His Secret Sin, page 19
“I don’t believe that.”
She chuckled. “Of course you don’t.”
“Your father is awake.”
The sudden shift of conversation startled her. “He is?”
“Yes. He’s stable. Talking. He told me I needed to let you go. Everyone is telling me to let you go, and yet no one is listening. I can’t.” He moved toward her. She heard his voice get louder with each passing step. “I can’t lose you. You think it has to do with my desire to keep you. Why can’t you see it’s because I love you? I love you more than anything, and I’m willing to fight for this, for us.” He kissed her hard, and she couldn’t resist him. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she held onto him, not wanting to let go, hungry for him.
Diego lifted her up, placing her gently on the bed as he did.
He never kisses Charlotte.
He never holds Charlotte.
He’s always tender with me.
She cried out as his lips traveled down her neck. He pulled down the shorts she was wearing, which were her clothing of choice nowadays. He kissed down her body, lifting the shirt she wore to kiss each of her nipples in turn. She arched up, begging for more, needing his lips on every single part of her. He was burning her alive with his touch, and she didn’t want him to stop.
Diego moved between her thighs, his lips above her pussy, and as his tongue slid across her slit, she cried out.
“There’s no way I could give up this pretty pussy. You’re all mine, Belle. The pleasure I can give you, I want to be the only man you go to. The only man you trust.”
“I do, Diego.” She gasped as his tongue dipped down inside her, sliding back up to circle her bud, and down to fuck her with his tongue. The pleasure was instant and intense, making her beg for more of him, wanting him more than she had ever wanted anyone else. She begged him to make her come, but he didn’t let her fall over the edge.
He stopped her just as she was at the peak, ready to plunge into orgasm. Diego slid his cock in deep, taking her breath away as he rocked inside her. She felt each inch of him as he slid inside, going to the hilt before pulling out.
“You think I want to give this up? That the only reason I want you is to keep you as a toy? Feel this, Belle. Feel me inside you. Feel what I do to you. What you do to me. There is no one else I want. When I close my eyes, all I see is you. You’re the only woman I want. Since the moment I met you, there hasn’t been anyone else. Just you. You’re the one I want more than anything else.”
She cried out as he slammed in hard, the bed hitting the wall with each repeated thrust. He didn’t stop in his thrusts as he reached between her thighs, stroking her pussy, teasing her clit as he did so.
Belle came hard, screaming his name, begging for him not to stop. Not to let her go. She didn’t want to leave him or to stop feeling this. He drove her wild and crazy, and she didn’t know of any other person she would ever want. Diego was the love of her life. As he slid in deep, she felt him reach his own orgasm, panting in her ear as he filled her pussy. Each pulse made her gasp until he finally collapsed against her.
Chapter Fifteen
Diego stroked Belle’s shoulder. He’d made love to her more than once since he returned from saving The Boss. The hit Angelo organized, with the help of the Russians, didn’t go off as smoothly as Angelo had hoped.
The Boss had all the capos on high alert, so there were more soldiers to keep him safe. There was no way The Boss would try to run, not in a fight. It wasn’t part of who he was. He’d stay and fight to protect his family no matter the danger. When Diego and the other capos arrived, they had been able to take the Russians from behind. No one stood a chance, but Angelo, the slimy fucker, was nowhere to be found. Diego had gathered all the information he needed though, and Richard was currently working through it.
His father had told him Charlotte was paying Belle a visit, and it pissed him off. He didn’t want her anywhere near Belle. In fact, he didn’t want any of his family around her. How the fuck was he going to be able to keep her when he wanted everyone else to stay as far away from her as humanly possible? He was never going to be able to achieve that. What he wanted was a fucking miracle.
“What are you thinking about?” Belle asked. Her fingers stroked his face. “You’ve got frown lines.” She touched his forehead before going to his eyes. “Are you okay?”
“I’m fine. I’m just thinking about all the shit I’ve got to deal with.”
“Is it bad?”
“Angelo took a hit out on The Boss, and even as we had them surrounded, he snuck away.”
“You can’t blame yourself. Angelo sounds like a coward.”
“He is.” He thought of all the times he’d beaten him as a kid. Whenever they were alone, Angelo would always use the element of surprise to get his attention. Maybe that was what he was missing. Angelo was constantly surprising them. What if he turned the tables on him? Surprised him. He’d have to locate him, but what if Angel was actually watching him, waiting for him to be vulnerable? There could be a way for him to lure Angelo into his own trap. “You … are … a … genius.”
She laughed as he kissed her between each word she spoke.
“Now that you’re in a good mood, and I’ve helped you solve whatever your problem is, I want to go and see my dad.”
“Belle?”
“No, please, Diego. I know you think I’m going to run off.” She grabbed his hand, placing it across her stomach. “I’m not going to cause anything that means if I am pregnant I’m raising this baby alone. I also don’t want to hear that you got arrested either. I’m not going to say anything. I’ll be good. Wow, that sounds rather strange. I won’t say anything. I want to … do this. I nearly lost my father. He’s awake, and I want to talk to him.”
