Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 92702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 309(@300wpm)
“Fine,” I reply because there’s no way around it. This is the last thing I want to do, but it’s a means to an end.
“We’ll see you there in half an hour. And don’t get any ideas. Elena is counting on you. I don’t think I need to describe the amount of damage that can be done to a woman’s body in a mere thirty minutes.”
“You just remember how easy it would be for me to hurt that little wife of yours.” He ends the call, and I do the same, trembling with rage.
“Everything all right?” Prince asks, guarded.
“Just about.” I stare down at my phone, then look up at Elena. “He wants us to bring Alicia.”
“He would.” He snorts. “Like a rat, always looking for a way to save his ass. I almost admire him for it.”
“I’m going to need you to make it your mission to protect her.”
“You know I will.”
“No,” I snap. “Swear it. You will protect her tonight.”
His brows draw together when he frowns. “I will. I swear it.”
That’s all I have to hang on to as I climb the stairs, then knock on Alicia’s door while Prince handles the logistics of this meeting. As I swing the door open, it occurs to me that I don’t normally knock before entering. One of the small things that have shifted between us.
She jumps up from where she is seated on the bed, still fully dressed in her dinner attire. I wonder if she’s sat frozen like this since I left her in here. “Well? What happened?”
“Alvarez took the bait,” I murmur, noting her bright eyes and flushed cheeks. She’s in the moment with me, going through it by my side. This is the sort of wife a man in my position wants. She cares deeply and wants what’s best for the family.
She heaves a sigh of relief. “That’s great. I was worried he’d try to call your bluff somehow.”
“But…”
“But?”
“He wants you to come along to the meetup. That was one of his conditions.”
What did I expect? For her to break down crying? To beg me not to put her through this?
If I did, I should have known better. That’s not her way. She rolls her shoulders back, her lips set in a smirk. “Of course, he did. Why not use me as a human shield while he’s at it?”
I don’t think I’ve ever admired her more than I do now. “I don’t want you getting upset. This could be dangerous.” I place a hand over her belly, though my words more than likely convey the message without the addition of my touch.
“I understand, but you need to do this. I’m not going to hold you back.”
I could be snide now. I could make a comment about my child giving her extra strength and fierceness, but that would be disingenuous. She was already fierce, strong, and willing to stand up to me time and again. What once frustrated me most of all about her now fills me with pride.
Rather than take her here and now, I give her a firm nod. “Let’s go.”
27
ALICIA
“You know if anything happens to her, I’ll fucking kill you.” Enzo stands face-to-face with Prince after they load Elena into the back seat of the car. She’s awake but still a little groggy. I remember that feeling. This is bringing everything back to me in vivid and almost sickening detail.
Right down to being dragged into a meeting with Josef Alvarez. The first time, that meeting never happened, and Prince was nearly killed. This time, somebody Alvarez actually cares about is involved, so I doubt things will go exactly that way.
But I don’t doubt he’ll try to throw a curveball somehow.
It’s no secret Enzo feels the same way, which is why it’s killing him to have me along for this.
Prince doesn’t back down, merely nodding at Enzo’s threat. “I know. She’ll be fine. You have my word on that.” I’m not sure it’s enough for me, but it seems to be enough for Enzo. I’m going to have to trust him on this.
Now to get over the final hurdle, the one last thing I was dreading: having to get in the car and face my so-called friend. I have to remind myself there’s nothing for me to feel guilty about. In the end, she’s going to be fine—nobody wants to hurt her. She’s only leverage. I don’t feel quite as bad when I remind myself of that.
And when she hits me with an absolutely filthy stare, all I have to do is remember how obvious she was about trying to seduce my husband right in front of me. That helps a lot, too.
She’s staring daggers at me by the time I buckle myself in. “How could you do this to me?” she hisses as the men get in the front seat.