Total pages in book: 150
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 684(@200wpm)___ 547(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
"You are?" Her expression is so full of hope that I can't help but chuckle at her.
"I never once stopped loving you. I never stopped wanting you," I tell her, my voice firm so she knows I'm not feeding her a line. "I'm not sure I'll ever believe someone like me—someone who's done the things I've done—could possibly deserve you, but I'm going to try like hell to prove myself wrong. I spent years in hell, waiting for you."
"Since she is here, in a place of blackness, here I stay and wait," she whispers the words from the Stephen Crane poem I had immortalized in my skin.
"Not anymore," I tell her. "I'm done waiting, and I'm done making you wait. We're both breaking free of the blackness. Together."
"Together," she vows.
That promise reflects in her eyes, sending my heart soaring.
Chapter Twenty-Six
January
"Naz," Cade growls into the phone, pinching the bridge of his nose. The thunderous scowl on his face makes me glad I'm not the one pissing him off. Even from across the room, anger sizzles in the air around him. He appears massive as he plants his feet and growls wordlessly, snarling like some wild beast at whatever Nazario Leyva is telling him.
I pull my blanket closer and shiver, though I'm not sure if it's because he's hot as hell when he's pissed or…okay, it's definitely because seeing Cade all fired up is hot as hell. He's six feet, five inches of pure muscle and rage. That probably shouldn't turn me on, but it does.
"If I have to leave my girl to deal with this, the only place the motherfucker is going is to the hospital and then to prison." He huffs out a frustrated breath and clamps a hand down on the edge of the entertainment center. A string of curses explodes from his lips. "Tell Fuentes he has twenty-four hours to call off the fucking hit, or I'm coming after him."
My eyebrows shoot upward, my eyes widening. I don't think I'll ever get used to how easily he says things like that…like it's perfectly normal to talk about some gang putting out a hit on someone else. I guess for him, it is normal. He's the guy who makes the bad guys play nice.
"The girl and the kid belong to Carter now," he snaps. "I don't give a fuck if it is Francisco's baby. Just tell him to call it off, or I'm going to blow his shit up." Cade listens for another second and then curses. "Are you fucking kidding me? He's after her, too? What the hell? I'm busy for a few weeks and he thinks he owns this city?" He pushes his hair back from his forehead and rests his head against the wall, closing his eyes. A dark chuckle leaves his lips. "He's a fucking idiot. Tell him this city is mine now. He answers to me, just like the rest of you do."
Jesus. The way he says it, I believe Los Angeles belongs to him. If I were this Fuentes person and had to face Cade, I'd probably just hand over the keys and flee for my life. He's always been sure of himself, but he's something else now. He knows he's in charge and has no qualms with letting everyone else know it too. That confidence is sexy as all hell.
I never knew seeing him work would be so riveting. But every day, I get to watch him in action. I find it fascinating. He barks orders like he was born to do it. Even the other cops who stop by—like Roman Gregory and Luke Santiago—listen to him when he tells them what to do about this or that or the other. They all seem to respect him, even when he is cursing up a storm and threatening destruction on whatever isn't cooperating. Naz has stopped by a few times. I've seen him in the papers enough to know he's a dangerous man sitting on a fortune. But even he listens to Cade.
It's been three weeks since Kaleo shot me, and Cade rarely leaves my side. The few times he has had to go out, he left Luke Santiago to babysit me. I like Luke. He's quiet and intense, but also really sweet. I especially like the way Cade kisses me whenever he leaves me with Luke. I think he's jealous, but he doesn't have any reason to be. I haven't seen anyone but him since I was a kid. I doubt that's ever going to change.
I'm so ridiculously in love with him. He hides a lot behind jokes and smiles. I think he has for a long time, but each day, a little bit more of the real him shines through. And every day, I fall a little bit harder for the man he is now. He's even sweeter than he was when we were younger, but he's different in so many ways. Getting to explore the new facets of his personality is exciting and bittersweet at the same time.