Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 72496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72496 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 290(@250wpm)___ 242(@300wpm)
Chase nodded and pulled Phoenix in for a hug. “You did the right thing.”
Andrei walked up to all of the old bosses. “Does this mean we can go now?”
“Rude, always so rude, Russians,” Phoenix said under his breath.
I laughed, then winced, forgetting about the bullet in my upper shoulder, and looked over to Junior, pulling the ring from my hand.
“Nope.” He held up his hands. “I actually like the early retirement thing, might learn how to golf with my dad.”
“You’re twenty-six.” I pointed out.
He nodded. “One of us has to raise Bam-Bam, plus my dad’s still fully running the Nicolasi train wreck.”
“YOU IDIOT!” Serena’s scream was actually the most terrifying sound ever as she sprinted toward Junior with Bam-Bam chasing happily behind her like they were playing tag.
We all gave Junior a wide berth while King scooped up Bam-Bam and ran in the opposite direction; I mean, it was nearly a full-on sprint, I didn’t know he could run that fast.
The rest of the bosses followed, leaving Junior completely abandoned.
“Huh.” Nixon laughed. “Bet he wishes he was dead now. She’s got a temper.”
“Shocked.” I smiled over at him, then stopped when his glare was all I received.
“You.” He jabbed a finger at me. “Good thinking on making her De Lange. That was smart. You protected her and me, and in the end, you did… good.”
I made a face. “On a scale of one to ten, how painful was it to say that out loud, Dad?”
“Fourteen,” Nixon grunted. “Wait.” He scratched his head. “If she’s under De Lange—that means not under Abandonato…”
Oh shit, he was mathing too fast, and I was already injured and losing blood.
“You could touch her—you son of a—”
I started half running, half limping toward her, yelling, “Shield wall.” The entire way.
She just blankly stared at me.
“What part of shield wall don’t you get?” I roared.
She sidestepped me. “The part where I offer to be your shield when you shot me without warning me.”
“Fair,” I snapped. “Now save me, tell him I love you or something.”
Bella grinned and pointed at me, then yelled to her dad, “Guess who might be a grandpa soon?”
My eyes widened.
“Oh, I’d run if I were you.” Bella winked. “Ciao, Ivan.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
“Let the dead stay that way and let the living—live.” —King Campisi
Ivan
“Come on.” I dragged her through the house as much as I could with both of us still recovering from our injuries. “Nobody will notice we’re gone.”
“You ran into two chairs just to walk me down the hall.” She laughed and pressed a kiss to my cheek. We stumbled against the wall in our suite on campus.
We were supposed to be having a party, but everyone was exhausted, even King was yawning like he needed a nap. It had been a week since everything went down.
I think at this point everyone needed therapy after seeing a ghost like that, and at least the whole white horse missing thing made sense.
Come to find out, one of my men stole it and handed it over to her. She’d been toying with us for a while, bit by bit, until it was time for her big reveal, whatever that was going to be.
I, for one, think she was plagued by guilt and jealousy.
Doctors said she actually suffered some brain damage from her accident-causing severe headaches and paranoia.
It kind of made sense that the part of your brain that feels empathy was more than likely damaged in the process as well.
All she felt was rage.
And now all she’d stare at would be prison walls with nobody to talk to but herself.
“Come on.” I pulled open our bedroom door. “They’re watching a movie and having wine, they won’t even hear us.”
“They’ll hear you.” Bella laughed. “I’m quiet.”
“You’re not!”
“Last night I—”
“Last night you probably woke up half of the campus.”
“They should invest in noise canceling headphones like the rest of our Family does.”
She was already pulling her shirt off, and I was already tugging up her skirt, “We’ll go super-fast.”
“Romantic.”
“Desperate.” I corrected.
“Ciao, Ivan.”
I captured her mouth and ran my hands down her body, cupping her ass, bringing her in against me while she shoved down my briefs. “Ciao, Bella.”
All I needed was her.
Maybe we’d establish more rules in our future, maybe we’d make it a thing, but I wasn’t so sure they’d be appropriate as I faced her toward the mirror and bent her forward. “I missed you.”
“I’m right here.”
I sunk into her. “Same, I mean me too, I mean, yes.”
“Yes, what?”
“To our Family, to this. I mean yes. I like being a boss, but I think I like being your husband more.”
I pressed my hands against hers as she clutched the sink with her hands. “And being a dad, are you open to that?”
“Just don’t name him Walt.”
“Agreed.” She laughed while I wrapped my arms around her and pulled her close. I finally had a home.