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“I would be a writer. If I were not part of this life I would write my books and travel the world away from all the darkness and death that comes with who we are,” she responds softly. Her brown eyes dance with the soft lighting in the room and are filled with hope. This is her true dream and she just shared it with theAngel of Death. I watch her walls come back up brick by brick before she continues to eat. I cannot take my eyes off of her. She has surprised me in ways that I never could have imagined.
“What about you, Prince of Darkness?” she asks with a playful smirk. She is back to taunting me about my title. The name I was forced to take. The first part of our agreement that set the stepping stones for today.
“I can say that I have never dreamed about anything outside of my lifestyle except a cold drink on a beach without responsibilities,” I answered truthfully. Ever since my mom died and I made my promise to Claire, that has been my only goal. I will do whatever it takes to keep that promise to her.
She surprises me by asking “Why me, why would you want to marry me?” I freeze at her question. I don’t know her well enough to tell her the truth but I want to be honest. I take a sip of my drink before I answer “I have my reasons.”
Watching her turn cold and almost robotic is enough to set my veins ablaze. I cannot tell a gorgeous snake in the grass my plans before she is in my cage. I don’t know how well she gets along with that bodyguard but if he is the same man who attends to her father, he cannot be trusted. I do not know who she mistakenly trusts and there is too much at risk.
“I understand that was not the answer you were looking for, Butterfly. But I promise when the time is right I will tell you. I know it is getting late and I have plied you with so much food already, but can I ask you for this one favor? Will you share dessert with me?” I ask empathetically. She seems to have enjoyed tastes of many of the foods and watching her dive into the meal has calmed the primal urge to satisfy this goddess made flesh. She may or may not be working for her father but my gut is telling me that their relationship is worse than it appears from the outside.
“If you insist, Mr. Angelini,” she answers me coldly. I waive our waitress over for some cannoli to enjoy with my Butterfly. The way that her bodyguard relaxed at her aloof posture has me thinking that he is involved in this on a more personal level. After this meal I will call Rome. I need more information.
Dessert is almost uncomfortably quiet while she eats her cannoli. Once she swallows the last bite with some water she exits her space in the booth and I follow. Reaching for her hand,I bring it to my lips. My gaze slides to her guard and I can see the muscle working in his jaw. Good. He should know that she is mine even while she remains under her father’s roof.
“I know the ending to this evening was not what you had planned but everything will come in time Butterfly, I promise.” I speak candidly. She gives me a small smile and turns away from me. In time I will tell her more, but right now I need to call my friend and get some answers. I watch her walk to her car with her guard and drive away before turning to mine.
Chapter Six
LEO
“Some would call this stalking, but my dick and I consider it research of my future bride. At a distance. Without her knowledge”
The incessant ringing as I dial Rome from my car is grating on my last nerve. I need him to pick up the fucking phone. He tends to play hard and work hard. Nights that are not booked with work he is buried deep in whoever he is currently seeing. My best friend has no predilections for the women he beds. He doesn’t care how thin or curvy they are, only that they submit to him. He finds the beauty in every size woman because it gives him a beautifully unique experience.
He answers, “What does the black winged devil need now? Did your date go that poorly?” My jaw clenches at the thought about the date. The sound of a paddle hitting skin echoes in the background followed with moaning. Are you kidding me? He is with someone right now and I am about to be the biggest cock block. I should care that Rome is about to have blue balls, but he has a hand and this is bigger than both of us.
“Rome, stop thinking with your dick. I need intel,” I bluntly respond. I sigh hearing him separate from his current play-toy. He puts a high premium on aftercare given how long and brutal sessions can go, I tune out his muffled words to his submissive until he finally comes back to the phone.
“Overlord of the underworld, what can I do for you today? I know you said you needed intel, it couldn't possibly be about the sexy forbidden daughter you are betrothed to, could it?” He quips at me. I grip the steering wheel so hard that it feels like it will break beneath my grip.
“She is going to be my wife. I don’t appreciate the comment about her appearance and you know it,” I chastise him. I shouldn’t be jealous. She is only mine in name. This is a dangerous feeling and I don’t like it. I cannot fall for her temptress ways, that is the kind of things that wars are started for. She may be as beautiful as Helen of Troy but I cannot change the course we are on anymore than she can.
