Bounty Hunters: 03 Stay Hungry (10 page)

If she laughed at him, he would be insulted. Tonight wasn't the night to learn what kind of temper Mario had. She'd gained enough of his trust to be in his home with him, and his preposterous questions wouldn't ruin it for her.

"Why do you ask me questions like that?" she asked, pressing her palms against his chest and pushing. She licked her lips and studied his face. The dark rage that appeared from time to time wasn't there. At the same time, his expression seemed more guarded than usual. He was testing her. She just didn't have a clue what he wanted to know. "I already know you would crush and destroy anyone who would cross your path," she whispered, and relaxed her hands on his shoulders as she leaned into him. Then pressing her breasts against his chest, she managed to place a kiss on his chin without gagging. "You already know I wouldn't cross your path, though, or I wouldn't be here, right?"

"Si," Mario growled. "Tonight you're here with me, in
casa mia.
"

Mario's dangerous air and sexually crude manner probably had many women melting at his feet. Angela wondered how many took time to look deeper and notice the sinister edge that never completely left him. His lazy drawl made the hairs rise on her arms. She reminded herself again how incredibly careful she needed to be. One wrong move and Mario's suspicions would rise. A man in his position didn't get where he was by trusting too many people. She wouldn't flatter herself into thinking she would be one of the few he would let his guard down around.

The man in the black suit cleared his throat when he entered the room carrying two drinks. Mario gave him a scathing look, as if the guy had a lot of nerve interrupting them. The man didn't make a sound when he placed the drinks on a nearby small, round table. It was pushed up against the wall and, like so much of the other furniture in Mario's oversized house, appeared to have no purpose at all. Angela wouldn't be surprised if it was the first time anything had been placed on it.

The man disappeared as silently as he had arrived. Mario let go of her and Angela breathed a sigh of relief the moment he turned his back and picked up their drinks.

"Not many women read me as well as you do, Angela." The small blocks of ice clinked against her glass when Mario handed it to her.

"That's because I pay attention." She lifted her drink in a silent toast and sipped. It was a very good, expensive whiskey that was smooth going down. She hummed her approval and took another drink. The whiskey empowered her, relaxing her and building her confidence. "Now are you going to give me a tour of your home or do I need to go exploring on my own?"

"Is my home so much different than how you're used to living?" His probing look dropped down her body.

His focus was as subtle as Jake's, but instead of heating her insides Mario made a cruel chill rush over her. Angela sipped at her drink, returning his appraising stare. "The way a man lives says a lot about him," she offered, grinning over the rim of her glass.

Mario chuckled and drank from his bottle of beer. It was a brand she didn't know, but she wasn't a beer connoisseur.

He used his free hand to pet the side of her head. "I thought you already knew everything you needed to know about me."

She knew more about Mario than she had several days ago. Mario worked hard, albeit as a criminal, having moved up the ladder until he could afford to live a life of leisure. She didn't really care what had put the demonic edge inside him. Knowing it existed was enough. Something incredibly cruel, vicious, and hateful simmered just under the surface of this man. As gallant and cultured as he could appear to be, a good look into his eyes, at the way he kept his lips pressed in a thin line almost always and how he held himself, as if he might pounce on someone, or something, at any moment, told her even more about Mario Mandela.

If she were to sum him up in a few words, Angela would be able to say he was incapable of love. He truly hated most everyone he saw around him and associated with. Beautiful possessions were important to him but held no true meaning for him inside. Mario needed the world to see his wealth, but if anyone got too close to it, he immediately despised them. Angela might have been able to view him as a very sad man, but with so much evil threatening to be unleashed inside him at any moment, it made it easier for her to see him for whom he truly was, a cold-blooded killer with no heart or soul, who was capable of destroying anyone around him without feeling an ounce of remorse. Mario wasn't a man but a creature, mutated by events or circumstances that no longer mattered. The damage was done and irreversible. If it were up to her, creatures like him would be destroyed immediately.

