Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 40446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 40446 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 202(@200wpm)___ 162(@250wpm)___ 135(@300wpm)
“You’re just dropping all kinds of bombs, ain’t ‘cha.” I still held the phone to my ear but had to lean against the bathroom vanity on my other arm. Otherwise, I’d probably throw the satphone through the fucking window and go after Giovanni and kill him to death.
“That ain’t the half of it, but you’re gonna have to get the other shit from Venus. As to why I gave her those contacts? They also allow me to not only keep an eye on her, but if I need to, I can access the chip in her contacts and see what she’s seeing.”
“You son of a bitch,” I breathed. “Does she fuckin’ know?”
“It didn’t seem like something she’d approve of, so no. She doesn’t. Besides, have you told her how long you’ve been following her?”
“Gio…” The threat in my voice was clear. Even for someone as dangerous and cunning as Giovanni.
“It was for her own good. All of it. I can send her help if she needs it, though admittedly she’s never needed it. The woman is… special. She’s built for killing.”
“Tell me something I don’t fuckin’ know.”
“How about this? You need to get away from Kiss of Death. They’re too secluded. Bohannon and Torpedo haven’t gotten all the infrastructure set up to protect them from a threat like Zaitsev. They don’t have backup from another club. My suggestion would be to get her back to Grim Road or Salvation’s Bane. In fact, I’m letting Thorn know to expect you and to get the other two clubs ready for trouble.”
“Other two? You really think we need to involve Black Reign? Bringing in El Diablo just opens up a whole other subset of problems.”
“I do. Zaitsev is not like any threat you’ve been up against.”
“I’m aware of how dangerous he is. I assume this is all about his daughter, Katya. Does Zaitsev not know where she is?”
“No. Millie got the trackers out of that girl when they first rescued her. Since she went to stay with Millie and Shadow at the Bones compound, Shadow has done his best to keep a low profile for all three of them. Occasionally Millie takes a job for Cain with ExFil, but they’re careful not to put her on the radar. Until you kill Zaitsev, the safest place for Venus is anywhere Katya is not.”
“If that bastard’s able to keep tabs on Venus, why is he just now coming after her? It’s been a couple of years since they rescued the girl.” I was rapidly getting a headache. There was so much to do I didn’t know where to start.
I heard Giovanni exhale a long breath before he said anything. “If I had to guess, I’d say he’s found someone willing to train the girl.”
When he didn’t elaborate, I had to bite my tongue to keep from snapping out an order for him to spill it. “Gio, you’re gonna have to give me some more information. I can’t read minds and I don’t like playing games. Train her for what?”
“Not now. Get Venus back to Salvation’s Bane, and we’ll talk. I’ll meet you there.” The line went dead.
I felt like I’d just been run over by a steamroller. There was so much to unpack in this conversation I didn’t know where to start. A quick glance at Venus told me she was still asleep. My heart softened as I looked at her.
She’d drawn her knees up to her chest and tugged the comforter around her. All that pink hair fanned out around her like a punk halo. She even looked younger, relaxed in sleep. Sure, I’d seen her asleep many times over the years. But never like this. She was out cold. Made me puff out my chest just a little in pride. If she didn’t trust me, there was no way she’d sleep so soundly. No matter how much I wore her out with sex. Yeah. I was fucking proud.
With a smile, I slipped back into bed, pulling Venus into my arms. More than anything I wanted to fuck her again. This time, I’d go slow. Appreciate her battle-hardened body. Taste her nipples and sweet pussy like I wanted to. Feast on her…
“Wass dat?” Her words were slurred and not very coherent, but I got the gist.
“Giovanni. He wants us to head back to Bane territory.”
She was quiet for so long I thought she’d gone back to sleep. Then she grunted as she pushed herself up. Her hair was in her face, and she used her hand to brush it out of the way so she could see me. “Now… what?” She still sounded sleepy, but I could see the awareness in her eyes as she looked down into my face.
“We’ve got a lot to discuss, but he says Zaitsev is tracking you.”
That got her full attention. Instantly, all appearance of sleep vanished. “Explain,” she snapped.