Total pages in book: 159
Estimated words: 151304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 605(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151304 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 605(@250wpm)___ 504(@300wpm)
Sasha simply returned, “Comfortable,” and Roam smirked at him knowingly. Bleeding Hearts was the hottest joint on this side of town. Of course it did well. We were killing the competition without a blade or gun in sight.
And because I really didn’t like Roam, I threw the words back in his face, uttering blankly, “Yeah. Not bad for the damaged, the reckless, and the mad.”
Roam stilled a moment before his lips stretched into a wide grin. Shaking his finger in my face. “I knew I liked you. And I am rarely impressed. Ballsy as fuck, I tell ya.” He then licked his lips and said, “What do I have to do to get a drink around here?”
Lev muttered an impassive, “Ask for it.”
Roam’s brow rose at the level of attitude from the unbending man. “Whisky neat.”
But Lev did not move. No one did. We waited, and as we did, Roam removed his jacket, revealing his discreet leather shoulder holster and shiny silver piece. He placed his jacket neatly onto the clean bar, then removed his cufflinks one by one, slipping them into his pocket before rolling up the sleeves of the crisp white shirt under the tailored, navy vest.
All eyes were drawn to him, yet my own were trained on the door.
With every second that passed, I found it harder and harder to breathe. The anticipation was killing me.
The sound of approaching footsteps had me straightening. I took a single step forward, and the moment she was pulled in by a rough hand on her upper arm, a coarse sack over her head, I saw red.
My heart beat behind my eyes. The whooshing sound of blood rushing through my ears deafened me. I kept my gaze locked on her as my feet began to move. I walked then marched, and when I was close enough to get my hands on the goon who had his hands on my woman, I put my hands to his shirt, gripped hard enough to rip the material, and let out an abrasive, “Get your fucking hands off of her,” before shoving him away hard enough to make him stumble.
My stance known, the second goon stepped back with his hands up, and the second I looked down at her, I finally began to breathe again. My heart beat off-rhythm, loudly. Reaching out, I carefully removed the sack from her head, and she squinted, blinking away the darkness.
The moment our eyes met, her pretty face went from mad to miserable, and her shoulders slumped. She breathed out, “Vik,” and the entire world fell away.
It was a plea. A prayer. An antidote to the poison she swallowed.
It was everything.
She was everything.
My heart. My soul. My very reason for existing in this shitty, fucked-up realm. And I would be damned if anyone thought to separate us. What we had was permanent. Everlasting. Nothing but death could part us, and even then, I’d spend my afterlife looking for her.
Without Nastasia, life simply wasn’t worth living.
My throat tight. I swallowed past it, reached out, and pulled her into my arms, enfolding her in warmth and safety. Resting my chin on the crown of her head, I spoke low, “I need to hear you say it. Tell me you’re okay, baby.”
“I’m okay,” she whispered back, her hands moving desperately, gripping at my back tightly, grasping anywhere they could reach.
I loathed to ask. “They didn’t hurt you, did they?”
She shook her head against my chest, pressing into me as if attempting to merge us into one single being. “I want to go home, Vik.”
Of course she did.
No problem. Anything she desired was hers.
Roam looked at Nastasia in a way I didn’t like before taking a seat at the bar. “I’ll take that drink now.”
Lev shot Sasha a glance and, at his nod, moved around the bar to pour him a glass.
“We’re leaving,” I announced, and the moment we turned to walk out, I heard him.
“Where are my manners?” I twisted back to see Roam staring down at Nastasia with hooded eyes before he lifted his whisky and uttered, “I hear congratulations are in order. To Viktor.” My confusion apparent, he made a whole show of it, appearing contrite as he shook his head lightly and stated, “Oh dear. I forgot. He doesn’t know, does he?”
Nastasia’s spine turned rigid. I pulled her closer and frowned at Roam. “What are you talking about?”
Nastasia’s weak statement was directed at the man sipping his whisky. “Please don’t.”
But Roam acted as though he didn’t even hear her. “Nastasia is pregnant.” My stomach dropped. “You’re going to be a father.” It fell even lower as he lifted his glass and saluted us with a caustic smile. “Mazel tov.”
My entire body stilled. My heart stopped beating altogether.
No.
I didn’t hear what I just heard. I couldn’t have.
No.
It was a joke. A prank.