He took her hands. “I’ll go and see if I can arrange it.”
“You will?”
“Yes. Belle, if you break your promise, I will have no choice but to kill you.”
He saw the sadness on her face. “I’m not going to do anything to make you hurt me. I just want to see my dad. That’s all.”
“Fine.” He kissed her lips. “I’ll be back. Stay here.”
He left her on the bed as he made his way into his father’s office. Paperwork was on every single surface, and several images were pinned up.
“You really worked through all of this mess?” Diego asked.
“It wasn’t hard to do. Everyone has an order, and well, Angelo’s is based on each hit he’s taken.” Richard stood. “These are the first hits that were organized. Not the shootings. Angelo or one of his men were responsible for the drug overdosing coming from your club.”
“I took out that barman,” Diego said. “You saw him on the security footage dealing out his drugs.”
“Yes, and we’re figuring he was replaced by someone within the club. It’s not exactly hard to do. Drug dealers come in all shapes, sizes, and sexes. Moving on, we’re not here to figure out who sold the drugs. These are the hits that were taken in the five different locations, which ended with your shooting.”
“How the fuck did he know where I was going to be?” Diego asked.
“He didn’t. It’s why he’s got a picture of you.”
“You were tailed,” his father said. “That’s how he was able to do this. He watched your movements. Either that, or your girl is in on it.”
“Belle’s not in on it.”
“She’s not,” Richard said. “As part of my arrangement with Diego, I was asked to keep an eye on her. The only person who was connected to Angelo and Belle was Melanie. She was getting the drugs from him and helping to distribute them.” Richard pointed at another wall. “I may have mixed mine and Angelo’s information to help us pin him down.”
“Whatever it takes.”
“Belle is an innocent in this. She’s just a woman who is trying to make a life for herself.”
“As I knew she was,” Diego said. Belle couldn’t hurt anyone. She had hit him when she found out the truth, but he also knew that was because of the pain he’d caused her.
“So, then we move back to Angelo’s next hit. The Boss. He’s not wanting to take your job, Diego. He’s wanting absolute power, and he’s using the Russians to get it. Now, this is the problem. Moving onto the next hit which would be the consigliere and the underboss. They are who he’s going after next. However, this was all based on The Boss being taken out.”
Looking over the evidence, Diego frowned. “So we don’t know who he is taking out next?”
“No. He messed up his last hit. Where would he go from there?”
Diego looked at the work, and glanced through everything he saw.
“It’s Angelo. He’ll continue on,” Diego said.
“But that’s not what he has planned.”
“I know this guy. I know what he’s capable of. Failing to kill The Boss is not a mission fail for him. He’ll come back. He’ll see it as a postponement. He’s going to go after the consigliere and the underboss. Take them out, he’ll weaken us.”
“Not if you give him a better target. One he wants.”
“What?” Diego asked.
“You. Angelo had three attacks of the five happen in your domain. One of them was designed to get you. I’d say you’d be a pretty big fucking lure for him. You don’t always have your guards with you.”
“That was before the attack, Richard. There’s no way he’d fall for it. He’s stupid, but he’d see a trap like that.”
“Not if you’re going to Belle’s apartment and he thinks you’re going alone. She’s the one place that isn’t targeted. The one place you have the illusion of being safe and the one place where he could attack you, thinking you’re alone.”
Diego stared at Richard. The plan … could work. “That’s the best plan you got?”
“I don’t see you coming up with anything else. He takes out the consigliere and the underboss, it’ll be the capos next. The hits that took place were designed to weaken and separate. With that, he could pick you off one by one until there is nothing and no one left.”
“Then we take the fight to him. I’m not going to sit around waiting for shit to happen. Find him. You know where his hideouts are. There is enough evidence here for you to at least narrow down the search.”
“What about the Russians?” Richard asked.
“We’ll deal with them as well. We don’t fuck around with shit like this. Find Angelo. I’ll take care of him. His ass-whooping has been long overdue.” He turned to look at his father. “I’m taking Belle to see her father.”
“That’s not a good idea.”
“I know my woman, Dad. She needs to go and see him, and I trust her.”
“And if she can’t keep her fucking mouth closed? You’ve got what it takes to kill her, son?”
“I’ve got what it takes to deal with her. I trust her. The next time you send Charlotte to go and talk to her, I kill her, understand?” He turned on his heel and left the room. Richard could find Angelo at any time so now he had to work fast.
Belle was still on the bed.
“Are we still going to see him?”
“Yes, but we’ve got to make this trip quick. Richard’s looking for Angelo as we speak.” He grabbed some of his spare clothes.
He needed to get some clothes from Belle’s apartment. He’d been dressing her in his stuff. He liked seeing her walking around in his shorts and shirt.
As he grabbed a shirt, he paused.
This had to work. He had to deal with Angelo before his cousin hurt Belle. Anyone else he didn’t give a fuck about, but Belle was his responsibility and he needed to take care of her. He wasn’t entirely convinced of Richard’s plan, but it was the best one they had, and seeing as they had no other way of finding Angelo, he had to be used as the bait.
