Total pages in book: 54
Estimated words: 53428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 53428 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 267(@200wpm)___ 214(@250wpm)___ 178(@300wpm)
A serious expression covered his face.
I blinked and stopped laughing. “Wait. Are you for real?”
“You want to wait?”
“Of course, Santino.”
“Until when?”
“At least a year or two. I want to learn more about you before we bring a baby into this.”
He lazily wrapped his arms around my body and pulled me closer to him. “One year.”
Smirking, I closed my eyes. “Three years.”
“It appears that I need to punish you some more with my cock.”
“Fine.” I opened my eyes. “A year and a half.”
“Hmmm.” He ran his fingers through my hair. “I can agree to that.”
I yawned. “I should have not walked off from the ceremony. I was supposed to officially end it, but I was so fucking annoyed with Gypsy bringing more problems.”
“How are you supposed to end it?”
“I was supposed to say a prayer.”
“Don’t worry. After what we will do to the Coffin Cheaters and any other enemies, there will be time for prayers later.”
I knew that we should rise and at least get in our bed, but I was too exhausted. “Speaking of what we will be doing this week, I wanted you to come with me to meet the Diamond Syndicate tomorrow.”
Santino kissed my forehead. “Oh, I planned to be right by your side, with or without an invitation.”
I opened my eyes and looked at him. “While you are coming with me to the meeting, I would like you to. . .be. . .”
“Silent and not kill anyone?”
I smirked. “For now.”
He winked at me. “For now.”
I let out a long breath and closed my eyes. “Dima, Marcelo, and Lei better have answers for me about Pedro. They also better have some sort of solution for how they are going to deal with the Coffin Cheaters.”
“Oh, they will, my love.” Santino kissed my forehead again. “If not, then I will have a few things to say.”
I sighed again. “Thanks for protecting us.”
“As I told you before, we are forever.” He slipped his finger along my cheek. “You said Gypsy was your ex?”
I tensed. “When we were teenagers.”
“It seems like the heartbreak is still new.”
“Because something is wrong with him. In my mind, our little teenage relationship is a distant memory.”
Chapter 4
A History of Violence
Santino
The next morning, we strode through the mansion, hand-in-hand.
Today I would finally meet these so-called heads of the Diamond Syndicate. I always loved putting faces to the names of the men I intended to eventually kill.
Dima, Marcello, and Lei, your time on this earth is limited.
Next to me, Kashmere strolled with soft, feminine grace and her heels made a whispery sound across the smooth tiles.
I looked at her through half-closed lids and saw a portrait of perfection.
She looked exquisitely dangerous. Her long black hair was intricately woven into a sparkling, red-beaded braid that fell over one shoulder. Her brown skin glimmered with a sinister light. She wore a sparkling red dress that billowed around her silhouette like a cape of flames. Every movement she made was deliberate, sending ripples of power through the air.
She’s mine.
Continuing forward, I tightened my grip on her hand.
All mine.
For now, I would make sure that she solidified her power in the West of Paradise City. Then, I will move like a raging storm, conquering the North, South, and East. Before Christmas, I hoped to wrap those territories up in bows and gift them to my queen.
Kashmere turned my way. “You look delicious today, baby.”
“Don’t I always look delicious?” I winked.
She grinned. “That is a fact, Santino.”
This morning, I dressed with the theme of lethal dominance in a suit crafted from Saville Row—a street in London known for its traditional bespoke tailoring for men.
I only flew to London to grab suits.
This one had come from my last trip there. It had taken the tailor two hundred painstaking hours to be made and every stich was carefully sewn with horsehair so the suit would hold its shape forever.
Twenty feet up, Dane, Rue, and Merik stood like statues in a menacing, ominous line at the front door, their bright red coats blazing like a warning. Their guns were openly displayed in their holsters, shining.
Dane towered over everyone else, his muscular physique standing out like a beacon of power.
Rue looked like some goddess among mortals, glowing brightly with her shimmering red glasses studded with diamonds.
Meanwhile, Merik combed his long beard with his fingers and wore this humorous expression as if he had a funny joke stuck in his head.
I curved my lips into a smile. “Have I told you how much I like your inner crew?”
“No.”
“How did you pick them?”
“Dane came from my sister Chanel’s old team. He was her number three. Before she rose to Chairman, he managed her security team and helped with strategic decisions.”
“Impressive.” I nodded. “And Rue?”
“Rue served as my brother’s number one for five years. She’d proved her loyalty and impeccable work ethic with him, so I grabbed her for my crew.”