Total pages in book: 60
Estimated words: 55792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55792 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 279(@200wpm)___ 223(@250wpm)___ 186(@300wpm)
“What happened?”
“Nothing. We need to leave.” He doesn’t look at me. I wonder if he killed my father, but I don’t ask. I’m not sure I want to know.
I take Judah’s hand and we walk out, leaving my father possibly still chained, awaiting his fate. When we reach the car, my anger at Judah has dissipated and I’m left with the empty feeling of knowing my father will be dead in a few hours.
“How did it go?” Kai asks the moment we slip into the back seat of the SUV.
“Not as great as we expected, but I’ve left him with a task. If he can complete it, I may show him an ounce of mercy,” Judah admits, causing my head to snap up, my gaze landing on his.
“You said he’s going to die,” I whisper while looking at my husband.
He nods slowly before glancing out the window as if lost in thought. When he turns his attention back to me, he answers, “He knows what I’m capable of now, there’s no need to take things to extremes. Also, he may come in handy.”
“Can we trust him though?” Valen questions. “If he fucked over the organisations all these years, he can do it again. And not to mention, you will have the Camorra coming after you if you show any form of mercy to an informant.”
I don’t want to, but I have to agree with Valen. Even though my father has apologised and agreed to do what Judah’s asked of him, there is no way to trust him.
“I’ll have his confession, which will go straight to law enforcement. The Camorra won’t know until he’s behind bars. Killing him would be too easy,” Judah says then, before he glances at me. “The life-long torture that I’ve bestowed upon him for now will suffice. Don’t worry, it’s been handled. Keeping him alive, making sure he’s witness to everything that happens around him is going to ensure he obeys, that he’s loyal.”
“And you want to keep him alive to taunt him for however long he survives?” Val asks, his tone incredulous, but also, there’s a hint of a chuckle that I can tell he’s stifling at the moment.
“I have a feeling that you sent me out of the room for a reason. I want to know what it is,” My voice is tinged with confusion, but also, the demand is there. However, my husband only smiles and his gaze flickers with something I can’t quite pinpoint and all I can do is sit back and sigh.
“I need you to trust me, little spy.” Judah looks at me. I can tell he was serious when he held me close and begged me to trust him. The thing is, I do trust him.
“I’d like to see my father again. To say goodbye.”
“We can go together to get the signed confession from him,” Jude responds. “And then, we’ll head back to Black Hollow before planning our honeymoon. I want to go away somewhere, far from the island. We need to put the past behind us.”
“I thought I would feel more hurt,” I say as the car pulls away and we head to the hotel. “I think I’m just angry.”
“Once the anger fades away, you will feel the heartbreak. It’s not easy to accept someone you think you know is lying to you.” Valen’s words hold more meaning than he’s letting on. “At times, you want to see the best in others, but there comes a point in our lives we have to accept that nothing is always what it seems.”
Nodding, I lean forward and take his hand to give it a squeeze. “But looking back won’t change the past,” I say then. “Once all this is over, we will only look forward.” It’s a small promise. I can’t heal his past heartbreak, but I can love him now until my last breath, and show him that he’s a good person. He’s nothing like the man who raised him, just like I’m nothing like my own father.
STEAL MY BREATH
VALEN
When we get home, the place is surprisingly quiet. Usually there are staff wandering around, or Jordan is here with one of his many female friends.
“I’m thinking about the room downstairs.” Brielle’s voice catches me off guard when I turn to find her walking into the living room where Judah and Kai are relaxing on the sofas.
I flop into the armchair, and we all three look at her, waiting for her to elaborate. She’s still stricken from seeing her father which is understandable. From what I heard there are many more instances where he played God when he needed something done. The first of course was with Emilio’s little sister. Over the years, he took life into his hands, and he toyed with it as if it were nothing but a distraction.