"If I knew everything about you, where would the fun be?" she asked, grinning as she suppressed her hatred for him. "Show me your house, darling."

"Your wish is my command," he said gallantly, bowing and gesturing with his hand as he led them across the living room.

Mario was proud to show off all he owned and made a point of telling her how much everything cost him as he pointed it out. As they walked from room to room, he told her stories of his life. Mario had a gift for talking while telling her absolutely nothing. She paid attention, but his small anecdotes and tales of his youth or how he had obtained a certain vase or a painting on the wall were so romantic and entertaining she doubted any of them were true. They didn't fit with the man who told them.

The mansion was larger than anything she'd ever been in before. Angela paid attention and still wasn't sure she wouldn't get lost in the place. She did her best to create a mental floor plan as they moved from one floor to the next.

"You can see I don't use all the rooms," he explained, ending the tour in his incredibly large master bedroom. "I like having all the space, though. If family comes to visit I can put them up. I would never allow a relative of mine to stay in a hotel if they were in town. Not to mention, I hope to have a houseful of children someday."

She didn't miss his stab about her staying at the Drake instead of with family, and she ignored the comment about family, instead walking across Mario's bedroom, keeping a fair distance from the incredibly large bed in the middle of the room and pausing at his desk and the computer sitting on it. They had discussed why she was at the Drake, so she could entertain all her friends and not be around her father, whom she despised. Mario had made a show of disapproving, but her hunch with her choice of a cover had proved right. Mario was attracted to her even more after learning that although she was always surrounded by friends and attending parties and social functions, she didn't associate with any family who would worry about her.

"Do you have family visit often?" Angela opened her purse, aware of him watching as she pulled out lip gloss. She stared at him innocently while applying the sticky stuff to her lips. Wearing so much makeup sucked, but Mario almost drooled watching her paint her lips.

"Not yet." His gaze was locked on her mouth. "I've lived here less than a year and hope to move some of my family into the country soon."

Angela didn't know whether he meant that or not. She hadn't heard any mention while studying his MO about Mario having any family he remained in contact with in Italy. She wasn't sure it mattered. At this stage in her investigation she couldn't afford to discard any information about Mario, though, and made a mental note to bring up family again, just not the children part. If there were family members, Mario might use them to hide the people he'd abducted.

The man who'd brought their drinks appeared in the hallway. He lingered hesitantly, not once making eye contact with her but focusing on his boss. Mario took his time pulling his gaze from hers before giving the man a stern look.

"A moment, please," the man said, his accent thicker than Mario's.

Mario grunted but walked to the doorway, blocking her view of the servant.

Fingering her lip gloss, Angela opened her purse and carefully dropped the sticky stuff into a small sandwich bag she'd put in her purse earlier. Angela closed her purse, then slid the lid to the lip gloss alongside the front of the keyboard where it wouldn't easily be noticed. One of her listening devices was inside the lid. No one would notice it unless they looked inside the lid, which she banked on Mario not doing. If he discovered it, he would simply think she dropped it there accidentally. She'd just placed her first bug in Mario's home.

Clasping her hands behind her back, she studied the men at the door. Mario had shifted his weight, which allowed Angela a better view of the servant speaking in hushed whispers as he said something very quickly and in Italian. Angela couldn't pick up a word he said. The man in the black suit focused on Mario. The servant could easily switch his attention to her but never did. Angela decided that was strong loyalty to his boss. It allowed her to learn the man's features, put to memory his olive-colored skin and black, thick hair that was greased back. She imagined without the goop in his hair or the black suit he would look like a young thug. His hair was probably long enough to fall past his face. Put him in jeans and a T-shirt and remove the hair gel and he'd look completely different.

She shifted her attention to Mario. He wore dark jeans and black boots that accentuated his long, muscular legs. His black hair was long enough to give him that bad-boy look, but with enough charm about him to captivate those around him. Was that how he captured people to be in the game? Did he lure them in with charm, then abduct them when their defenses were down? As she returned her attention to the man listening attentively as Mario said something harshly under his breath, it hit Angela the two men were very similar in appearance.