Dressing Belle quickly, he threw on a suit. He made her lift up on his back. It was going to be faster than actually guiding her.
He left his home, placing her in the car and climbing behind the wheel. His men were already climbing into the spare car to follow him. He didn’t give them any other direction. Pulling out of the driveway, he began the journey toward the hospital.
“I hate hospitals.”
“You do?”
“Yeah, when my mom got sick, her last days were spent in the hospital. She had a private room, and I know my dad tried to make it like home, but it wasn’t the same. You could see her fading with every passing second. Have you been in a lot of hospitals?”
“No.”
“What happens when you get hurt?”
“We pay a doctor to come and tend our wounds.”
“But if it’s serious?”
“If it’s serious and you’re important, you’ll go to the hospital. Otherwise, you’ll deal with the pain.”
“That sounds awful.”
“It’s fine.”
“Diego, what happens if I don’t get pregnant?” she asked.
“I’m not going to marry Charlotte. I want you, and there’s no way I would put what we have at risk for a deal.”
“A deal?”
“This arranged marriage brings the family closer.”
“Why not do a business deal then? Like a merger. Is there something you and her father have that you could both compromise on?” Belle asked.
“You don’t want to share me either?”
“No, I don’t want to share you. I’m still pissed that you lied to me, and I’m not happy about it. If I can help … keep you, I will.”
“Are you trying to tell me you love me?” he asked.
Belle was silent, and he glanced over at her. Her head was facing him, but he knew she couldn’t see him. Her teeth were nibbling on her lip. “Yes.”
“I didn’t hear that.”
She burst out laughing. “You dork. You did hear that, and you know I do. I love you. It’s what made finding out about Charlotte so much harder. She also seems really nice.”
“She is in fact nice.”
“You don’t want her?”
“No. When it comes to Charlotte, I don’t feel anything for her.”
“She told me you didn’t even hold her hand.”
“I told you plenty of times. There’s no one else I want other than you. I don’t want to hold Charlotte’s hand or kiss her cheek, or have anything more to do with her than is necessary. I fell hard for you, Belle Johnson, and you have ruined me for all other women.”
She had this glorious smile on her face. “I’m not going to complain about that. I rather like that I ruined you.”
“I bet you do.”
She put her hand on his thigh. “Please tell me I’m holding your leg?”
“You are.”
“Good. Good. I didn’t want you to think of it as a come on.”
“It’s not?”
“We’re on the way to see my dad. I don’t want you to be hard when we walk into the room.”
“It’s probably the most action he’s ever seen.”
“Hey, don’t be mean. He’s never really gotten over my mom. He loved her so much, and when he spoke his vows of being with her forever, he meant them. Every single word.”
“You want him to be happy though, right?”
“Of course. I’ve even encouraged him to date. To sign up for those dating sites, but he won’t have any of it. Maybe after this, I can convince him that he needs to find someone.”
“I don’t imagine it would be that easy.”
“Why?”
“I know if I lost you, I’d take down every single person who stole you from me until someone finally killed me so I could be with you.”
“Diego?”
“You know, I’m a fucking killer. I’ve taken lives without even blinking. It’s what I’ve been trained to do. It’s what I know, and yet with you, I turn into a fucking pussy. It’s ridiculous. If my men saw me with you, heard me, they’d all laugh at me.”
She laughed, and he glanced over at her. “I love that you’re like this with me. It means a whole lot more to me knowing I’m the only one you want.”
“You are the only one I want.” He gripped her hand as he navigated the traffic. They weren’t too far from the hospital.
His men were following behind him, and he didn’t see any signs of being tailed or impending danger.
Belle stayed silent as he got them to the hospital, parking the car.
He climbed out and paid for parking before coming back to help her out.
“Do you want me to piggyback you?” he asked.
“Dad would be real thrilled with that. I’m happy to just walk.”
He held her hand, locking their fingers together, and walked her across the parking lot. It was still busy even though it was early morning now. He’d take her for breakfast after they saw her father.
The days were blending together during his search for Angelo.
Diego opted for the elevator so she didn’t hurt herself anymore and for speed. His men entered along with them, and he moved her so they had their backs to the wall.
“It’s a little crowded.”
“They’re my men,” he said. “You don’t have to worry about whispering.”
“Oh, hey, guys,” she said.
None of them spoke back. “She’s talking to you.”
“Hello, Belle,” they all said together.
“They’re not used to anyone wanting to talk to them.”
“Did I break some kind of ‘don’t speak’ code?” she asked.
“No, they are more seen and not heard.”
“That sucks. I don’t want them to be around me unless they’re willing to talk. It’s bad enough I can’t see them. The least they can do is say hello.”
Diego looked at his men, and he saw them all smiling. It wasn’t in sarcasm either or mocking her. They liked her, and for him, he was more than happy with that.
She had this way about her that made people like her. Melanie was the one person who didn’t seem to get her charm.
The elevator doors opened up, and his men created a path for them. No one was in James’s room. He opened the door, and Belle stepped in.
“Belle.”
“Dad?”
He helped her go toward the bed, and when she was safe, he let her go, standing back to give them both some space.
