The Enemy Beside Me

Chapter Nine

Constance

Scar’s friend stared at me, making me slightly uncomfortable. I trusted what Scar said about this man not laying a finger on me as long as I behaved, but the way this man was looking at me, I was beginning to think he might do it either way. It wouldn’t be hard for him to lie to Scar about me upsetting him or doing something I wasn’t supposed to. Who would he believe more? I doubt it would be the woman he had only just met and his closest enemy.

However, this man wouldn’t be here if Scar didn’t trust him. It wasn’t like I needed a babysitter anyway. Scar’s place was a damn fortress. There was no way that I would be able to get out without being caught. That didn’t mean that I wouldn’t try eventually, but now might not be that time. It was a perfect opportunity, but the consequences weren’t worth the risk. I would feel much more comfortable attempting my escape with Scar here only because I didn’t think the consequences would be as dire if I got caught.

“Well, aren’t you a bundle of sunshine? I’m Lance, in case you were wondering. Scar was right. I won’t touch you or anything as long as you behave. He will be back before you know it.”

This was a perfect opportunity to get some information about Scar that he wouldn’t otherwise give me. “Are you two close?”

He shrugged. “Like brothers, but we weren’t always like that. When we first went into business together, he was a d**k to me, like everyone else. Over time, we developed a relationship that evolved into a brotherhood. It wasn’t an overnight sort of thing, but I respect that man far more than any other man I’ve met in my life.”

I walked back over to the dining table to finish eating my breakfast. I didn’t have much of an appetite, but it was best to keep myself as busy as possible. Lance came over and joined me, taking the seat closest to me instead of further away like Scar did.

“You don’t have to be scared to be around me, Constance. I won’t hurt you unless you give me a reason to. I know that you think most Italian men are monsters, but not all of us are. Monster is a subjective word, playing to the type of man rather than the ethnicity of one. Don’t you agree?”

Oh, so he was a smart-ass on top of being incredibly handsome. I wonder if all of Scar’s friends were this egotistical. Being who Scar was, I assume that would be right. “I don’t judge a book by its cover if that’s what you are referring to. However, I can only base my opinion on experiences I’ve personally encountered. I’ve lived in Milan all my life. In that time, I’ve seen powerful men who fall easily and weak men who prevail.”

Lance smiled, impressed by my statement. “Scar tells me that you are a feisty young woman. Is that credit to your family or to yourself?”

I knew it was a high probability that if Scar trusted this man to watch me while he was gone, he probably knew who I was. “A little of both. My father always taught me to be both physically and mentally strong. I’m comfortable with what my weakness are, but I rarely show them unless it’s needed. However, I’m sure you know this information already, considering you know who my family is. Scar doesn’t seem like the kind of man who does things independently. As you mentioned, he has a right-hand man, a brother who helps him along the way.”

“Beautiful and intelligent. It’s no surprise that Scar is so captivated by you. You’re lucky that you went home with him instead of me. I wouldn’t have shown you mercy the same way he has. If the situations were different, you would have already been dead. It would have been a shame considering strong Italian women like you are hard to come by. Still, it would have to have been done.”

“And why is that? Because I’m the daughter of the man who hurt Scar’s family? How is that fair? I’m being held responsible for actions that my family was responsible for, but I had no hand in any of it.”

Lance smirked. “Sweetheart, life isn’t fair. That should have been the most important thing that your papa taught you. I like you because of your honesty, Constance. Expect me to give you my honest opinion at all times. I believe that you are his weak point, a weakness he didn’t know he had until he met you. That’s why he can’t kill you. If you knew just what sort of pain your family caused upon him, you might not feel the same way you do now.”

I ate a few more of my eggs before placing my fork down on my plate. Carefully, I slid my chair out from behind me, walking into the kitchen to clean my mess. While I was in there, I thought about what Lance said. While there may be things similar between Scar and me, I don’t believe that I was his weakness. If that were the case, I would have been let go.

Lance came up behind me, keeping his distance which I was thankful for. I would hate to go against my promise to Scar and attempt to kill this bastard if he laid a finger on me. “I get this isn’t the ideal situation, but I will be transparent with you, Constance. If Scar cannot find it in his heart to kill you, I will have to do the grunt work. Scar has waited a long time for his revenge, building his empire from scratch to ensure he is stable enough to see it through. For a man like him, this is what has kept him going, nothing else. Scar would rather die trying to kill your family than not try at all. Do yourself a favor and distance yourself from him. The closer you two get, the harder it will be for him to do what needs to be done.”

