Total pages in book: 38
Estimated words: 35213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 35213 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 176(@200wpm)___ 141(@250wpm)___ 117(@300wpm)
"Good. I hope it fucking falls apart." I'm betting learning the truth about the head motherfucker-in-charge didn't go over well. They'll be cleaning that mess up for a while. Especially since the entire world found out at the same time they did.
Sucks to be them.
"What about the FBI?" Genesis meets my gaze, hers worried. "This isn't going to help keep them off your backs."
"We'll figure it out, tesoro. We always do."
I don't think they'll be as big of an issue as she fears. At least not right away. No one hates dirty cops as much as good cops. Ferreting out and exposing Santorum may have won us a reprieve…at least for now. At least until they find some other reason to want Rafe behind bars and the Valentino empire dismantled.
Eventually, they always find another reason. Eventually, we give them one.
That's just the way this fucking world works.
A yawn tumbles from Genesis's lips.
"Rest, tesoro."
"We should tell the nurse that you're awake."
"We should rest," I correct. "Go to sleep."
"You're so bossy."
"Yeah, and you love me that way."
"Yeah," she whispers, making me smile. "I do."
"What are you doing?" Genesis cries two days later, stomping into my room with her hands on her hips. "Get back in bed."
"No." I drag my pants up my legs, gritting my teeth as my entire upper left side screams in protest. Cristo. I think getting hit bit a car hurt less than getting shot. "We're going home, piccola fiamma."
"You aren't ready to go home, Gabriel!"
"I've been ready to go home since I opened my eyes," I disagree. "You've just been letting these motherfuckers hold me hostage." I shoot her a dark look. "It's payback, isn't it?"
She rolls her eyes. "You're healing."
"I can do that in our bed, tesoro. This one is too small." Half the time, I can't even convince her to crawl into it with me. That isn't working for me. I can't sleep without her in my arms. So I'm fixing the situation. We're going home. I can heal just as well there as I can here.
At least there, I might actually get some sleep. It's impossible to get that in a hospital when someone wakes me up every hour. And then they wonder why we sleep half the day. It's the only time we can sleep without someone constantly annoying the fuck out of us.
"I'm telling Rafe."
"Tell him." I called him an hour ago. He wished me luck convincing Genesis and then hung up on me, laughing. I think my brothers love her. Or they love that she takes no shit from me. Either way, they're firmly on her side in any and all debates.
I don't mind. I only argue with her because pissing her off is my favorite thing to do at the moment. I can't fuck her. Even I'm willing to admit I'm not that healed yet. But I can rile her up and watch her burn.
I'm memorizing every smart-ass thing she says to make her pay for them later.
"Gabriel, you're not going home!" she cries.
I push myself to my feet, slowly stalking toward her. She stands her ground, her fists planted on her hips and her face turned up to me.
"I'm going home, mia vita. I'm going to shower in my bathroom. I'm going to sleep in my bed next to my future wife. And in the morning, I'm going ring shopping. So get your pretty ass in gear and get your shit together. Don't make me say it again." I lean down, brushing my lips against hers. "Now, tesoro."
"Go to…" Her eyes widen on a gasp. "You just said future wife."
"You noticed that, huh?"
"Ring shopping?"
I smile at the way her voice rises an octave. I wrap my hand around her throat. "Mm. Maybe I'll get you a collar instead. One that says property of Gabriel Valentino." My dick twitches at the thought. "It has a nice ring to it, doesn't it?"
Fuck it, I'll cover all my bases and get her both.
"I'm not wearing a collar, Gabriel."
"But you'll wear my ring?"
"Maybe. Depends on what's in it for me," she sasses, fucking with me.
"A lifetime with me, Genesis," I growl. "That's what's in it for you. A lifetime with me."
"In that case, I suppose I'll wear it." She slides her hands around my waist, resting her head carefully against the side of my chest that isn't covered in bandages and bruises. "I am a free woman, after all."
Her conservatorship died a quick, painless death. The judge was already prepared to sign off on the petition to end it before Santorum fucked around and found out. As soon as he decided to go on his little suicide mission against the mafia, the judge signed off on it post haste.
It didn't save him. He's under heavy scrutiny right now.
We lost our foothold on the police department and the courts in a matter of hours. I'm not sad about it. Genesis is free and the world knows her story now. Alexander Santorum died a fucking villain. And she's the heroine of her own life.