Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Killian?” Sergiu murmurs, creeping in behind me.
“EVERYBODY OUT!” I roar, not wanting a single one of the assholes behind me to witness my wife in such a vulnerable state.
Chiara flinches at my tone, and on cue, the bathroom empties out, leaving just the two of us again. “You faced an enemy today, Chiara. While they may have taken you down, your strength will shine in the way you rise and hold your chin up high. You bear the name DeLorenzo and the weight that comes with it. You’re my wife, and we do not fail. You will get back up, Angel. I will train you and see to it that nobody ever touches you again. You hear me? I will find who has done this to you, and when I do, you will spill their blood.”
She presses her hand against the tiles in an attempt to push herself up, but she’s too weak, and as she collapses, I catch her in my arms and scoop her into my chest. “It’s going to be okay, Angel,” I murmur as her tears quickly begin soaking the front of my suit jacket.
After standing with her still cradled to my chest, I make my way out of the bathroom. Sergiu pushes the door open from the opposite side, helping me with my exit. “What do you need?” he asks, his gaze lingering on the blood trickling down the side of Chiara’s face.
“Call the doctor. I want him at my place in no less than fifteen minutes. She’ll need a full examination. I need to know if anything is broken,” I tell him. “Then I want every senior member in my formal dining room within the hour. One of your wives is responsible for this, and I’m going to find out who.”
His eyes widen. “The wives?” he questions, his gaze shooting toward Chiara. “Is that what she said? She’s been here two minutes, and you’re going to allow her to make accusations like that? Don’t you see what she’s doing to this family? She is going to be your downfall, cousin. Open your eyes.”
I clench my jaw, and if my arms weren’t full with my wife, I would have already had the bastard against the wall. I’ve already warned him about disrespecting Chiara, and sooner or later, I’m going to break. “She said no such thing. I am the one making the accusation, cousin,” I spit the word back at him like the insult that it is. “Chiara is refusing to talk. However, in the time she was in this bathroom, only five women walked in and came out, and four of those women were the wives of my most senior members, all of whom have been glaring at my wife since the moment she walked in here on my arm. So, please, tell me what I am supposed to assume.”
Sergiu doesn’t respond, and I watch as the color drains from his face, coming to the conclusion that I’ve already made—someone will die for this, and when they do, unrest is bound to follow.
A civil war is on the horizon, and he has a choice to make. Will he value his loyalty, or will I be signing his death certificate?
I don’t bother to wait for his response, knowing that he will see to it that everything gets done. Instead, I focus my attention on Chiara while ignoring the gasps that come from around the room. The main doors open for me as my security team automatically falls in around us, scanning our surroundings for a threat. Within two minutes, I have Chiara in the back of my SUV with her head resting in my lap and her hand clutched in mine.
Blood soaks into her gold hair, and I have to assume that’s where the majority of the blood is coming from. As my driver flies through the streets, I do what I can to get control of the bleeding. Now in the safety of my car, Chiara’s tears begin to dry as my head of security sits up front, scrambling through the center console before handing me a few painkillers and a bottle of water.
“I need you to take these, Angel,” I tell her. “They won’t knock you out, but it’ll help with the pain.”
She nods and reluctantly allows me to pull her up. She opens her mouth, and I place the pill on her tongue before lifting the water to help her drink. She takes a small sip and cringes with the pain of her split lip.
Satisfied that she’ll be able to relax, I pull her back into me, holding her in my arms the whole way home. We pull up just as the doctor storms down the driveway, and by the time I’m carrying Chiara through the door, he’s right there on my heels getting a rundown by my head of security.