Claimed

16. The Insanity of It All

Chapter sixteen

The Insanity of It All

My heart still raced.

My body trembled from the aftershocks of the mind-blowing orgasm Gianni had just given me.

And then there was the echo of his touch lingering on my skin and making me tingle even more.

He had owned me with his kisses, licks, and every thrust of his fingers.

That made me wonder what he would do to me with his cock.

But now, the heat of that moment was starting to cool, and confusion began to settle in its place.

How could he have just left like that?

I blinked, trying to wrap my head around what had just happened—or more precisely, what hadn’t.

One moment, Gianni had been a beast, completely possessed by a dark hunger. He’d been ready to claim me as his wife in every sense of the word.

And the next, he rushed away, leaving me breathless and bewildered on the bed, with nothing but a few hurried words and a cold promise to “explain later.”

What the fuck does that mean?

I glanced down at my hand, at the ring that had been placed there. The diamonds and rubies glinted in the soft light of the room. It was beautiful, no doubt about it—an emblem of the power and wealth that Gianni wielded with such ease.

But right now, it felt like a shackle, a reminder of the vows I had taken under duress, the life I had been forced into.

I didn’t even want to do this shit, and when I finally decide fine. . .let’s do it. . .you run out? No way. You need to explain.

I traced the edge of the ring with my fingertip.

Something had changed in me tonight, and he’d done it.

Gianni had woken up something wild and hot within me.

Because of that, for a moment, I had let myself believe that maybe, just maybe, I could embrace this marriage.

This life.

That maybe—in the darkness that surrounded us—I could find something real.

Something worth fighting for.

But of course, just as I was starting to think that way, Gianni had gone and done something completely stupid.

You know what? Fuck this.

I looked around again for something to put on.

What the hell was he thinking, leaving like that?

My anger rose.

Well, you forced me to do this, so guess what? I’m forcing you to tell me!

I reached for a robe draped over a nearby chair.

The nerve of him!

When I put on the robe, the silky fabric slid over my skin. It was a poor substitute for the heat of Gianni’s body, but it was better than sitting there naked, confused, and vulnerable.

The nerve of him. The utter fucking nerve.

I tied the sash tightly around my waist.

Gianni was a big, bad guy that cut off hands and liked to kill people. He was the fucking devil, but still. . .I wasn’t going to let him get away with this.

If Gianni thought he could just walk out on me—leave me confused—he had another thing coming.

I was his wife now, wasn’t I?

The Don’s wife.

And it was high time I started acting like it.

A small shiver of fear hit me, but I gritted my teeth and pushed through it.

No time to be scared. This isn’t that sort of life. Fear just makes you weak in this world.

I swallowed.

The more you stand up for yourself the more respect is given. I remember that lesson for sure.

With that thought in mind, I marched over to the door.

I didn’t care what kind of secret business he had; I was going to find out what was so important that he had to leave me alone and naked on our wedding night.

Fucking asshole!

I swung the door open.

Now I had two different sets of guards stationed outside the suite—my twins, and Gianni’s two men. Some of my other men had moved their positions by the elevator, stairwell, and other areas in the hallway.

I looked at my new twin guards. “Umm. . .”

Together in one movement, the twins turned my way and held neutral expressions. It was their first night working for Gianni in such a high position so I wouldn’t put them in a tough position.

“Never mind.” Slowly, I turned to the other men and crossed my arms over my chest. “Where is Gianni?”

The guards exchanged glances and didn’t speak.

My annoyance flared.

Alright. How are we going to play this?

I steadied my voice. “Where is Don Fortunato?”

Only silence came.

Obviously, I didn’t want to get them in trouble, but I also wanted my question answered.

Remember. You’re not some nobody. You are important in this world.

I took a step closer and narrowed my eyes. “ I am the Don’s wife. ”

One shifted his weight to the other foot.

I tilted my head to the side. “Are you ignoring his wife’s question? His queen ?”

That got their attention.

Gianni’s men glanced at each other, clearly uncertain with how to respond. I could see the tension in their shoulders, the way their hands twitched as if they wanted to reach for their weapons but didn’t dare.

It was almost amusing, really—these hardened killers, cowed by a woman in a silk robe.

One of them, a tall man with a scar running down the side of his face, finally spoke up. “Ma’am, we’re under strict orders—”

“To do what?” I cut him off. “To keep me in the dark? To stand there like statues while my husband runs off to do God knows what?”

I scowled at them. “Tell me where he is. Now.”

One blinked.

Okay, girl. Maybe calm it down.

The man hesitated, his gaze flicking to the twin guards for a moment before settling back on me.

Then, with a resigned sigh, he pointed to the door at the end of the hall, just a few steps away. “He’s in the room next door.”

“Thank you. I’ll make sure that you don’t get in trouble for telling me.” I sighed. “I’ll say I guessed.”

He widened his eyes.

Then, I stared at the door that he had pointed at, and a dozen questions swirled in my head.

What could possibly be so important in that room that Gianni had to rush off in the middle of the night to go in there?

A cold knot of worry formed in my stomach, twisting and twisting.

Alright. You wanted answers so. . .go see what is in the damned room.

I wasn’t going to stand here and speculate—I was going to find out for myself.

“Again. . .thank you,” I nodded at them and headed that way.

The guards didn’t try to stop me, but I could feel their eyes on my back as I walked down the hall.

My bare feet were silent on the plush carpet.

Each nervous step brought me closer to the door that held whatever secret Gianni was hiding.

That cold knot in my stomach twisted tighter, but I kept moving.

You’ve come this far. There’s no turning back now.

As I reached the door, I hesitated for just a moment and my hand hovered over the knob.

What is it going to be? A dead body? Another woman? A drug habit? Or maybe he’s just in there sleeping and is like some wierdo that doesn’t ever want to sleep next to a woman?

My nerves flared.

I shivered.

Go ahead. Do it. This is your life now. You will have to figure out what sort of life? Come on. . .

I gripped the doorknob, slowly turned it, and pushed the door open with a soft creak.

The room was shrouded in darkness, the only source of light coming from a solitary lamp next to the bed. The dull glow illuminated the edges of furniture and objects, leaving the rest to be swallowed by shadows.

Plus, this suite was different from ours.

Two men were seated at a table in conversation. Guns were holstered at their sides.

Once they noticed me, their voices died away and they both looked as surprised as I felt.

What is going on in here? I don’t get it.

And then. . .movement sounded in the back of the room, and I looked that way.

What the fuck?!

Horror gripped me. It was as if a monstrous hand—cold and rough—had wrapped itself around my heart and squeezed, sending a bolt of terror through my entire body. My breath caught in my throat.

I don’t even understand!!