“Excuse me?” I asked as I turned around, appalled by this man’s bluntness. “We will never get close. Scar wants to kill my family, to hurt them first by killing me. I will never get close to a man like that. However, it wouldn’t be any of your business whether that was to happen or not. Scar is a grown man who is capable of making his own decisions. Don’t let this situation fool you. I will kill Scar when the time is right and earn my freedom. If it comes down to doing the same to you, I will not hesitate. Despite what my family may have done, I stick by them. I am a f*****g Ricci. You and everyone else who crosses my path will do well to remember that.”

This man wasn’t about to threaten me and get away with it. I may be in a vulnerable place right now, but I wasn’t weak. If he or Scar wanted me to lay down and take whatever was coming my way, they would be disappointed. I’m not a woman who lays down for any reason at all. My father taught me to be strong, and that’s who I will be right down to the very end. Even if they succeed at killing me, they will not win. Men like Scar and Lance got off on the idea of trying to crush me. They didn’t know that I was uncrushable. Even when he threatened to kill my family, nothing would stop me from trying to break free of his grasp to warn them, even if that meant that I had to die to make it happen.

He nodded and leaned against the counter further. “You are stronger than I thought. That’s good but odd for Scar. He typically likes his women submissive and not just in the bedroom. He is going to have his hands full with you until he decides on what he is going to do with you.” Lance pulled out his gun and pressed it to my temple. I didn’t react, continuing to clean off my plate. “I could just make it easy for him by killing you right here and now. Then, I’ll dump your body on your parent’s doorstep. It would be easy to convince Scar that you attacked me, so I did what was necessary. He wouldn’t lose sleep over it either way it went. So, what’s stopping me from seeing it through?”

I turned to him with a smile on my face. “Go ahead. You want me to plead for my life. Well, that isn’t going to happen. Lance, you do whatever you feel you need to do to protect your brother, but don’t think for one second that Scar will be naïve enough to believe your lies. He knows I’m a gambler, but he also knows I’m smart. Trying to escape with you here is the worst logical decision I could make. Take a chance on it if you feel comfortable. Otherwise, get your f*****g gun out of my face and leave me the hell alone.”

It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever had to do: sit back and do nothing. All I had to depend on was my words to get me out of this situation. I felt relief when Lance lowered his gun but couldn’t show it. It would give him one more reason to put that bullet through my skull and take the chance on his story with Scar.

After finishing up the dishes, I returned to my room. There wasn’t an escape in here or anything I could do to occupy my time but being anywhere was better than being out there engaging with Lance. He was just as bad as Scar, but at least with Scar, we had chemistry.

Our chemistry made me think about what happened between us before Lance showed up. If Lance hadn’t walked in, I would have caved and let Scar have his way with me. Let’s be honest here. It wouldn’t have been a chore. Being sexually involved with Scar had its downside and its perks. I haven’t been satisfied in a long time. I came back to his place with him to open my legs and prepare for the night of life. It all had to be ruined over my name. Still, it didn’t hide the fact that we were attracted to one another and had me weighing my options. If I slept with him, I would die a satisfied woman. What would be so bad about having one great night before I met my end? However, this man was my family’s enemy. Could I lie down with a man who threatened my family multiple times? It was tough to think about, but it definitely crossed my mind a few times.

I spread out in the bed, covering my entire body from my neck down, but I wasn’t the least bit tired. Thinking about what happened with Scar earlier had me wound up in a way that I haven’t been in a while. If I didn’t release some of this s****l tension soon, I knew I would cave and sleep with the one man totally off limits. To try and help with the situation, I placed my hand between my legs and pleasured myself, getting off while imagining our heated encounter earlier. In just a few minutes, I exploded, reaching the best orgasm I’d ever had while pleasuring myself. Knowing my physical attraction to Scar was bad enough, but knowing he had control over my orgasms was a whole other level.

Here I was, finding myself in a delicate situation. I had only two options, but only one of those options gave me a chance to get out of here safely. As much as the thought hurt to betray my family by sleeping with Scar, I knew they would understand if it was the one thing I could do to save myself. When he got back home, I would make a move. Once we had slept together, his guard would be down, and it would be the perfect time to strike. Only this time, I wouldn’t miss.