Total pages in book: 98
Estimated words: 94915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 475(@200wpm)___ 380(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“I want to be here.” He tilts his head, studying me. “Besides, things are in flux.”
“Have you heard from Jean?”
He nods and looks toward the window. “He’s updating me every hour. Half the guys are injured and the other half are lying low. We need a base of operations, but nowhere’s safe. Not with Pascal still out there.”
I close my eyes and feel sleep tug at me, but every time I think I’m going to finally pass out, another jolt of adrenaline hits me, like I haven’t been able to come down. I’m stuck in fight-or-flight mode and I don’t know how to make myself normal again.
“I’m sorry, you know. For what it’s worth.”
“What do you have to be sorry about?” He stares at me, a slight grimace on his face.
“I just feel like that whole thing was so much worse because of me. You know, if I hadn’t been there, if Kim hadn’t been there—”
“You were there because you’re my wife. Kim was there because I brought her there. If anyone’s apologizing, it’s me.” He leans down and kisses me gently. “But I’m not sorry.”
“You’re not?” My eyebrows raise.
“No, baby. I’m not sorry I married you. I’m not sorry you’re in my life. And yeah, maybe it didn’t work out, bringing Kim to the house. But it made you happy, and I’m not sorry about that, either.”
I snort, shaking my head, but I’m smiling. “You’re a sick man, you know that?”
“I’m looking on the bright side. We’re alive. We’re together. Which means we can still murder Pascal and rebuild.”
“What an optimist.”
“That’s me, looking on the bright side of life.”
“Seriously though, if he’s talking with the Biancos, that’s really bad, right?”
“Depends what the Biancos think.” He kisses me again before standing up and checking his phone. He dashes off a text and paces across the room. “They might see through his bullshit. Or they might decide it’s in their best interests to take his side.”
“Can they really do that much damage?”
He nods grimly. “Yes, my wife, they really can.” He kneels down in front of me and takes my hands between his. “But we’re alive. That’s what matters.”
“We’re alive,” I echo, leaning my forehead into his. “I’m just scared, that’s all.”
“I know you are, but we’re getting through this.” His grip on my hands tightens. “I swear to you, baby, we’re going to survive this, and when we do, you’re going to thrive. I’m going to make you my queen.”
My stomach does twists. That’s all I want—to be his queen, to be his wife in earnest—but right now, it feels like that’s not possible. Not here, not in this city, not with Dusan hunting us and his grandfather trying to finish us off.
“I’ll do anything for you, you know that?”
“I know, baby. All I need is for you to stay here and to stay safe.” He runs his thumb down my cheek and kisses my neck before standing. “I need to make more coffee. We have guests on the way.”
I let him poke around in the kitchen while I think about all the different factions at play here. There’s Julien and Pascal; Dusan and his family; the Biancos and their forces; Ronan and his people. Plus, a dozen other little groups, Capos, squads, related businesses, and more. All these moving pieces whirl around the room and I don’t know if I can keep up with them.
The knock at the door makes me jump. Julien settles me first before answering.
Ronan and Niall enter, both men looking grim. Julien gets them settled at the kitchen table and brings them coffee as I take a seat across from the pair. Ronan looks surprisingly good for a guy that got shot just a couple of days earlier—the bandage on his shoulder is hidden underneath a crisp white button-down and a slim jacket.
He was lucky. The bullet entered his right shoulder, missed his lung by inches, and went straight out his back. All that blood was from the clean entry and exit wounds. Since he got relatively quick medical care, all he needs to do is heal.
“You know, Ronan, you need to get shot more often,” Julien says as he sits down beside me at the table.
Niall snorts. “That’s what I told him.”
“You fought like a beast even though you were bleeding all over the place.”
“Not much of a choice.” Ronan frowns at Julien and leans back, crossing his arms. He looks stiff and moves gingerly. “It’s a miracle we got out of there. All credit to your men.”
“Half of whom are dead at this point.” Julien looks to the side as though he’s remembering something. “I’m guessing Dusan is very proud of himself.”
“Dusan won’t be a problem for long.” Ronan sits forward, his face hard. “That fucker shot me. I don’t take that kindly.”
“I guess if there’s one silver lining to my mansion burning to the ground, it’s that you’re finally coming around to this war.”