Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“Get rid of this one. Bring me another,” he orders.
She bobs her head and walks away from the terrace. I watch her go down the hallway until she steps around the corner and disappears.
“Sit, Gianna,” he murmurs from where he stands by the railing. I pull my chair out and sit at the two-top table that’s made of red and black Mexican tile. As I sit, he takes the chair across from me and then slouches back, studying my face carefully. Every detail of it is absorbed, from my forehead to my nose, and down to my chin. “This is how I expect you to dress around here from now on. Tastefully. Beautifully.” He rolls the last word off his tongue.
I fidget in my seat and look toward the ocean. “This is nice,” I say with a quiet voice.
He gazes around. There is a boat out there, not too far away. We hear its horn blare from a distance.
“Are you hungry?” he asks.
“A little.”
He picks up a black device with buttons on it and presses the green one. Soon, I hear wheels rolling and then the butlers appear. Two butlers come out with rolling carts covered in white linens. On top of them is a load of food—way too much for both of us.
One of the butlers slightly bows his head at Draco as he places white plates down in front of us and then slides the cart closer for us to reach.
“Enjoy, Jefe,” he murmurs in Spanish.
The other butler lingers around with a pitcher of orange juice and milk on his cart. Draco goes for the orange juice. I decide to go for the milk.
“Leave us,” Draco orders and the butler finally takes off, shutting the doors behind him.
When he grabs his food first, I take what I want—a few grapes, some toast with butter and strawberry jelly, and honey-glazed Canadian bacon.
He picks up a slice of the bacon and I notice his knuckles are raw and red. I can tell he wore the brass knuckles again today. Actually, I know he did. They were missing from that weapon wall in his room this morning when I got dressed.
“Did you hit him again? Your cousin?” I probe.
He peers up, chewing what’s left in his mouth before responding. “Got a few punches in. Hoping it will get him to realize how foolish he’s been.”
“You aren’t going to kill him, are you?”
He stacks his spine and then straightens his tie, slightly rolling his neck. “It may seem crazy of me—the stuff that I do to people—but I think I’m a considerably reasonable person.”
I cock a brow, giving him a you’re-so-full-of-shit look. That didn’t answer my question one bit.
He clears his throat. “I don’t know.” He pauses, watching me pop a grape into my mouth. “My cousin has to know that his place is to be backing me up. He needs to know this is serious. Hernandez is dirty and catty. He never should have made a fool of himself by showing up here empty-handed.”
I stop eating. “Why are you telling me all of this?”
“Because you are my woman now. La Patrona. You get to know everything that is going on, even if you don’t like it. I—never had anyone talk me in or out of things. I always made the decisions myself. Besides my father, there was no one to steer me. When I saw you in that cellar and that greasy, fat fuck all over you, I lost it,” he bites out. “You were mine and he was stupid enough to take you anyway.”
I wince, but barely. I think he notices. He studies me briefly before speaking again.
“When I saw it, it made me livid. My woman and this piece of shit—he knew the rules. He knew how badly I did not want you being touched but he touched you anyway. I saw that look in your eye. I was going to drag him out of there and take him back to the cells—torture him for a while and then kill him—but you gave me a look. You might not remember, but it happened, niñita. It was almost like you were telling me to do it. To kill him right there. Right now. You didn’t have to say it for me to know. I knew that was exactly what you wanted without having to ask.”
“I—no. I mean, yes, I wanted him gone, but I don’t remember thinking that.”
“You didn’t have to think it. With shit like that, after what was done to you, you don’t think. You just do. You were in survival mode, and you chose wisely. I wanted you to be the one to end Francesca and Bain. I wanted you to have that glory, but I can’t taint you. Lion never would have let you seek revenge. He’d keep you under wraps—probably let you watch, but he wouldn’t let you lift a finger. He would owe it to you to kill them, so I will do just that. In less than an hour, you will come down to the shed and you will watch me kill them. You won’t run. You won’t turn away. You will watch, and you will know that afterwards, you are safe with me. That what I do to them, I can easily do to the next motherfucker that crosses us the wrong way.” He tips my chin and our eyes hold. “Do you understand me, Gianna?”