Bound by Blood: A Dark Mafia Romance (House of Payne Series Book 2) by Ivy Black & Raven Scott

Author:Ivy Black & Raven Scott [Black, Ivy & Scott, Raven]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Ivy Black
Published: 2025-12-19T00:00:00+00:00

Chapter Twelve

London

I sigh and let the curtain swish back into place.

Slowly, I wander over to the burner phone on the nightstand and pick it up. The screen is blank, and there’s a bad taste in my mouth as I put it down and ignore the knots in my stomach. With a frown, I walk back to the door and press my ear to the wood.

It’s unusually quiet today.

Even Katia is nowhere to be seen, although I’m sure the assassin is just blending in nearby.

I hold my breath as I tug on the doorknob, and the door creaks open to reveal Katia polishing a dagger.

“You’re pathetic,” she says.

I open the door the rest of the way and frown at her. “Excuse me?”

“You heard me. I know you two got into an argument yesterday. Pretty sure the whole house knows, and without Mason, you are a sitting duck.”

“No, I’m not.”

Mason and I had exchanged a few terse words about the argument, but it still lingered between us.

I had no idea how to make it better.

But maybe ignoring it was a good place to start.

Katia’s eyes sweep over me, stopping at my bare feet. “You’ve had a good run, Blondie. If it makes you feel better, you lasted a lot longer than any of us thought you would.”

I stiffen. “I am not going anywhere.”

All couples have fights, and Mason and I are no different.

I will not let one disagreement ruin what we have and what we’re trying to build.

Katia scoffs and slowly sheathes her dagger. “It’s only a matter of time. You could do yourself a favor and get it over with. Have some self-respect.”

I force myself to count backward from five. “Does this kind of thing usually work for you? You enjoy intimidating anyone Mason takes an interest in, don’t you?”

Katia shrugs. “You keep telling yourself that you’re different, but you aren’t. Sooner or later, his father will take away his shiny new toy, and when he does, you’ll wish you were dead.”

I tilt my head and study her. “It really bothers you that he chose me, doesn’t it? You think you’re a better fit for him because you’re from his world.”

“I am a better fit—” Katia begins.

I interrupt before she can go any further. “And yet, even when there was no one else around, he still didn’t choose you. You’re never going to mean more to him. You’re convenient because you’re there.”

Katia’s expression darkens. “I should’ve left you in that club.”

“I’m sorry he didn’t choose you,” I reply in a quieter voice. “It must be hard for you, watching all of this.”

I have no idea why I’m trying to find common ground, but I have enough enemies within these walls, and I don’t feel like adding Katia to the mix.

Having Mason parade me around when she’s held onto the hope that it would be her must sting.

I remind her of what she can’t have, and whatever anger and resentment she feels toward me is justified.

I can’t imagine being in her shoes.

I

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.