As if they were related. Family.

Angela took a step toward them.

"Thanks for letting me know," Mario said loud enough for her to hear. He turned at the same time, his smile cold and without feeling.

Angela had never seen eyes so incredibly opaque, as if suddenly he didn't have a soul. But she knew he did. Mario had a soul so tainted and destroyed with death and destruction it surprised her it didn't glow with the evil swarming through every inch of his insides. Mario possessed the ability to suppress whatever emotion he was experiencing. She witnessed that as she stared at him.

"Is everything okay?" she asked, sensing something was wrong. Her curiosity was piqued, although she doubted she'd learn anything by asking.

The man standing in the doorway shifted his weight from one foot to the other, his expression strained. If the two men were related, it was clear why Mario was the man in charge.

"Of course," Mario said, his smile stiff. He moved across the room to her, reaching for her and wrapping cold fingers around her arm. "I guarantee you have all my attention this evening, but the curse of success is there is always business to handle."

She managed to remain relaxed and even snuggle up to him when he pulled her closer. "Keep me posted, Marco. That is all," Mario said, dismissing Marco with a wave of his hand but not looking over his shoulder. Instead, all of his attention was on Angela.

Marco looked at her for the first time before turning and leaving them. For a brief second she swore she saw intense hatred. Where Mario's eyes were marked, this man's dark eyes glowed with animosity and something else. She couldn't put her finger on it. When she tilted her head, curious as to what emotion she'd triggered in him, Marco looked away, turning and disappearing.

"What did he want?" She thought about commenting on Marco's odd look, just to see what Mario would say.

Mario cupped her face, not pinching her skin, but his grip was firm. "My work is personal. And I have promised you that it won't steal me away from you,
amore.
"

He brushed his thumb down her cheek. Angela closed her eyes, hoping she appeared touched by his words and intimacy.

"I'm not some delicate bimbo who can't put two and two together," she said, keeping her voice soft as she blinked a few times before gazing up at him.

He'd relaxed his features considerably and looked sincerely compassionate when he continued brushing his thumb alongside her face. "I don't believe I ever implied you were stupid or easy."

Angela smiled. "That's not what I meant. You've got business to take care of and I'm not so self-centered that I would be offended if you had to deal with it." She turned her expression sly, grinning up at him. "Besides, you don't make all this money by putting pleasure before work."

Mario grinned as well and slowly began shaking his head. "You're one hell of an impressive lady. Keep this up and it will be hard to keep things casual between us."

Angela reminded herself that he'd fucked another lady earlier today. Everything out of his mouth was a line stated for a reason. If he was suggesting their relationship might be moving to the next level, it could only mean one of two things. Either he really did believe she would only have sex with him if she thought she was in a relationship or for some reason he thought it would benefit him to have her closer to him.

"I'm only being honest." She stepped out of his arms and started toward the door. Looking over her shoulder, she caught Mario watching her ass. "And if I'm intriguing you enough to consider keeping me around for a while," she added, feeling her heart speed up painfully when his attention shot to her face, "show me why I should keep hanging around. Let's go see how you make all this money."

It didn't surprise her that Mario stopped her in the hallway. She prayed he didn't notice how damp her palms suddenly were when he grabbed her and flipped her around.

"I didn't invite you over to go over business matters," he said gruffly, holding her by her arms so she faced him. "Tonight is a night for lovers. By making love to you I will show you why you will want to stay with me."

She could handle this. Mario might be an incredibly dangerous man, but he didn't know she knew that. Angela had managed her way around many men in the past. There were times when she'd wondered if there were only so many pickup lines in the world and she'd already heard them all. Mario's line was direct but not original. His intentions were to fuck her tonight, and she had no problem putting him off without turning him off.