Envy

ENVYA Deadly Sins Mafia RomanceEve MarianPaige Publishing Copyright © 2023 Eve MarianAll rights reservedThe characters and events portrayed in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without express written permission of the publisher.Designations used by companies to distinguish their products are often claimed as trademarks. All brand names and product names used in this book and on its cover are trade names, service marks, trademarks, and registered trademarks of their respective owners. The publishers and the book are not associated with any product or vendor mentioned in this book. None of the companies referenced within the book have endorsed the book.ISBN-ebook: 978-1-7388728-0-0ISBN-paperback: 978-1-7388728-1-7Cover design by: GetCovers To my parents and any parent, who left their home, country, and way of life to build a new one for their children. Contents Title PageCopyrightDedicationContent Warning123456789101112131415161718192021222324252627ACKNOWLEDGEMENTAbout the AuthorBooks By This Author Content WarningThis book contains coarse language, violent scenes with weapons, explicit sexual encounters, a power imbalance, and references to organized crime.Readers’ discretion is advised. 1Giancarlo Blood dripped down my knuckles, circling along my wrists before splashing onto the concrete floor. My heart hammered in my chest and adrenaline rushed through my veins as I sneered at the man before me.“Please,” he begged, but the roaring in my ears dulled his voice. He opened his mouth again, but I crashed my fist down onto his face before he could say another word.More blood spurted on my hands and shoes.Damn. Those are Italian leather.Someone handed me a white towel, and I wiped my hands as I stared at the man crouching on the floor sniffling.Pathetic.“Who sent you?” I asked, scrubbing the ends of the towel between the creases in my knuckles. My voice was low. I wasn’t sure if he could hear me through the pounding techno music upstairs or the rushing of water through the pipes above our heads. But those were the same reasons I had chosen the musty basement of my nightclub to hold this interrogation.He shook his head, refusing to answer my question for the second time.I never ask a third time.From the inside of my suit jacket, I grasped the soft leather handle of my weapon. The edges of the long blade caught a distant fluorescent light, and it shone for a moment within the dark room. The two men standing on either side of me didn’t say a word, but the man on his knees whimpered.“Stop, please,” he pleaded, holding up his hands.I crouched down in front of him, pointing the knife at his throat, and waited. “Tell me which family sent you here to kill me.”“I… I didn’t… “I pressed the knife against his neck, and he closed his eyes. “Okay, okay,” he said. “But promise me, you won’t kill me if I do.”I couldn’t decide if this man was stupid or inexperienced. Probably a bit of both. Whoever had sent him was getting desperate or foolish.I nodded and waited for his answer.He wiped his mouth with the back of his hand and shot me a look as dark as I’d ever seen. Nearly as dark as the one I saw in the mirror every night.“Sangunero,” he whispered.My lips curled into a sneer at the mere mention of the name. Although I’d suspected the Sicilian mafia was behind this, my hand gripped the handle tighter.I nodded again, resolved.Easing the knife away from his throat, I asked, “Who gave you the order specifically?”His eyes widened as he watched the men behind me step around my body to hold him down. He rocked his head back and forth, pleading with them.“They won’t help you. Look at me.” I grabbed his face, forcing him to look me in the eye. “Who gave you the order?”He struggled as both my men held back his arms. “I can’t tell you that. He’ll kill me.”“And you think I won’t?” I spat.He feared this other man more than my knife at his throat. I couldn’t let that happen.I trailed the tip of the cold blade down his neck, and his eyes danced wildly. “What are you doing?”The men behind him tightened their grip and stared at me, waiting for my command, but I ignored them for now.Pressing the tip of my blade over his heart, the man struggled to get away. “You promised you wouldn’t kill me.”“I did,” I said as I moved my knife up.Keeping my word held value. People knew where you stood if you always did what you said you’d do.As soon as I found my spot just below his shoulder, I pressed the steel into his soft flesh. He screamed, and one of the men covered his mouth with a beefy hand.“Drop him off in front of the hospital,” I said, wiping my knife on the white towel. “If he lives, he can deliver our message.”“What message, boss?”I stared at the man, watching his eyes water in pain. His muffled screams fell on deaf ears.“You tell whoever sent you I’m in charge of this territory. Me. Do you understand?”He nodded emphatically. “And you tell that motherfucker that I’m ready. If he has the balls to try anything else, then come and get me.” My retreating steps were silent as I climbed up the stairs, the blaring music drowning them out.I took the elevator to the third floor, where I’d set up an office. Washing my hands in my private bathroom, I felt Vito at the door.“Do you think the Caruso family was behind this?” he asked, crossing his arms in front of his stocky chest.I dried my hands, searching for any traces of blood, and found none. “Yeah.”“What are you going to do about it?”I rubbed my face with both hands. I was tired. It was only ten o’clock, but it felt as though it was nearly dawn.“First thing