Page 78 of Vicious Kingdom

“Snooping,” I admitted.

“And what did you find?” she countered.

I lifted my gaze and pinned her with a blistering look. “Exactly what I needed to know.”

The flash in her eyes told me there were secrets buried in that chamber. I hadn’t dug nearly hard enough to uncover them.

As I walked away, I realized the fiendish delight in my chest was because I wanted to pry. Exposing her inner self, the one she kept hidden from the world, was going to be so much fun. Even if I was the only one who saw what lay concealed behind her walls.

Sliding into the McLaren, I pushed a number on my phone. When the other line answered, I demanded, “Blau, do you still have that uncut emerald?”

“Yes, Mr. Baldwin,” the jeweler stammered. “I do!”

“Good. I want you to cut it.” It was time to chain Annaliese to my side. Only then could I better control the little temptress. This marriage was going to be good. If I couldn’t stay away from her, then I would keep her very,veryclose.

Chapter 27 – Annaliese

“We’re running late, sorry!” Penelope chimed in my ear.

“No matter, I’ll meet you soon,” I said, grateful that my lateness wouldn’t matter.

“Thanks! We’ll be as fast as we can,” she said and then hung up.

I tucked my laptop into my bag. When the phone rang, I thought it was Penelope calling to chew me out. She might seem like bottled sunshine that shit rainbows, but when her temper flared—damn! The queen of the Italian mob was a force to be reckoned with.

But the don and his wife were late, which canceled out my own forgetfulness. I hurried to the door of the cafe. Thunder greeted me.

“Ah, crap,” I muttered.

The bakery was just a few blocks away. If I ran, I could just make it before the rain began to pour in earnest. Going back to the counter, I asked the barista for a plastic garbage bag. The delay was well worth it, because by the time I stepped outside,the skies had opened and fat drops pelted me with increasing steadiness.

I cursed and wrapped my laptop bag in the garbage bag, securing it tightly. Then I bolted. My shoes slapped against the wet pavement as I dodged other pedestrians scrambling for cover. A businessman with his briefcase over his head, a mother yanking her complaining toddler along, two teenagers sharing a flimsy umbrella, laughing as they huddled together.

“Sorry!” I called, squeezing between an elderly couple who glared as I sprinted past.

The rain intensified, turning from scattered drops to sheets of water. My hair plastered to my skull within seconds, and my clothes grew heavy, clinging to my skin. Water streamed down my face, blurring my vision. I blinked rapidly, trying to clear it away.

Thunder boomed overhead. I flinched but kept running, my feet splashing through puddles that soaked my ankles and socks. The sprain was better—much,muchbetter.

But this fast pace was going to irritate it.

Oh, well. Just a problem for future me to deal with. Right now, I was concerned about the water.

The neon light of a pudgy baker whose feet seemed to dance as the pairs of lights blinked on and off beckoned in the distance. The last block never felt so far.

I burst through the door.

The scent of butter, sugar, and yeast enveloped me like a warm hug. I stood dripping on the black and white checkerboard tiles, creating a small puddle beneath my feet. The space was cozy—almost cramped—but in the most inviting way possible. Glass display cases lined the right wall, showcasing rows of pastries that looked like they belonged in a museum rather than someone’s stomach. Croissants with golden, flaky layers. Éclairstopped with glossy chocolate. Fruit tarts arranged like jewels in a crown.

“Mama Mia!” Tony exploded, ambling out from the back. “What happened? You’re soaked through!”

I gave the jolly man a winning smile. “Hi Tony. Do you have a towel?”

He said something, held up his hand, and hustled away. The poor thing. My best friend Serena and I used to come here after school. She told me it was an auto accident, but I later learned that Tony was a mobster. His deformities and mangled body were the result of torture. He was difficult to understand owing to a chunk of his tongue having been removed.

I shivered.

Focusing on something more jolly, I tried to decide which treat I was eating today.