Total pages in book: 123
Estimated words: 118965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 118965 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 595(@200wpm)___ 476(@250wpm)___ 397(@300wpm)
It’s a wild card but one I’m betting on. Angelo is too possessive. That’s why he branded me. If he does decide to kill me, he’ll never let anyone else take care of the task. No, he’ll do it himself. Anyone who dares will pay bitterly. That’s the lesson he taught me when he fired Roch for pushing and insulting me.
Nico or Enzo, whichever one of the two he is, considers that quietly. After a beat, the curve of his lips gives him a cruel expression. “You’re not as untouchable as you think you are.”
“Neither are you,” I deadpan.
Something sparks in his eyes, something calculated that I don’t like.
“That may be true,” he says, “but soon, it won’t matter.”
He leaves me with that statement, his laugh following him out of the house.
Chapter
Twenty-Two
Angelo
* * *
The day breaks peacefully over the water as the skipper turns the yacht into the marina at Bastia.
My phone rings in my pocket with the ringtone I saved for Sabella.
I fish the phone out in a second, my heart pounding. “What’s wrong?”
“Nothing.”
Her husky voice washes over my senses. Why haven’t I realized before how much I love the soft, feminine sound of her words?
“I know I’m only supposed to use the phone in case of an emergency,” she adds quickly, “but I couldn’t stand not knowing any longer.”
I soften my tone. “Knowing what?”
“If you’re all right.”
Despite all the shit that’s going down, a smile stretches my lips. “Are you worried about me?”
She doesn’t hesitate. “Yes.”
That may be the sweetest thing she’s said to me. “Don’t worry, cara. I’m fine.”
“Your uncle said you left with the yacht in the storm. I wanted to call last night, but I didn’t want to distract you if you were navigating through a storm.”
I go rigid. “My uncle showed up at the house?”
“Yes.”
“Which one?” I ask, clenching the phone hard.
“I’m not sure. I can’t tell them apart.”
“What the fuck did he want? Did he hurt you?”
“He wanted to know what Lieutenant Lavigne and I talked about. He won’t dare to hurt me. He knows there will be consequences.”
“You should’ve called me.”
“Like I said, I didn’t want to disturb you.”
“You couldn’t be a disturbance even if you tried. Call me, understand? And don’t let anyone except Heidi in the house again.”
“He had a key. He said his son made him a copy.”
Only Toma had a key for the house. It must’ve been Uncle Nico then.
Motherfucker.
“I’ll be home as soon as I can,” I say. “Lock the doors and stay inside.”
“What’s going on? You’re scaring me.”
“Don’t worry, bella. You’re safe. My men are protecting the property.”
“Why?” she asks with a soft gasp.
“Your safety is very important to me.” When she doesn’t reply, I ask gently, “Do you understand?”
“Yes,” she says, but she sounds uncertain. Confused. “What about Lieutenant Lavigne? What happened yesterday?”
“Nothing you need to worry about.”
“Did you—”
“There are things we need to talk about, but we’ll discuss them when I get home.”
“Yes, there are things we need to talk about.” She lets out a shaky breath. “I’ll wait then.”
“You do that,” I say with a gentleness I’ve never felt for another woman. “See you soon, cara.”
When I hang up, the skipper comes over.
“We have a clear weather forecast for the rest of the day,” he says.
I take my gun from the table and stand to tuck it into my waistband. “I need a couple of hours in Bastia. Go on home. I’ll make my way back by car.”
He salutes me. “I’ll leave straight away then.”
Ten armed men wait in three cars that are parked in the street. I get into the back of the car in the front and give the driver instructions.
The sun hasn’t climbed high into the sky yet when I bust Uncle Nico’s bedroom door open and charge inside.
His naked body is splayed out on the bed, the covers thrown aside, and an equally naked Emilia straddles him, riding his cock. She jumps off him and crawls to the edge of the bed, getting tangled in the blankets in her haste to escape.
My uncle pushes up onto his elbows. “What in the name of God are you doing?” He yanks the sheet up to cover his body. “Where are my men? They’re fired for letting you upstairs when I told them I don’t want to be disturbed.”
I saved him the effort. They’re dead.
I don’t miss the fear that passes over his face even as he says with annoyance, “You better have a good reason for barging in like this.”
Emilia grabs a shirt from the floor and pulls it on with jerky movements while eyeing the exit I block.
I take my gun from my waistband, flick off the safety, and point the barrel at him. “I do, in fact. Two good reasons. One, you dared to go near my wife. Two, you betrayed me.”