two words to me all night.The gala is being held in the grand ballroom of The Sinistral. I remember the first few years the Riccis held the event. Back then, it had been small enough that they hosted at their home. But the guest list has grown exponentially, and the Sinistral ballroom is bursting at the seams to hold everyone now.We haven’t spoken again about my breaking off our engagement, and his parents haven’t said anything to me about it. I know he told them, though. I heard the shouting coming from Mr. Ricci’s study, and Cielo’s been cooler to me since. Mira also. Mr. Ricci had had some meeting in town, so I haven’t seen him yet. I’m in no rush to run into him either.When I suggested I stay at a hotel, though, Cielo outright disagreed, and I told myself I’m choosing my battles. After tonight is over, I’ll head back to Boston. I’ll pack up the apartment and figure out my next steps then.I loo

thirty-three.

ValentinaMr. Bennett is speaking, but I’m only half listening, nodding now and again. I’m lost in my thoughts when his step falters and he turns. Someone is tapping on his shoulder.“May I cut in?”My heart drops to my belly. I look up at the man who stands a head taller than Mr. Bennett, dressed in a tuxedo that barely contains him—that, no matter how elegant, can’t hide the man beneath. The inelegance of him. The raw brutality of him.Nicholas Hendrick.The man I’ve been searching for since walking in here.The devil I want to hate but am drawn to like a moth to the flame.I get the feeling he’s been watching me long before this moment and waiting for his opportunity.“I knew it was a matter of time,” Mr. Bennett says, winking at Nicholas. He doesn’t even get a hint of a smile back. Nicholas’s turquoise eyes are locked on mine. He barely registers Mr. Bennett at all, and I get the feeling it’s not even conscious. A moment later, I am handed from one man to the other, pressed agains

thirty-four.

ValentinaI wish he wasn’t wearing that mask. I wish we were somewhere quiet and alone, and we weren’t wearing masks at all, and I could see if what I think I see is real. And he could see that ache that I know is written on my face. If he did, he would see that for me, it’s more real than anything else in my life. He can’t know how much those words he said to me after finding the ring in my pocket hurt. How much they still hurt. The wound they left is still raw. And right now, all I want is for him to know that.“Nicholas?”He takes a deep breath in, then turns to lead me up the stairs. The room is located above the stage upon which the orchestra is situated. From here you can see out into the ballroom while remaining unobserved. I wonder if this was where he’d been watching me from, like some sort of phantom. It’s a storage room of sorts full of dusty curtains and tablecloths, boxes upon boxes of dinnerware, crystal and silver service, the works.“Do you remember what happened the l

thirty-five.

ValentinaNicholas tugs on the zipper at the back of my dress, and a moment later, it slips to the floor and when he stands back to look at me, I push his shirt half off, two buttons popping. I take in his muscled chest, wide shoulders, the dusting of dark hair. I can’t stop looking at him, touching him, almost unsure this is really happening.He dips his head again to kiss me, his mouth wet as he leaves a trail down the center of my chest, my belly, crouching down before me to slide my panties off, eye level with my pussy. He kisses the flat of it and when he draws away, I shudder with the cool air against the space his mouth was. He combs his fingers through the small patch of hair I’ve let grow in, and when his mouth closes over my clit, I’m not sure whether it’s him or me moaning.I weave my fingers into his hair as he bends his head to lick my pussy before rising up, licking each of my nipples before straightening to his full height.“Fuck, Valentina,” he says, his voice a deep r

thirty-six.

Nicholas“What the fuck?” I’m on my feet in an instant. I set Valentina on the couch and drape the dust cloth over her lap, covering her as I tug my pants closed.“Well, Tina, this is certainly not what I expected out of you,” Sly Ricci says to Valentina who is staring wide-eyed, face burning red. “You, though? Well,” he gestures to the police officers who enter. I grab my shirt up off the floor, tug it on. “You I’d expect no less from.”“Mr. Hendrick, you’ll need to come with us.” One of the cops moves behind me, while the other two flank me.“What the hell is going on?” I ask.“Really? As if you don’t know?” Sly asks, gaze shifting to Valentina. He shakes his head. “It’s evil, what you’ve done to that girl.”“Sir, we need to head to the station,” a policeman says, taking my arm.“What for?” I tug free.“Cuff him,” Sly tells them as Cielo picks up Valentina’s dress and throws it at her.“Get dressed, for fuck’s sake,” Cielo snaps, noticing the ruby choker on the stool and sliding it

thirty-seven.

Valentina"Deal with her," Sly tells Cielo, checking his watch before heading to the exit where a man in a suit stands, hands clasped in front of him. He's looking straight ahead and nothing.Cielo glances at me, hesitates, then looks back to his dad. "Dad."Sly looks back at Cielo, eyebrows raised."I don't think we need to punish Tina.""No?" Sly spins on his heel and stalks back into the room. He advances on Cielo, but I'm the one to take a step backward. "You don't think she needs to be punished? You're fine with another man fucking your fiancée?""No. Of course I'm not.""I thought not. Deal with her, or I will. Just make sure she can walk. I want her back out on the dance floor in ten minutes," Sly says, before giving me a glacial glance and leaving.Cielo turns to the man in plain clothes. He must be security of some kind. "Wait outside the door. No one enters, not you, not anyone, no matter what you hear," he says.The man nods and steps out of the room, closing the door behin

thirty-eight.

ValentinaI don't know how I do it, but I get downstairs. Everything around me is a blur, and I wonder if I lost one of my contacts or if it's just my tears obscuring my vision. I see a woman standing just outside the door who looks vaguely familiar. She looks at me with shock and concern, but Cielo moves me past her quickly. He practically has to carry me, holding me with an arm around my waist as I lean into him.Someone we pass makes a comment suggesting I drank too much, and Cielo laughs. The orchestra plays and I catch a glimpse of Mira watching from the bar, her expression hard."There is the happy couple."I turn my head to see Sly coming toward us, his mask on top of his head, face giving away nothing."I've been waiting all night for my turn," he says, taking me from Cielo, straightening my mask and arranging me to dance as I try to remain upright."I... I need..." I'm going to be sick. God. He's talking, making some comment to another couple, before moving us deeper into the

thirty-nine.

Nicholas"We'll be filing charges," Nigella throws over her shoulder as we walk out of the police station as dusk falls. "You had no right to hold him for three days without a single charge.""Ma'am, we were conducting⁠—""Bullshit." She stops and turns. "Start packing up your desk, detective. I'll have your job for this."I walk quickly out of the station and into the parking lot where Nigella's car is double parked at the front doors."I can't believe what they were able to get away with," Nigella seethes. She's been trying to see me for three days, trying to understand what the hell was going on."Welcome to Sinistral. That's the kind of influence Ricci wields." I'd become complacent over the years. I'd forgotten what he is capable of. That was my fault. But never again. "I need to get her," I say, holding out my hand. "Give me the keys.""No."I look down at her, surprised. "Give me the keys, Nigella.""You're in no state to drive.""I need to fucking get to her."She shakes her h

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