Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 45133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45133 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 226(@200wpm)___ 181(@250wpm)___ 150(@300wpm)
He placed the knife on the table. His brother had already picked up the finger that contained the gold band. The crest of the Lastra family.
Mario whimpered. “You’re going to take everything from me.”
“Your father should have thought about that when he had the chance.” Klaus turned to look at Mario. The man whimpered. Tears ran down his cheeks and pain was etched across his face. There was no doubt taking a finger hurt. He cut right through the bone.
One of his men had already bandaged up the wound. It was a clean cut, but he’d never get the finger back.
“I had no idea about what he did,” Mario said.
“You just didn’t care.”
“Isabella’s not my responsibility. Women make us weak.” Mario gritted his teeth as Klaus pressed the blade against the man’s throat.
He had no intention of killing Mario because that would start a war. The end game here wasn’t to bring violence to the streets. It was to take out a problem. Isabella’s father was a big fucking problem. With him still alive, his wife would never be safe, and that, he couldn’t have. This had to be cleverly done as well. When they finally had children, he wanted his family safe. There couldn’t be any chance of them being hurt because of his past.
“Do you want to head out?” Renzo whispered after coming to his side.
“No.”
“You sure? I’ve got it here. I don’t need you to worry.”
“I can handle this,” Klaus said.
“Look, I get it. You’re the oldest and can take on anything. I’m not questioning your ability, but … you’re close to victory. I know she’s upstairs and you’re worried. Go and see her. Do what you need to do. I’ve got this.”
“Are you telling me to go and fuck my wife again?” he asked. Klaus found it funny that his brother was trying to convince him to go have sex.
“We need to keep Mario alive. Personally, I’d have fucking killed him and dumped the body, but that’s why you’re in charge and I’m just the sidekick. I’ve got more balls than brains. You know we’ve got to keep him alive. Go and fuck your wife. When you’ve emptied your balls, you’ll have a clearer head.”
“I have a desire to put a bullet in your brain,” Klaus said.
“Yeah, get in line. You know me.”
Mario was in and out of consciousness. Considering he was supposed to be the next in line to take over the Lastra name, they were truly fucked if he couldn’t take a beating, or a finger being taken.
They were all trained in torture. Taking and giving it.
Klaus washed his hands in the sink, taking off any blood that he’d missed. Isabella should be used to seeing a little blood, but this belonged to her brother.
Leaving the basement, he locked the door behind him and went in search of his woman. Klaus found her curled up on the chair, looking over at the doors leading onto the balcony.
He’d given the order to his men that under no circumstances was she to go outside. The moment he entered the room, she lifted her head and looked at him.
“Is he still alive?”
“I’m not going to kill him, Bella. He’s a bargaining chip. Nothing more.”
She exhaled, her body visibly relaxing. “You looked ready to murder him.”
“He’s close with your father, of course I want to kill him.”
“He’s like me, Klaus.”
“Darling, I know you want to believe that, but I’ve heard of Mario’s temper. He can dish it out but he can’t take it. A lot of women have been beaten up by him.” He’d read the file on all of the Lastra men. They all had tempers, but more often than not, they took it out on the women around them.
To Klaus, the Lastra men were nothing but cowards. Hurting women was easy to them. They were the weaker sex and they used that to their advantage.
“I don’t like any of this,” she said. “I thought I wouldn’t care. My dad tried to kill me. He even thinks he succeeded. I don’t know. What’s it all coming to?”
Klaus closed the distance between them.
He reached out, cupping her cheek. “You’ve got to stop caring about them.”
“I’m not like you.”
“I don’t want you to be like me. It’s one of the many reasons I love you. You’re a strong woman, Bella. Always will be.”
She pressed her face against his palm. “You make me feel strong.”
He tilted her head back and gave her a single kiss. She grabbed his arms, releasing a moan. His cock hardened.
She wore a sexy, sheer negligee. The dark red of her nipples peeking through the lace.
Sliding his finger down, he stroked across one mound. She sank her teeth into her bottom lip.
“How can you be thinking about this right now?” she asked.
“When it comes to you, I’m always hard.” And he was. It didn’t matter to him what had happened ten minutes before he got to her. The moment he was in the room with her, he fucking craved her.