Crowned In Blood

Chapter 7

7

Marco

I settled into the plush leather seat of my private jet, awaiting take-off. Italy took longer than expected, but I was finally heading home. After we ascended, I pulled out my cell phone and opened the email in my inbox.

A picture of Catalina filled my screen. Smiling in predatory delight, I traced the outline of her wind-blown hair, gorgeous face, deep brown eyes, and cute nose to her beautiful lips that I longed to taste. My finger followed the graceful curve of her neck and I let myself get lost in the fantasy of what my hand would look like wrapped around it.

I imagined how her golden, tanned body would feel beneath mine, the face she'd make writhing in pleasure. What her moans sounded like, the way she'd come. Would she be quiet, lost in her throws of ecstasy, or would she scream?

I wouldn't be doing my due diligence if I didn't keep her coming until she did.

I shifted in my chair, fixing the erection in my pants.

I remembered the day I first laid eyes on her. She stood beside her father, her hand raised in an expected princess wave that didn't quite reach her eyes.

To the crowd, she was the fortunate daughter of a powerful man, but to me, she was so much more.

My mother was a De La Rosa, a tight-knit family known to practice witchcraft and mediumship in The Underground. They had an uncanny way of protecting their own, believed everything happened for a reason, and their visions were always right.

As a child, my mother had taught me to trust my intuition. She promised I would need to, especially as heir to the Torrino Mafia Famiglia. It was those instincts that told me to look closer at Catalina, to truly try to see through her fa?ade.

I studied her, observed her. There was no denying her beauty and intrigue. But her intelligence was unmatched. She was determined, far stronger than the fragile thing her father presented her to be. And wild like a tempest, capable of great things and destruction.

But more than anything, she was meant to be mine .

When the invitation to her twenty-first birthday arrived, I didn't hesitate to respond. The party was extravagant, but it couldn't touch her radiance. That was what her father was trying to control until it withered away and died, and I refused to let that happen.

I wanted to free her from him, to show her a life where she could be her true self. I was willing to pay anything, do anything to save her, and I had been so close at the party, until I found out my cousin had been shot by a rival famiglia.

The news of her marriage to Fernando had been a tremendous blow. It was suspicious that Simon had called so many mafia leaders to the party, but I didn't know he was bartering Catalina. If I had, I would have stayed. I would have done anything to win, even if that meant killing every other family in New York.

I'd failed her, but she didn't need me to save her.

At first, no one believed she'd murdered Fernando or other members of the Salazar Familia. She was five foot four, one-hundred pounds soaking wet, and by all public accounts, docile, obedient, and easy to keep in line.

But I knew she did it. She had teeth and when forced into a corner, she'd use them. Where others saw docile, I saw patience. Where they saw obedient, I saw carefully manipulative. Catalina was a mastermind at what she did, and it was only a matter of time until others saw and recognized it as well.

Now, The Underground knew her as Se?ora de la Muerte, Lady of Death. She'd survived those that tested her, leaving over a dozen bodies in her wake, all within a couple of months. The way she carried herself excited me, but I would need to change my plans if I ever wanted to win her heart.

Catalina never let anyone close, especially men. Much less one from a rival family.

She was cautious and she needed to be. She was a queen in her own right that would bow to no one. But most men would want her too.

Convincing her I did not would be a long and difficult journey.

But I preferred a challenge, and winning over Catalina would be the sweetest reward. The smile on my face deepened.

I would take my time, seduce her, show her my respect and loyalty. Earn her trust, her love. She would be my ally, my partner, my wife. It was destiny, a fate that nothing and no one could change. I wouldn't allow them to.

Excitement coursed through my veins as I traced her lips once more.

Soon, Catalina. Soon.

Catalina exited the Salazar mansion, and I drummed my fingers on the steering wheel. Something was going on.

I'd been tracking her movements either personally or through my men, and over the last six months I'd been in Italy, she'd never come here on her own. Yet today marked the fifth day in a row. She was also leaving the office more often, frequenting warehouses and other establishments she normally didn't, pushing back several of her routine appointments to later in the day.

