03: The Dare

Rayne

Lilith trembled against him and he loved it. He relished in the fact that even when her eyes glared at him with boldness, her body betrayed her emotions.

Chris was a fucking idiot to have given his daughter to him in place of an alliance. The Russo Don seemed to have forgotten that the hostility between them was more than just mere rivalry. He seemed to have forgotten what his family did to Rayne’s brother fourteen years ago.

If Chris forgot, Rayne did not. And now, he would take out every ounce of rage churning in him—upon his daughter.

“You little, little feisty thing,” he breathed against her ear. “I hate it when people do not listen to me, so now when I let you go, you fucking strip!”

Her eyes blazed with a bravery he rarely saw in women from their world. “I will NOT strip for you, Rayne,” she spat through clenched teeth, and with surprising strength, ripped his hand from her neck.

He blinked, rage seeping into his skin. “It’s adorable that you think you have a say in this, vixen…”

His words were interrupted by the ringing of his phone. He snatched it up furiously. “What the fuck is it, Lorenzo?”

“Boss, you need to come.” Lorenzo’s voice was calm, but the tension behind it was unmistakable.

Something was wrong. “I’ll be right there,” he said and hung up.

His gaze flicked back to his wife, her violet eyes still full of fire, her chest heaving.

“I’ll be back for you, my sweet vixen. You better be ready for me,” he told her with a smirk, then exited the room, her scent still clinging to him, crawling beneath his skin and messing with his thoughts.

But Rayne De Luca could not afford distractions.

He strode to the other side of the estate where his office stood. When he entered, Lorenzo was already inside, waiting.

“Lorenzo.”

“Boss.” The man nodded respectfully. Lorenzo, his underboss, had been with him even before Rayne inherited the title of Don from his father. He was the closest thing Rayne had to a friend.

“This had better be important,” Rayne warned, “or your head won’t last a second on your shoulders.”

“It’s the shipment from Silk City. Some of the goods are missing.”

“What?” His voice dropped into a dangerous growl.

Fucking idiots. Proving their incompetence by losing his goods? His fingers clenched into fists, nails almost breaking skin.

“Where’s Carlo?”

“That’s the problem, boss. We can’t find him.”

Fucking hell.

“We’ve tried reaching him, but his phone’s off,” Lorenzo continued.

A rustling sound began in Rayne’s head—the one that always came when his fury peaked. It grew louder with every word Lorenzo spoke. “We tried his brother. Says he doesn’t know where he is either. What do we do?”

This wasn’t a case of missing goods. If Carlo wasn’t answering his calls, it was intentional.

“You don’t think he’s working with someone else?”

Rayne’s eyes narrowed. “What do you think this is all about, Ren?”

Lorenzo glanced down at his phone, then back up at him. The shift in his eyes told Rayne everything.

A smirk pulled at his lips. “We should visit his brother, shouldn’t we?”

“Yes, boss.”

Rayne leaned back in his chair, thoughts of his wife shoved deep into the recesses of his mind. He’d come back to her later.

Now, he had a traitor to deal with.

---

At Shax Club

Shax pulsed with noise, sweat, and heat. The scent of cigars, alcohol, and sweat mingled in the air like poison perfume. Rayne usually came here for the fun—for the women. But not tonight.

His gaze cut through the fog of music and dim lights until it landed on the man seated across from him.

“It’s been a while, Dante Romano,” he said coolly.

The owner of Shax met Rayne’s fiery gaze with a nervous grin. “It is a pleasure to see you again, Mr. De Luca.”

Rayne had to stop himself from punching the grin off the man’s face. But this wasn’t Dante’s mistake—it was his brother’s.

“You know why I’m here, don’t you?” Rayne asked, watching him like a predator watches a mouse.

The grin disappeared. Dante’s pupils widened with fear. “I haven’t seen Carlo, I swear,” he muttered.

He was lying. Rayne saw it in the way Dante wrung his fingers, in the way his eyes darted like he expected someone to burst in at any moment.

“You haven’t seen Carlo,” Rayne repeated slowly.

Dante nodded too eagerly, like his head might fly off. It was a wonder how a man this jittery managed to run a club.

Though no one ever stood tall before Rayne De Luca. He ruled this city.

“You know I hate being lied to, Dante. So tell me where your brother is, or I’ll squash you and ruin this little clubhouse of yours. You don’t want that, do you?”

Panic spread across Dante’s face. “I don’t know where Carlo is!”

Rayne chuckled darkly. “I like your answer. Now should we move on to the next part?”

He pulled out his gun and aimed it at the man across from him.

