King of Wrath (Kings of Sin #1) by Ana Huang

“The one who held Vivian at gunpoint? Leave him for me.”

Another pause. “Of course.”

I hung up, my earlier exhaustion and hunger hardening into a ball of restless energy.

I really fucking wished there was a boxing ring at the hotel. If I didn’t release the anger choking me, I would implode.

An image of Vivian’s face surfaced in my mind.

Pale skin. Dark eyes wide with fear. Bright red blood staining her clothes.

If backup hadn’t arrived on time…

My gut twisted into a painful knot.

She was safe. Giulio wouldn’t lie about that. But until I saw her myself…

I paced the room and scrubbed a hand over my face. I’d spent the past year putting the Santeri deal together. I couldn’t fuck it up. Plus, I was flying home tomorrow morning anyway. Half a day wouldn’t make a difference.

Vivian was at home. She was fine.

My pacing continued. The clock ticked toward the quarter of the hour.

Dammit.

A string of curses flew past my lips as I grabbed my jacket with one hand and dialed my assistant with the other on my way out the door.

“There’s an emergency in New York. Call the Santeri team and have them meet me in the hotel conference room in thirty minutes. Tell them the rest of their stay is on the Russo Group and send Franco the limited-edition Lohman & Sons watch as an apology. The one that’s not coming out until next year.”

The CEO of Santeri Wines was a notorious horophile who collected forty-thousand-dollar timepieces the way kids collected baseball cards.

Helena didn’t miss a beat. “Consider it done.”

Franco had an ego bigger than his Napa Valley ranch. He was pissed about the last-minute summons, as expected, but the apology gifts mollified him enough for him to sign the acquisition deal without much complaint.

Santeri Wines, one of the most valuable wine brands on the market, was officially a Russo Group subsidiary.

Instead of celebrating, I said my goodbyes and cut a straight path from the conference room to the car waiting outside.

“Where to, sir?” the driver asked.

“SFO.” San Francisco Airport. I’d left without my luggage, but Helena would take care of that for me. “I need to return to New York immediately.”





VIVIAN

I couldn’t stop shivering.

I stepped out of the bathroom, my skin ice cold despite my bathrobe, the heated floors, and the hot bath I’d soaked in for the past hour.

It was late evening, hours after the attempted Lohman & Sons robbery, but I was still stuck on the showroom floor with a gun under my chin and evil staring back at me.

The entire incident had lasted less than ten minutes before backup security arrived and neutralized the situation.

No one got hurt, but I couldn’t stop thinking about what-ifs.

What if backup had arrived a minute too late?

What if the robber had shot first and asked questions later?

What if I’d died? What would I have to show for it except a closet full of nice clothes and a life spent doing the “right thing?”

I would’ve died without visiting the Atacama Desert for stargazing or falling in love more than once.

Things I’d always thought I would have time to do because I was only in my late twenties, dammit, and I was supposed to be invincible at this age.

The faint slam of the front door saved me from my thoughts, but my heart skittered with trepidation.

Who was here? Dante wouldn’t be home until tomorrow, and the staff was already indoors. Even if they weren’t, they wouldn’t slam the door like that.

My trepidation heightened when the sound of footsteps grew louder and the door to my bedroom flung open.

I grabbed a vase off my dresser, ready to throw it at the intruder until I registered the dark hair and hard, unforgiving face.

“Dante?” My heart gradually slowed as I set the vase down. “You’re not supposed to be back until tomorrow. What are…”

I didn’t get the chance to finish my sentence before he crossed the room in two long strides and gripped my arms.

“Are you hurt?” he demanded. He scanned me from head to toe, his expression tight.

What…the robbery. Of course. He was the CEO. Someone must’ve told him what happened.

“I’m fine. A little shaken, but fine.” I forced a smile. “You’re supposed to be in California until tomorrow. What are you doing home early?”

“There was an attempted robbery at one of my flagship stores, Vivian.” A muscle worked in his jaw. “Of course I came back right away.”

“But the Santeri deal…”

“Is closed.” His iron grip remained on my arms, strong yet gentle.

“Oh.” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.

The day had been surreal, made all the more surreal by Dante’s sudden appearance.

It was only then that I noticed his rumpled shirt and tousled hair, like he’d been running his fingers through it.

For some reason, the visual made my eyes blur with tears. It was too human, too normal for a day like today.

Dante’s fingers tightened around me. “Be honest, Vivian,” he said, the words somehow both comforting and commanding. “Are you okay?”

Not are you hurt, but are you okay? Two different questions.

Pressure built inside me, but I nodded.