What are you doing, Catalina? What are you trying to find?

Perhaps I could position myself as an ally in her search. This could be the perfect opportunity to get close to her, and I would not let it slip through my fingers.

I tailed her, staying several cars behind, then turned left into a gas station when she turned right toward her office.

I pressed the Bluetooth on my car. "Call Anthony."

"Yes, boss?"

"I need you to confirm when Catalina arrives at her office."

"It concerns me that you've been stalking this woman for a year. If she has you this wrapped around her finger when she doesn't even know your name, you might die by the time you finally win her over. "

The laugh in his voice irked me, but the fact that he might be right pissed me off even more. "Anthony." I warned.

"Yes, yes, I know, I know. Even though I'm your second in command and your favorite cousin, you'll kill me if I keep talking, yada, yada, yada."

"And yet, you still continue to speak." I huffed. "Just let me know when she gets there."

"Fine," he scoffed.

I hung up. After a few minutes, I checked my text messages. Nothing.

Another minute went by, and I glanced at my screen again, but there was still nothing.

I sighed.

While I knew Anthony was joking, he was serious when he said he was concerned, and I didn't blame him for being so. I was obsessed with Catalina, and this was the only time I'd ever used my men for personal business. They didn't know what she meant to me, but they knew how I normally went after something I wanted, and this wasn't it.

I understood how odd my behavior was, especially to Anthony. But she was worth it.

Catalina wasn't just some woman. She wasn't an itch I was trying to scratch or someone I'd lose interest in once I had her. She was my everything .

My phone chimed with the message I'd been waiting for.

Anthony

She’s arrived at her office and is heading to the top floor

I put the car in drive and sped off, trying to ignore the way my heart raced at the thought of being near her. I didn't just want to see her again, I wanted her to acknowledge me, to see me, and finally she would.

Pulling into a parking spot, I checked myself in the mirror, smoothing my ruffled long brown hair. I made sure the collar of my shirt was perfectly folded and adjusted the cuff of my blazer before leaving my car.

I stepped into the building, thankful for the cold air blasting my face, then used the security card my hacker made for me and took the elevator to the top floor.

Crossing the threshold, I saw her assistant, Olivia. Like Catalina, she was incredibly proficient and not one to be trifled with.

Putting on my most professional smile, I stepped up to her desk, and leaned against it. "Hi, I'm here to see Catalina Salazar."

Olivia barely spared me a glance before checking something on the computer. "Do you have an appointment?"

"No, but I have urgent information I need to discuss with her."

"I'm sorry, but without an appointment, I can't let you through. Ms. Salazar's schedule is fully booked for the next several weeks."

I glared at her. Olivia's tone was as frigid as the Arctic Circle, and she was full of shit. There was no way Catalina was that busy; Olivia was stonewalling me.

"I understand and I won't take much of her time, but this is important. I need to speak with her immediately . If you could just squeeze me in?—"

"As I said, she is fully booked." She glanced toward a clipboard on her desk. "You're welcome to leave your contact information and I can pass along the message to her."

Don't shoot her. Do. Not. Shoot. Her. Catalina won't like that. A muscle ticced in my jaw as I clenched my teeth and bit out, "Then I'll wait."

"Sir, that will not be possible. You can either pass along your contact information to me and leave, or I will be forced to call security."

Good. Them I can shoot. "You do that."

I turned just as a door opened and my heart stopped.

Catalina.

She snapped a binder closed. "Olivia, could you—" She froze. And for a single moment, neither of us took a breath.

"You," she whispered, and the single word hung between us, tethering us together.

The air charged. Every hair on my body stood up at her attention. She was a vision in a black satin blouse and red pencil skirt. Strands of her hair gently flicked over her neck and shoulders, and her dark brown eyes were dilated.

Pleasure soared down my spine that she'd responded to me, remembered me. I'd caught her off guard and she hadn't been able to hide it. I was honored.

I held her gaze, then smirked. "It's been a while, Catalina."