Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77295 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 386(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
I stared at him. “And she bounces with me.”
“Is it always that tense between you guys?” She sat beside me in the back seat, her legs crossed and her arm propped on the door as she looked outside.
“It used to be worse.”
She turned to look at me. “You guys are in business together?”
“No.”
“But you talk about business?”
“We talk about killing people.”
Her expression didn’t change, so she must have eavesdropped on criminal conversations throughout her career. “Who do you want to kill?”
“It’s a long story.”
“And we’re stuck in traffic.”
“I told you I killed the wrong guy by mistake?”
“I remember.”
“Well, that man was one of the Buttoni brothers. Now, his brother Karl has it out for me. To make matters worse, Cauldron and I think it was all a setup by Roan, a big drug dealer out of Croatia.”
“Why would he do that?”
“So I’ll either kill his biggest competitor, or his biggest competitor will kill me. And while his biggest competitor is occupied killing me, he’ll kill him.”
“Wow. That is the perfect setup.” She didn’t bat an eye over it. Didn’t look remotely uncomfortable.
“That doesn’t scare you?”
“I’ve seen it all at this point.” She looked out the window again.
The rest of the drive was spent in silence, and wordlessly, we agreed that she would come to my place. We took the elevator to the top floor, and I tossed my jacket over the nearest chair. The obnoxious bow tie was ripped from my throat and tossed on the floor.
She followed me, her heels tapping the entire way.
We entered my bedroom, and the rest of my clothes were dropped across the floor. Without waiting for her, I got into bed and sat against the headboard, waiting to get a handsome return on my investment.
She took her time getting undressed, unzipping the back of her dress and letting it fall to the floor. She didn’t wear a bra, so it was just her naked skin in a little black thong. That came off too, followed by the heels that were kicked away. She sauntered toward me, eyes locked on me, and crawled up the bed like a wild jungle cat.
She moved into me, straddling my thighs and coming close to my chest. Her arms hooked around my neck, and she pressed her tits into my body, the hard nipples dragging slightly. I could feel her bracelet against the back of my neck, feel the cold touch of one of her metal rings. “For what it’s worth, I hope you kill them both.”
My hands gripped her narrow waist, and I sank my fingers into her tight stomach. She was a petite little thing, but hard to the touch. Her belly button was pierced, and her skin was so flawless it was hard to believe that she’d birthed two children. “Yeah?”
“You’re too sexy to die.”
“You say that to all your clients?”
The corner of her lip lifted in a slight smile. “Yes. But this is the first time I mean it.”
TWENTY-ONE
CAMILLE
“What happened with Grave?”
He tossed his jacket aside then stepped out of his dress shoes. “We talked.”
“About?”
He worked his bow tie, staring at me all the while.
“He gave me this look… He used to do it all the time.”
“That’s just how he looks—like a pissed-off asshole.”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s a get lost kind of look. So, are you going to tell me what you spoke about?”
Once he got the material loose and then unbuttoned his collared shirt, he looked at me. “You weren’t the subject of conversation.”
“Then what was?”
“Baby.” His temper came out in his voice, faint. It was accompanied by a loud sigh.
“The fact that you won’t tell me worries me. And saying baby isn’t going to fix anything.” I was still in my dress, sitting on the edge of the bed as I watched him drop every piece of clothing until he was in his boxers. The sight would be a much bigger turn-on if I weren’t so concerned by what I saw.
His chiseled body sauntered toward me, lean and toned, each muscle distinct from the line that separated each one. Grave was a moving mountain, but Cauldron was shredded, lithe and limber, like a soccer player or a swimmer. He took the seat beside me. “What are you worried about?”
“You know what I’m worried about.”
He stared ahead, his look blank. “None of this would be happening if you let him die.”
“Are you saying you wish I had?”
“No. But this is a consequence of your decision. You have to accept it now.”
That meant all my fears were confirmed. “You’re going to help him kill all those men.”
“He’s my brother, Camille.”
I looked away from his profile, scared I would lose the one thing that mattered to me. “I can’t lose you, Cauldron.”
“I’ve been in this game for a long time, baby. You aren’t going to lose me.”