Total pages in book: 79
Estimated words: 77824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77824 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 389(@200wpm)___ 311(@250wpm)___ 259(@300wpm)
“Two were stopped just down the street. They’ve already been taken to the warehouse.”
“Good. Have the men continue searching for the other two,” I order.
Elio nods as his eyes move between me and Skylar. “The bodies are still inside. We haven’t moved them.”
Nodding, I say, “Keep everyone out of the house until I give the clear.”
I suck in a fortifying breath as I lead Skylar up the porch steps. When we walk into the foyer, she starts to shake her head wildly and pulls her hand free from mine.
I look at Harlan, where he lies in a pool of blood with a gunshot wound to his chest.
“Daddy,” Skylar whimpers as she slowly moves closer to his body.
She drops to his side, not caring about the blood, and the sight takes a swing at my heart.
Her lips part with a silent cry as she frames his jaw with trembling hands.
Christ.
She sucks in a harsh breath, then screams, “Daddy!”
Unable to just stand still and watch her break, I move forward, and sinking to my knees behind her, I wrap my arms around her.
The cries tearing from her break my fucking heart, and all I can do is hold her.
Where I once wanted her to feel the same pain as me, I’d now do anything to be able to take it from her.
Skylar turns in my arms, and gripping hold of me, she falls apart.
Her sorrow fills the air and finds an echo in my chest.
My voice is hoarse as I promise, “I’ll find every last one of them.”
I need to be stronger than ever now. This isn’t just about my pain and thirst for revenge any longer.
Moving my arms beneath her back and knees, I hold her bridal style as I climb to my feet. I carry her up the stairs to her old bedroom and into the bathroom. Setting her down on the counter, I reach for a facecloth and wet it beneath the cold water tap.
I start to clean her father’s blood from her legs, and when I’m sure I didn’t miss a single drop, I toss the facecloth in the tub.
Placing my hands on either side of her neck, I say, “Look at me.”
She lifts her eyes to mine, and I see all her pain.
They might not be the words she wants to hear right now, but I need to say them. “You have me, Skylar.”
A sob sputters from her, and she lifts her arms, wrapping them around my neck. When I hold her to me, she breaks down again.
I brush my hand repeatedly over her hair, wishing there was a way to stop her pain.
But there isn’t.
“You have me, amo.”
It’s only then I realize what I’m calling her. Love. It came so naturally I didn’t even notice.
In Skylar’s darkest moment, I realize I’ve fallen for her.
Hopelessly, irrevocably, madly in fucking love.
I hold her tighter and press another kiss to her hair while she struggles to regain control over her emotions.
“I n-now understand why you w-wanted everyone involved with G-Giulio’s death dead,” she whispers. “I understand b-because it h-hurts so much.”
Lifting Skylar bridal style to my chest again, I carry her out of her old bedroom so we can get out of the fucking mansion.
When I reach the stairs, I whisper, “Don’t look, amo.”
She buries her face against my neck as I carry her past the bodies, and when we leave the mansion, I head toward Elio.
“Call our guy to take care of the bodies. Let me know when everything’s ready for the funerals.”
“On it, boss,” he replies.
“Give me an hour, and I’ll meet you at the warehouse. I just want to take Skylar home.”
“No,” she says as she lifts her head. “I’m going with you.”
I glance at her, and when I see the rage starting to burn in her eyes, I say, “Okay.”
I set her down on her feet, then look at my right-hand man again. “I’ll see you at the warehouse.”
Elio nods before he walks back to the front door while pulling his phone out of his pocket to make the call to the coroner.
Placing my hand on Skylar’s lower back, I nudge her to walk toward the Bentley.
When we climb inside, Vincenzo and Fabrizio join us.
“We’re sorry for your loss, Skylar,” Vincenzo says as he glances over his shoulder at her.
Keeping her head bowed, she only nods.
“Where to, boss?” Fabrizio asks.
“The warehouse.”
He starts the engine, and when he steers the car off the property, I dig my phone out of my pocket, and dial Dario’s number again.
“Third call today,” he answers. “Admit it, you can’t live without me.”
“Yeah-yeah,” I mutter. “The fuckers took out Harlan Davies.”
“Fuck. How’s Skylar doing?”
“Not well. Did you look at the photos I sent you?”
“Yeah. I’ve managed to identify one out of the four. Enrique Valverde. He actually flew in from the UK two days ago under a different name. I’m still running the facial recognition for the others. Oh, hold on, I just got a hit.”