Maria felt like she was stabbed through the heart at Franco's words. She didn't know why she felt hurt, didn't know why her body was having such a painfully visceral reaction to his bald statement. She hadn't known she was being instructed to seduce a married man. If she knew, would she have acted any different? Perhaps refused Franco's orders?

No, she would've done exactly the same thing. She would have met Nic in the bar and tried her best to seduce him. Perhaps she would have thought of him as more of a dog had she known. Maybe that knowledge would've made the entire ill-conceived plan more palatable. After all, a man that would cheat on his wife deserved to have himself embroiled in a honey-trap type of scandal.

"Certainly, my wife would be uncomfortable if she saw this," Nic drawled without looking at Maria.

She could feel her temper rising and had to make a real effort to clamp down in it so she wouldn't start screaming and throwing things. She'd spent the night with a married man. It didn't matter that they hadn't actually fucked, the feelings, the lust and intention had all been there. Maria's mama had taught her better than to get involved with a married man.

Franco snorted. "I think she'll be a little more than uncomfortable. No, I think if Cassandra Delgado got hold of this, she would divorce you and take as much as she could with her. Perhaps even implicate you to the feds. I'm sure after twenty years of marriage, she's seen a few things in your operation the authorities might be interested in getting their hands on."

Maria raised an eyebrow at that. Twenty years of marriage? How old was Nic when he got married? He looked like he was maybe in his early forties. Maria was 26. Which would have put her around six when he got married. Ew. Yet another reason to hate the man, he was a cradle robber.

"Indeed." Nic leaned back against the couch, spreading his arms wide across the back, giving his best impression of a man supremely unconcerned.

"And of course, you can't have her killed since her family is mafia royalty in Sicily. A shame, really, I've heard she'd an unbearable shrew."

Nic turned to look at Franco, his eyes taking on an icy expression of death. "You will refrain from badmouthing my wife while we conduct our business."

Maria's rising temper was reaching boiling point as the blows kept coming. Marriage, murder and a shrew who Nic apparently felt protective of. What next?

Rather than continue to test the extent of Nic's cool, Franco got to the point. "You will sign over your Nevada holdings to me, and any interests you have in the local casinos. You will also facilitate meetings between your Mexican contacts and myself so I can start moving product."

Nic's poker face was so good, he didn't give a single emotion away as Franco demanded what sounded like a lot. Nic turned his head to Franco, staring at him, not saying anything, making Franco sweat.

After a moment Franco broke and started talking too fast, justifying himself. "It's not much since most of your business is out East and back in Italy anyway. You don't need that little bit of business you've drummed up on my side of the continent."

"That little bit of business is worth billions," Nic drawled.

"A drop in the bucket to a man like you," Franco insisted.

"Indeed."

Maria shivered. How could Franco possibly miss the frigidity in Nic's voice. Despite it seeming like Franco had the upper hand, Maria would bet everything that Nic was the one in charge. That he was playing with Franco, much the same way a cat would play with a mouse before killing it. The only question was, when does the cat pounce?

"And what will I get in return for your taking a chunk of my business?" Nic demanded.

Franco seemed to relax back into his seat, probably believing the conversation was going his way. "I will destroy the video of your little interlude with Maria."

Maria wanted to call bullshit. She didn't fully understand the intricacies of the technology involved but she was rather certain it would be super easy to make copies of that video. Franco essentially had a hold on Nic until either him or his wife died. She was also relatively certain that a man of Nic's position would know this. While he seemed very old school, tough guy mafia, he was also relatively young for his position. He would understand the technology involved.

"This is all you're willing to offer me for the privilege of taking over my western holdings?" Nic drawled icily, shifting in his seat to turn and look directly at Franco, his arm along the back of the couch. Maria's eyes were drawn to the clench of his fingers against the leather. While he was projecting calm and cool, she suspected he was furious. She couldn't blame him since Franco was taking the colossally stupid step of blackmailing a man who was obviously much better at this game. Just watching the two of them talk told her everything she needed to know; when the time was right Nic was going to murder Franco, and he was going to enjoy it.

"You think my offer is unacceptable?" Franco demanded. "I promise you, I am poised to send that video to your wife in the next few minutes if this meeting doesn't go how I want it."

Nic didn't seem bothered by this, and Maria was beginning to suspect he didn't actually care if his wife saw the video or not.

"You may have my western businesses and my contact list," Nic said easily, giving up billions of dollars' worth of mafia business and contacts in the wave of a hand. "But I want the girl too. Either she becomes part of the agreement or I take everything off the table."

Franco stiffened. "What girl?" he bluffed, trying to give himself extra time.

Yeah, what girl? Maria thought, her heart pounding with fear and despair. Of course, they all knew what girl. There was only one girl involved in this disgusting trap.

Nic turned in his seat, pinning Maria to the spot with his hard amber gaze. She saw a hundred things there: longing, possession, desire, dislike, distrust. She clutched at the counter behind her and looked down.

"You will write this woman into whatever legal document you have drawn up. Her debt to you will be transferred to me effective immediately."

Maria bit her lip to keep from speaking. She reminded herself she was in the presence of two very powerful men, albeit one was much stupider than the other, but both could end her life in the blink of an eye. It didn't take intelligence to use a gun.

"And if I say no?" Franco asked sharply.

She knew why he wasn't willing to give her up so easily. Franco wanted her for himself. He hadn't made a secret of it but had decided to let his plan play out first. Send her to DeLuca before keeping her to himself. The thought was disgusting, but she shouldn't be surprised. For whatever reason, Franco had decided that fucking her would spoil his plan. That she would fall in love with him once he introduced her to his magic cock, or some shit, and she would refuse to do her job.

"Then you get nothing except a target on your back."

Maria could practically hear the moment Franco finally woke up to the very real danger he was facing in threatening a man of Nic's calibre. "What guarantee do I have that you won't try to kill me anyway, once the paperwork is signed?"

Nic's response was so immediate, there was no choice but to believe him. "I knew of your idiotic plan from the moment you set it up. If I wanted you dead, you would be dead."

Franco spluttered and postured, but Maria's sharp brain picked up on the implication of what Nic was saying. He had known about this ill-conceived plan, which meant he knew about Maria's part in it, which meant their meeting in the bar was no accident. But why didn't he kill Franco, if he knew about the plan all along and had the resources to get to the other man? Why was he willing to give up some of his business assets? Why set himself up to be blackmailed?

Maria also noted one very important thing about Nic's words, he didn't deny that he might one day kill Franco. Of course, Franco didn't notice this subtle difference.

"Will you give her back when you're done with her?" Franco asked, his voice taking on a wheedling quality.

Maria wanted to slap the shit out of him. If he ever did manage to get her near a bed, he was going to have one hell of a fight on his hands. She was pretty sure she could remove his dick before he could do irreparable damage to her.

"There won't be anything left for you to play with when I'm done with her." Maria gasped out loud at Nic's words, but he didn't turn to look at her. He continued to speak, "I want the brother too. Add the pair to your contract and you have a deal."

Franco seemed to chew over this for a while, before finally nodding his assent. "Deal."