Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 40015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40015 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 200(@200wpm)___ 160(@250wpm)___ 133(@300wpm)
And I was so sleepy. I wouldn’t have protested even if I had been irritated by his choice of sleepwear.
I yawned, and Luca carried me the short distance to the bed. Worry nipped at me, and I clung to Luca’s shoulders as my eyes found Dante’s once again.
“I don’t want Luca to leave,” I said, a pleading edge to my voice. I didn’t want him to return Luca to that awful cell; I needed him to hold me and keep the nightmares at bay.
Dante frowned, but his voice was gentle when he replied. “Luca isn’t going anywhere, Nora. He hasn’t left your side since we returned home.” His expression hardened to something more forbidding. “But I’ll be damned if I don’t share a bed with my wife. Luca is staying, but you sleep with me, pet.”
Confusion threaded through me as both men settled into the massive bed on either side of me. Luca pulled me close, so that my head rested on his chest. Dante’s heat pressed up against my back, his body molding to mine. Their warmth and strength surrounded me, protecting me.
Before I could puzzle over the bizarre arrangement, I fell into deep sleep, free from nightmares. Nothing bad could touch me while I was in their arms.
Chapter 8
Nora
It’d been nearly two weeks since Dante and Luca had rescued me, and between the nightmares and worry for Giana, I was barely functioning. If Luca didn’t feed me every meal, I doubted I would’ve been able to eat anything at all. As it was, I felt constantly queasy and jumpy, fear gripping my mind at the slightest unexpected movement or sound.
Bizarrely, the only time I managed to find peace for a few hours at a time was when I shared a bed with Luca and Dante. The arrangement should’ve repulsed me, but I secretly felt safest when I was nestled between them.
I would never tell Luca, but I worried that he sensed the truth. I suspected it was why he barely argued with Dante about caring for me, touching me, holding me. The men had established a tense truce for my sake, and I tried to silently convey my gratitude by accepting their tender caresses without flinching, even when I felt triggered.
Every day, Dante left me alone with Luca while he went out to hunt Antonio. The quiet time with my husband helped me maintain my sanity, but I didn’t truly calm until Dante came home. I only felt secure with both of them watching over me.
Even if my hopes for my sister were dashed every time Dante returned emptyhanded.
He’d been gone a few hours now, and the wait for news about Giana was slowly tormenting me. Only the gentle, lazy patterns Luca traced on my skin kept me sane, grounded to him. I cuddled closer, tucking myself against his chest as I tried to read my favorite romance novel to distract myself. The familiar words blurred before me, and I simply stared at the page as worry for my sister consumed me.
Panic jolted though me at the soft click of the bedroom doorknob turning, and I yelped in alarm, scrambling closer to Luca. His arms closed around me, stilling my frantic movements.
“Dante.” I released his name on a relieved exhale when he appeared in the open doorway.
He strode toward me and cupped my cheek in his big hand, and I turned into his comforting touch without thinking. “I’m here, little bird. You’re safe.” His sharp eyes pierced Luca. “Get dressed. Mattia and Diego are waiting for you in my study.”
Luca’s brows drew together, and he didn’t make a move to release me from his firm embrace. “What are they doing here? They don’t answer to you.”
Dante scoffed. “They were tempted to betray you and join me before Giuseppe turned on us both. They’re your only men who will talk to me at all. You will meet with them and get them to cooperate, along with anyone else who will answer your call. Your people need to see your face and know that you mean to command their loyalty, and I’m not speaking for you. They’ll help us find Antonio and get Giana to safety. Then we can talk about taking our revenge on Giuseppe and the Bratva.”
And what then? I wondered, but I kept the question to myself. Would Dante go back to tormenting Luca once all the other threats were handled? Was he still intent on breaking my husband’s will and crushing his spirit?
“Giuseppe is mine to kill,” Luca growled, his muscles flexing around me.
I remembered how he’d told me that my father had been partially responsible for his mother’s death: she’d died of an overdose, but she’d only become addicted to opioids after Luca’s father had beaten her for having an affair with Giuseppe.
Dante’s eyes darkened. “The old bastard gave my wife to the Russians. I’ll be the one to make him scream. But you’re welcome to take out your own revenge on him too. I intend to keep him alive for a long time.”