Page 6 of Sacred Sin

For me, the loss of Niki had affected me differently than it had Gio. I’d taken care of her, spanked her when she got out of line, fed her when she needed it, but mostly, I’d made sure the daily running of her life was as smooth and uncomplicated as possible. Gio had been the enforcer in our dynamic and her Master in the bedroom. Ultimately, he’d taken responsibility for our lives. His dominant nature didn’t allow argument, and once he’d made up his mind about something, it rarely, if ever, changed.

He’d had the final say in how our dynamic worked and I was okay with that. I didn’t need to have all the control like he did. Had he lived in an earlier time, I had no doubt he would have made the best general the world had ever seen. He was fearless and bold, with a confidence men twice his age envied and a presence that could terrify even the strongest among them.

While I was still trying to decide whether to push Gio about going out or to let it go, a buzz from my private cell alerted me to an incoming message. I carried two phones: one highly encrypted and used for Vitale business, the other was private and used primarily for family and a very few close friends. I hesitated before opening it. The number wasn’t one I recognized.

I glanced at Gio before standing. “I have to take this. Excuse me.”

He waved me off, not even glancing my way. Stalking toward the back door, I nodded at Tano, who had just entered the club, then stepped outside and opened the message.

I’m in trouble.

Beneath the message was a name I didn’t recognize either. Niki Swan. I stared at it, something about the name tugging at the back of my mind.

Niki…

No fucking way.

Twelve years. Twelve fucking years.

What the fuck?

I wanted to be her slightly jaded knight in shining armor and rescue her from whatever trouble she was in, but… how did I know the person reaching out was really Nicolette and it wasn’t a trap of some kind?

How do I know this is you? I typed back.

Forget the fruit. Let’s discuss the meat.

The familiar inside joke—a line often repeated between the three of us—made my breath catch. It was her. Reaching out a shaking hand, I pressed the phone icon. Sweat seeped down my back, making my dress shirt stick to my skin.

Get a grip, Marko.

Nicolette was the girl. Much to our mutual regret, the one who’d gotten away.

Regardless, I steeled my voice so as not to give away how much she still affected me.

“Marko,” she answered. “I—uh, have a lot of explaining to do, I know. And I will, but I’m in danger and I need you.”

My heartbeat ramped up a few notches as I fought the urge to race to her side, and the equally powerful urge to tell her to go fuck herself.

“And you’re reaching out to me? Why? Surely you have a man in your life who can help, or why not just call the cops?”

“I’ve been violated, and I need help escaping.”

Her words hit me hard, but the fear in her voice hit me harder. An image of some asshole taking her against her will while she struggled to get away propelled my protective nature into overdrive.

“What the fuck? Jesus, woman, why didn’t you say so? Tell me where you are, I’m on my way.”

In a voice choked with tears, she told me her address. I raced for my vehicle and before leaving, cast a look back at the club. Would Gio forgive me for not letting him know?

Firming my resolve, I tore out of the parking lot and headed for New York. Images from the past played through my mind in a loop during the long drive.

Niki, asleep between us in the pool house, one hand tangled in my shirt and the other wrapped around Gio’s wrist as if she feared we’d disappear if she let go.

Us breaking into her apartment and waiting for her father to arrive to teach him a lesson. She’d come to school wearing his bruises and we had every intention of giving some back. That was a turning point in our relationship with Nicolette. Gio took over Nicolette’s life, and she fell under the protection of the Vitale family. If her father had so much as lifted a finger in her direction, he’d have been terminated, and Niki would be placed in care with another family loyal to the Vitales.

As it was, Gio beat the guy to within an inch of his life. “No one touches what’s mine, and Nicolette belongs to me.” He’d punctuated the statement by breaking her father’s nose.

Her father never touched her again, but from then on, our relationship morphed. One of us was always available to pick her up from school and take her home at the end of the day. We’d intervene when things were not running smoothly for her and make sure she ate and took care of herself. As things progressed, more of her time was spent at the Vitale estate. Being the only one with a steady girlfriend at the time, Gio was given almost exclusive use of the pool house and that was where the three of us explored everything together.