“No harm intended, Death. You know I would never touch what is yours without permission,” he chuckles. Just because we have shared countless women in the past doesn’t mean we hold either party accountable to share in the future. Sharing a submissive or two can be so much fun. They want to please you both and it ups the stakes of the antics in the bedroom. I can tell one thing already, I will gladly destroy anyone who touches my Butterfly.
“I need every metadata trace you can find about my bride-to-be, photos, videos, contacts, everything and anything we can get without tipping off her dad or mine. Can you do that?” I question my friend knowing that technically my dad has more power than I do, but I think if it came down to it Rome would choose me. He knows that I would never do anything that would harm our business or put him in jeopardy.
“I already got it together for you. I had a feeling you would need more information before the nuptials,” he smugly answers. I hate his arrogance and one of these days it may cost him his life.
“How soon can I get the file?” I ask incredulously. I need answers and I need to swap vehicles. This high end car is far too suspicious. I need a neutral dark sedan to study her from.
I can hear the smile in his voice when he tells me,”I can bring it to your place in about an hour.”
“See you then,” is the only answer he gets before I end the call. I have never been known for long winded speeches or platitudes. The less you say the more people interpret what they want to hear. When people fill in the gaps they tend to be less reactive and it sets them on edge. Being a man of few words is the safest way to be. Driving home I focus on our conversation. My Butterfly was not what I expected. She is funny and holds enough beauty to start or stop a war.
I see the sparkle of the night sky heading home and I wonder what to make of my new prospect and how she will change the plans I’ve had for years. Pulling up to the gate, I use the key card to enter the property. Security is insurmountable when coming home. There are no guards in my house. I trust no one in my home and every door is thumb print sensor protected. The only people besides me who can enter my home are Rome and my father. If it were up to me he would not have access, but since my family money ‘came from his blood’ he required access. Given the distance from the restaurant to my house, Rome would be here any minute.
Opening the garage, I park my car and get the dark blue American sedan I had for just this kind of thing. The dark tinted windows would keep me hidden from others, and it was bullet proof with a level of stealth that I would need. Rome pulling into the driveway had my head perk up. It was time to get theinformation I needed about my butterfly. Walking to where he pulled up, he rolled down his car window.
“Romeo, Romeo, Where art thou file on my bride-to-be?” I chuckled. Rome shook his head knowing that no matter how much he protests about my use of his true name and Shakespeare jokes, I would never stop. I may be theAngel of Deathbut if I planned to run the empire I needed a quality education. Grabbing the file from him I am filled with nervous excitement to go Butterfly watching.
“This is everything that I could find on her without alerting anyone that I was digging. The information is conflicting and unclear if you line everything up. Have fun and let me know if you plan to get into trouble,” Rome answered.
“Thanks Romaine, I’ll caesar you later,” I joked. My eyes flitted over the pages of information about my Butterfly. Her birthday and general information is not what I need. Digging deeper it has her dating history. Pictures of my seductress at various events on the arms of some of the most dangerous men in the world. The monster within pushes against his flesh cage seeing her this close to them. Taking deep breaths, I look at the images closer, looking for the slightest indication as to how my Butterfly feels. She looks so stiff where the men touch her. Like she doesn’t want them to touch her. The smile on her face is enough for Hollywood, but it isn’t the one I got. The smiles are different and she is not looking at the men. It feels like trying to do a puzzle in the fog. I know I'm missing pieces, but without more information I cannot figure out what I am missing.
I need to observe her closely to understand her and now I know where I need to go. It's time to watch her in her natural habitat. I know I shouldn’t be this invested as she is just as likely to kill me as she is to help me, but I need answers. I need the answers to the mystery that is my Butterfly like my next breath. I finally pull onto her street and smile because the house is acorner property. That is so much easier to watch. Fabbri is so sure that no one would dare to approach him on his home turf due to the size of his empire. Little does he know that we have been quietly growing. Keeping our people out of trouble but recruiting and planning for the day that I take my revenge.
It takes a few minutes to figure out what upstairs bedroom is hers but I highly doubt Fabbri would have the candles that I spotted with binoculars in his windowsill. Now it's time to wait for movement. It's late, but not so late that I would expect a woman in her early twenties to be asleep already. Holding the file that Rome prepared for me so hard it creased, I read it for the third time. She is a temptress known to do her father's bidding at any expense including her body but what I have been told about her doesn't fit. She is beautiful and a mystery and I hate it. The need to understand my opponent is overpowering. Living in this lifestyle is like chess but more deadly. I have waited twelve years since I made that promise to my sister and every move since that day has been calculated.
