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“Take the shot. You’re going to need it,” the Russian whispered, breaking my horny daydream.

My nose wrinkled in confusion until a small silver flask was pushed into my hand. I eyed it for a moment, debating the wisdom in drinking something from these men. This night was already going to hell. Being drugged might be a plus at this point. Cool metal met my lips as I took a swig of the mystery contents.

I bit back my cough, and a delicious burn trickled down my throat. Vodka.

What a sight we must be. Me with my back to the table, surrounded by men who looked like they fucked people up for shits and giggles. It pissed me off how these three made me feel unbalanced, out of control. And honestly, they needed a taste of their own medicine.

Liquid trickled out of the corner of my mouth, and I used my thumb to wipe it up. I made a show of swirling my tongue around the digit while keeping my sights locked on Niko, who still hadn’t stepped out of my personal space.

Where my eyes were so light they were borderline silver, Niko’s were the color of ocean water. Stormy and dangerous, with death creeping below the surface if you weren’t careful. His lips parted slightly at the wet pop sound my mouth created when I pulled my thumb out. A soft moan came from Kenji, but what made the whole act worthwhile was the angry “fuck” Caleb whispered.

Our little bubble of sexual tension and hate was shattered with the boom of my uncle’s voice. “Ladies and gentlemen, thank you for joining me tonight. Please, let’s sit and have some dinner.” The faux friendliness in his face dropped the second he looked over to where I stood.

“What the fuck are you doing over here, Scarletta?” he growled out.

Asshole.

I opened my mouth to answer, but Caleb beat me to it.

“I asked her to sit here. If you want to tear into someone, try me, Dominick,” he responded, his tone holding a lethal edge. My eyes bounced between the two men engaged in a silent showdown.

For fuck’s sake, this was ridiculous.

My patience for this night was wearing thin. I plopped down in the vacant chair, pulling Kenji down between Niko and me. The move earned me a glare from Enzo, who’d shown up across the table, along with both of my cunt cousins, who were sending me death threats with their eyes.

Great, this was going to be so much fun.

A chuckle came from beside me. “You’re real popular around here, aren’t you?” Kenji asked.

“I’m the family favorite.” I feigned innocence while flipping off Adriana and Milania.

My breath hitched when a hand I was becoming far too familiar with landed on the upper part of my thigh. The slit in my dress left a sliver of skin unprotected by the silky fabric, and, of course, those calloused fingers managed to find it. I bit back a moan from the rush of pleasure and pain as Caleb squeezed hard enough to leave a mark.

“Behave yourself, Scar,” Caleb said, not bothering to look at me as he gave the command like I was a fucking dog. Enough conversations were happening that no one else heard his instruction.

I was never out of control around my uncle and his lackeys, but this man pulled at my composure, tempting me to unleash the creature I kept contained.

“I’m not doing anything, Callahan. Now move your fucking hand,” I bit out under my breath. Hard eyes turned toward me. His gaze was so piercing that I swore I could see flames licking up the walls of his irises.

“I want to join in on the fun,” Kenji snickered, placing his hand on my other thigh.

Instinct kicked in when he came within centimeters of grazing my sheathed knife, and I wrenched his thumb back. His surprised hiss halted my movement before I broke it.

“Sorry,” I said sheepishly, not sure how I would explain away this one. So I went with a version of the truth. “I don’t react well to being touched.”

I flicked my gaze up so I could read the expression on his face. But other than his eyebrow being ticked up slightly, it was blank. Kenji assessed me like my secrets were written on my skin. Ironically, they were when you undressed me. But he wouldn’t be doing that anytime soon.

I meant ever—he wouldn’t do that ever…

His honeyed voice didn’t hold a hint of anger when he responded. “Don’t worry about it. But you should probably pay attention to the conversation. I have a feeling it’s going to be good.”

He winked, interlacing our fingers and setting them on his lap. I didn’t know what to make of the exchange, but it was clear I wouldn’t be getting my hand back for the time being. And Caleb still had a death grip on my thigh. Asshole was probably going to use it like a choke collar, squeezing the shit out of it every time I did something that displeased him. All that was missing was Niko’s touch. I found my gaze drifting toward him, and sure as shit, oceanic eyes were watching me. The weirdest vision popped into my mind of him draping his arm across the back of Kenji’s chair so he could place his hand on the back of my neck.

But the daydream was broken when the man who’d been speaking to my uncle earlier suddenly appeared, taking a seat to the right of the Mafia don—a spot that Enzo would normally occupy. My shoulders stiffened as he looked up. His handsome but harsh features were, in fact, familiar. I didn’t know him personally, but I sure as shit knew who he was.

“Caleb, since we’re going to be in business together, I’d like to introduce you to a new associate of mine. But I’m not sure she needs to be present for this conversation,” Dominick said, spittle flying through the air.

Hazel eyes moved my way, and the man’s head tilted slightly, like he was inspecting something interesting. “She’s quite beautiful. I don’t see the harm in her staying. In my experience, most successful men enjoy having something delightful to look at during business transactions.” His words slid over my body, feeling tainted and wrong, but I kept all of those thoughts out of my expression. Instead, I offered him a soft, demure smile, suppressing the need to run my blade across his throat.