Total pages in book: 148
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 142939 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 715(@200wpm)___ 572(@250wpm)___ 476(@300wpm)
“So I don’t have to marry that man?” This day keeps getting better.
“Not that one, but when one Frangione falls, another takes his place,” Antonio says. My stomach drops for a second, but then I remember Fernando. He’d never allow that.
“No, Fernando promised I wouldn’t have to marry into that family. Didn’t you?” I turn to look up at Fernando.
“Fernando?” both Angelica and Antonio say.
“He’s holding kittens,” Angelica whispers like we can’t all hear her.
“He’s a good kidnapper, I swear.” I quickly come to Fernando’s defense.
“I think maybe you should come with me.” My sister offers me her hand. Fernando’s words ring loud in my ears.
“I can’t,” I tell her.
“Yes, you can. Can’t she, Antonio? Tell her.”
Antonio doesn’t respond. He and Fernando are in some sort of stare-off.
“He’s not who you think he is, Bianca.”
“He is. He’s my knight in shining armor. He saved me.” I lean in. “He kissed me too.” Angelica’s eyes widen. Probably not the time to tell her about the incredible orgasm.
“You kissed the Butcher!”
9
BUTCHER
Antonio runs a hand through his hair, Angelica stares dumbfounded, and Bianca turns to look at me, her eyes wider than I’ve ever seen them.
“Fernando?” she asks.
“Yes.” I am Fernando. To her, and to her only. To everyone else, I’m the Butcher.
“Why didn’t you tell me?” Her eyes water.
I open my mouth to respond, then snap it shut. There are too many reasons, ones I’m not going to spill in front of Antonio and Angelica. For one, maybe I wanted to be Fernando for Bianca. Maybe, for once, I could be someone worthy of more than fear and loathing. Bianca has been so kind to me, soft, unafraid. I don’t want to lose that. But I see now that I already have.
She takes a step back from me. “Y-you’re the Butcher. This whole time, you …”
Angelica wraps her arms around her. “It’s okay.”
Bianca shakes her head slowly. “You lied to me.”
“No.” I force myself to stay put even though I want to grab her from Angelica’s embrace.
“You did!” Bianca yelps. “You made me think you were some random kidnapper looking for a ransom.”
“I just didn’t correct you.”
“That’s the same as lying!” she cries.
“Fuck.” Antonio pulls his phone out and starts texting, probably to Gilly. “This is a goddamn mess.” He pockets the phone when he’s finished. “Come on.” He jerks his chin toward the front door. “Let’s let the girls talk while we get some air.”
The last thing I want to do is walk away from Bianca. I itch to pull her into my arms. She needs me, not her sister.
“Butcher!” Antonio snaps.
“Go.” Bianca turns into her sister’s embrace as Angelica glares at me.
“Bianca, I–”
“She told you to go.” Angelica’s voice is lower now, deadlier, and her eyes could bore a hole into me.
Fuck. I’ve fucked it all up. With heavy steps, I follow Antonio out onto the porch, the wind blowing leaves onto the driveway as he leans against one of the supports.
The door clicks closed behind me, and I’m grateful that Bianca didn’t go running. She’s still here. She’s still somewhere I can keep and protect her. But now I have to get rid of Antonio and Angelica–problem is, neither of them seem inclined to leave us alone.
“What the fuck were you thinking?” He lets out a long sigh, his back still to me.
“I wasn’t.”
“No shit.” He turns. “No fucking shit. You just disappeared. I didn’t know where you were. Gilly was trying to track you down. Then we had a fucking army of Larones and Frangiones on our doorstep.” He throws his hands up. “I got fucking shot. And where were you?”
For the first time in a long, long time, guilt washes over me. I left my friends high and dry while I went off on my own, half-cocked and with no plan whatsoever.
“So I’m going to need you to explain to me–right fucking now–what the hell you’re doing with Bianca Larone held captive in your house. Because if you don’t, Angelica may walk out here and tell me to kill you.”
“You could try,” I growl.
“If she told me to, I would.” He stares back at me, dead serious.
“If she wants a dead husband, sure.”
He shakes his head. “This is going nowhere. Explain what the fuck you were thinking so I can give her some sort of plausible explanation.” He glances at the door. “Because if Bianca says you’ve hurt her in any way, it’s going to go badly for both of us.”
I lean against the wood siding and rub my temples. “I don’t know what I was thinking.” I reach back into my memory of when I first saw her. “I was at the house. Angelica was doing Skype or whatever with her. Then I just … It’s like I snapped. Not like I do when someone pisses me off by trying to pass off bullshit information when they’re under my knife. It was different. Sort of like something in here”–I tap my temple—“or here”–I tap my chest over my heart—“clicked. After that, I just went into motion, and I didn’t stop until I’d kidnapped her and brought her here.”