Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96714 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 322(@300wpm)
Chapter Nineteen
Ive
Thanksgiving
I didn’t want to invite Ivan, but Charlotte had been insistent. My wife had a way of giving me those sweet eyes of hers that meant she got whatever she wanted, whenever she wanted.
She’d already asked if Cassie and Rage could join us for Thanksgiving. Both had accepted my invitation and I was waiting for Ivan to respond. I knew he changed his plans repeatedly over the years. I was not going to invite any of the other brigadiers.
Charlotte wanted Hubert and Vlad to be there. She had gotten to know my other man quite well over the past few weeks.
For our Thanksgiving, we were not going to be at the penthouse, but home, at my country estate, where I knew she and Michael were already concocting plans. Michael had already asked if I had a problem with him doing not one but two turkeys, as if I cared how many he cooked. Charlotte had told me she wanted to make sure the whole staff got to enjoy the occasion as well. Her ability to care astounded me. I was convinced she didn’t have a vile bone in her body.
My cell phone rang as I was waiting for Charlotte to get ready to leave. We were heading back to my country home today.
“Ivan,” I said.
“You called.”
“You know why.”
I smiled. I didn’t want Charlotte to get worried.
“Well, an invite would be nice.”
Ivan was doing this on purpose, so I winked at Charlotte.
“Charlotte and I were wondering if you would like to spend Thanksgiving with us.”
My wife moved in close. “I’m going to be helping Michael do all the cooking. We’re going to have pecan pie and apple pie, and pumpkin pie. I’m not a big fan of pumpkin but apple and pecan, yum!”
I loved her excitement.
Charlotte brushed past me to head to the bathroom.
“I don’t think Charlotte has ever celebrated Thanksgiving,” I said. We both knew her past and it wasn’t a good one.
“I’ll be there.”
Ivan hung up. He’d been more aloof than usual.
“Is he coming?” Charlotte asked.
“Yes.”
“Will Cassie be riding with us?”
“No, I’m having Vlad bring her.” I had been tempted to drive with my wife and her sister back to my country home, but I didn’t like Cassie. I knew she had probably done everything she could for the young woman, but I couldn’t justify what she didn’t fucking do.
I saw the scars on Charlotte’s back. I didn’t know every single story that had caused each one, but there was no reason for her to have them. I knew her father had been a bastard. He’d hurt Charlotte because he could, there was no other reason for it.
It’s why I couldn’t stand Rage either. He might have been able to stop it and even reduce it, but he didn’t eliminate it. Demon was happy for Charlotte to die at our hands. She’d never had a true Thanksgiving, or a Christmas, not even a Halloween.
I was going to change all of that.
Pulling Charlotte into my arms, I slide my hands down to her ass. I love her ass, the size and shape of it.
“We’ve got to get going,” I said.
“I’m packed.”
This made me chuckle. “You do realize we have everything you need at home.”
“Yeah, but I don’t want to be without them. I’ve got to pee.”
Curiosity got the better of me. Going to her case, I open it up, and I’m surprised to see some of my clothes. There are shirts and pants that I had dressed her in after her sick spell at Halloween. There were a couple of items of her own clothes that she said were the most comfortable.
Zipping up the case, I picked it up and reached out for Charlotte’s hand, which she took. Did she even realize she didn’t hesitate with me?
Pulling her against my side, Hubert waited for us out in the hallway. With my hand at her back, we headed toward the elevator. On Halloween night, Hubert took care of the cleaning after Charlotte was sick.
If I’d not had to take care of some business, I’d have been able to keep an eye on her, and stop her from getting drunk. Hubert had avoided me for a few days after that, feeling guilty for not monitoring my wife better.
Hubert had caught sight of a man dealing out some drugs, but it hadn’t been drugs. No, it had been condoms.
I didn’t like how on edge I was, waiting for either the cartel or the Irish to make their move. I knew they were going to. It was only a matter of time.
Helping Charlotte into the back of the car, I put her case in the trunk and then climb in beside her. Hubert took the wheel, and it wasn’t long before we were out of the city and heading toward my country home.
Charlotte moved closer to me, and I loved this. She wasn’t afraid of me. Even though I had arrived home a couple of times with blood on my shirt. Even though my territory was quiet, in our vacant territory, shit was still going down, and I had no choice but to contribute.