Jeez, I didn’t even know that was one of my spots.
Happy day!
His hands caress my shoulders, cupping my breasts through my sports bra as his tongue navigates a path down to my cleavage. My back arches and I let out a small moan.
“Massimo…”
“Mmm?”
I sit up, my eyes popping open wide as a slight movement in my periphery makes me gasp.
“Massimo!”
Chapter Nineteen
MASSIMO
I whip around, pulling my gun out of the back of my waistband and Kristina runs over to the knife block and grabs a cleaver, holding it tight in her hand.
“I like where your mind goes,” I mutter. “But do not follow me. If it’s someone with a gun, you’re not gonna have enough time to lop off a limb with that thing.”
She starts to creep toward me, ignoring my warning, and I stop her dead with a glare. “You’re not acting like the smart ass I know you are. Stay here,” I growl.
Kristina pauses for a second, then finally takes a step back, cautiously lowering the cleaver.
But she’s not happy about it.
I get that. She feels like the woman of the house, wanting to defend the castle and all that.
I’m not about to risk the life of the queen, though.
She is the most important piece on the board, after all.
I inch forward, rounding the corner of the hallway. There are two shadows on either side of the door. I creep around the side of the staircase, sliding against the wall nearest the door. Since the side panels are chiseled, beveled glass, I can’t make out anything other than shapes and dark colors.
The door handle jiggles and I hold out my gun.
Waiting.
It opens slowly and I crouch down, positioned to take the shot if I need.
And then…
“Kristina! Massimo!”
Panicked voices ring out in the open foyer, followed by a flurry of frenzied footsteps clamoring into the house.
I expel a sharp breath, dropping my arm to my side, the gun still hanging from my hand.
“Jesus Christ, guys!” Kristina yells from her spot in the kitchen, running toward Sofia and Maria. “What the hell are you doing here? Why aren’t you at school? And why are you alone?”
The girls exchange a look and Sofia holds out her phone, her hand shaking.
“I got another text and it freaked me out. I tried calling you but there was no answer. I figured it would be smarter to—”
“To wander home all by yourselves instead of staying at the school where you were protected by armed guards?” Kristina snaps, her hands on her hips. “Are you insane?”
“We thought someone had gotten to you,” Maria cries out, her blue eyes welling with tears. “We were scared. Check your phone! We called a million times! And even on the house line!”
Kristina bites down on her lip. “I guess it wasn’t only static.” She puts her arms around the girls. “I’m sorry I made you nervous. We’re fine.”
“What the heck happened to your head? There’s a huge welt on it.”
“Oh, I tripped and took one of the stools down on top of me. I’m fine, though.”
“Okay.” Sofia peeks up at her, her nose pressed against Kristina’s tank top. “You also smell like a dude.”
Kristina’s eyebrows fly up and she immediately sniffs her armpits.
I bite back a laugh. “I’m kinda offended at that.”
Sofia chuckles. “I didn’t mean dude in a bad way.” She pulls away from her sister and sidles up to me, taking in an exaggerated breath. A knowing twinkle glitters in her eyes. “I meant like in the cologne-y way. Like, specifically in the Massimo way.” She folds her arms over her chest. “Could there maybe have been another reason why you weren’t answering your phone? You are pretty sweaty, Kristi.”
A pink flush sweeps over Kristina’s cheeks and Maria jumps back to get a good look, pointing and giggling.
“So maybe you’d like to fill us in on what kind of angst you’re working out while we’re buried in books?” Sofia winks at Maria.
“Listen,” Kristina says, the pink flush decidedly a deeper shade of red at this point. “The only reason why I smell like cologne is because when Massimo helped me up off the floor, I felt dizzy and fell into him.”
“Uh-huh.” Sofia’s mischievous look tells me in no uncertain terms that she thinks her sister is full of shit.
It was a good attempt in my opinion but fell pretty damn flat on the audience, like an atrociously bad joke.
“Trust me, there is nothing going on here,” Kristina says. “Nothing.”
If only she wasn’t spewing bullshit at her sisters right now.
Nothing should be happening.
But something sure is happening.
And to add even more of a complication, I still don’t have any insight about Savio’s role in this whole situation, which means Kristina and the girls are still very much at risk.
I need to get back into Anton’s office. Frank seemed really interested in that club, Fire and Ice.
He is desperate to get to those files for some reason.
Maybe Savio is, too.
Maybe Fire and Ice is the missing link.
Tonight.
I have to sneak back in there tonight.
The sooner I uncover the truth, the sooner I can destroy Savio and save the Ivankov girls in the process.
“Is that true, Massimo?” Sofia asks sweetly. “Is there nothing we need to know?”
What a loaded fucking question.
There’s plenty you need to know, but lucky for you, I’m here and I hate the man who wants to hurt you all and will look for any way possible to thwart his plans.
“I think Kristina covered it all.” I lift an eyebrow. “But now that you’re here, can we get back to the real reason for your escape from your little country club of a high school? I’d like to see the text.”
Kristina rushes over, peering at Sofia’s screen over my shoulder.
It takes everything in me to not grab her and drink in the same fiery passion that sizzled every nerve in my body not too long ago.
I resist now, the way I should have before I fundamentally changed the nature of our relationship.
I told her I couldn’t get involved.
And here I am.
Too damn involved.
I study the screen, forcing my eyes to stay on the ominous words laid out before them.
You thought the kid was behind the attack. Fucking perfect. And by the time your brilliant sister figures out the truth, it’ll be too late.
“What the hell?” Kristina snaps, her eyes blazing emerald fire. “Someone was obviously watching us this morning. Someone is keeping tabs on us all.” She glares at her sisters. “Do you realize now how incredibly stupid it was for you to walk home by yourselves?”
“Oh, because you always make all the right moves, right, Kristi? You never make a mistake, do you?” Sofia bellows, throwing up her hands. “We’re not all perfect like you. Straight-A honors student, one who gets every freaking academic award known to humans. The rest of the planet is flawed, Kristi. So throw us a bone!”
Kristina recoils, her eyes popping open wide. “Sof…”