Dante raised both hands, trembling as the weapon came into view. “Do you want me to pull this trigger?” Rayne asked, slowly pressing the metal tighter as Dante fidgeted.

“He came here this morning!” Dante blurted. “Carlo came here this morning and dropped off some money. Then he left—I swear that’s all I know, Mr. De Luca!”

He was nearly in tears, and Rayne wouldn’t have been surprised if he pissed himself right there.

Rayne scoffed and lowered his gun. “Now was that so hard? You could’ve saved us both some time. But no, you had to test me.”

“I—I would never—”

“Well, thank you for your time, Dante. Now run along before I change my mind about sparing you.”

The man stood and stumbled away, bumping into people as he rushed to escape Rayne’s presence.

Rayne’s fury reignited. Dante didn’t know where Carlo was. That bastard had the audacity to cross him?

Once he got his hands on Carlo, he’d spill his guts and watch his blood coat the ground.

“Boss!”

Rayne turned to see Lorenzo staring at the entrance, pale as a ghost.

“What?” he asked, following his gaze.

His breath hitched.

His wife had just walked into the club.

---

Lilith

Fury clouded her as Lilith ran her fingers along her neck, feeling the sting of where Rayne’s hands had been.

I will break you, Lilith.

She should’ve known this marriage was too good to be true. Rayne De Luca would never settle for peace.

Her father was a fool to have handed her over so willingly.

Her gaze flicked toward her canvas across the room, but not even painting could extinguish the fire burning inside her. She needed something more.

Something reckless.

She dug through her luggage until her eyes landed on the dinner dress Amelia had picked out for her the day she first met Rayne. A smirk crossed her lips.

She grabbed scissors.

Snip. Snip. Snip.

When she was satisfied, she held the modified dress up with a grin.

Here I come, Shax.

Minutes later, she was dressed and her heels echoed against the tiled floors as she walked. She was nearly at the exit when Betty appeared.

“Ma’am!” the maid exclaimed. “Are you going out?”

“Isn’t it obvious?” Lilith rolled her eyes.

“But… you can’t go. Boss said no one should let you out of the house,” Betty pleaded, visibly trembling.

“So now you’re a babysitter?” Lilith asked dryly.

Betty shook her head. “Please… if you leave, boss will kill me.”

Lilith sighed and feigned defeat. “Fine. I’ll go back.”

Betty exhaled in relief, turning her back—and that was her mistake.

Lilith struck swiftly, her hands forming an ax against Betty’s neck. The maid crumpled to the floor, unconscious.

“She’ll be up in thirty minutes,” Lilith muttered, brushing her palms off on her dress. “Rayne really thought one maid could stop me?”

---

Back at Shax

Lilith entered Shax with the poise and fire of a true Russo. Men turned to stare, jaws slack and eyes wide.

But their eyes were the only thing allowed to touch her.

She flipped her hair and strode confidently toward the bar—until a familiar voice stopped her cold.

“Lilith.”

Rayne’s deep voice washed over her like a cold slap.

Her husband.

He stood before her, livid, eyes dark and unreadable.

“Hey, husband,” she said, forcing a grin. “Fancy seeing you here.”

She wasn’t scared of him—usually. But the calmness in his voice? That scared her more than any yell.

“What the fuck are you doing here?” he asked, low and dangerously calm.

“I was bored at home, so I—”

He didn’t let her finish. His hand clamped around her wrist and he dragged her out of the club.

Outside, she yanked her arm free. “What, did you really think locking me up with Betty would keep me in? I’m not some trophy you lock up in your house, Rayne!” she yelled, fury erupting from her throat.

She shouldn’t be yelling. But she’d had enough of being degraded.

“You are insane,” Rayne said, staring at her like he’d never seen her before.

“Unfortunately, you’re stuck with this insane woman in a marriage you clearly didn’t want.”

The moonlight glowed around them. Rayne stepped closer, shadows dancing across his sharp jaw.

He leaned down to her ear. “Who told you I didn’t want this marriage?”

Her eyes widened.

“You’re delusional if you think I’d marry a woman I didn’t want,” he added, gaze trailing down her body, slow and searing.

“You look ravishing, wife. Shouldn’t we continue this discussion at home?”

Her mouth parted. Her heart raced.

Rayne reached out, brushing her lips with his fingers, trailing down her neck—and stopped.

“What do you think I should do now, Lilith?” he asked quietly. “I told you I hate it when people disobey me.”

“You’ve disobeyed me twice now.”

She swallowed hard. “I’m never good at obeying men. You should remember that.”

A dangerous chuckle left his throat as he gripped her neck gently. “First, I’m going to kiss you, wife.”

No.