Total pages in book: 92
Estimated words: 90852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90852 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 454(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 303(@300wpm)
I sighed, already picturing the scene. Once they saw Moni’s sisters they would be adopting and possibly kidnapping them. “I’m sure our aunts will be there. I’ll invite them during the tea ceremony.”
“Be careful.” Duck grinned. “Aunt Suzi claimed to be giving us the silent treatment for the rest of the year then she proceeded to yell at us for an hour.”
I sighed, knowing that I would have to deal with my aunts’ anger eventually. “If only they were truly dedicated to the silent treatment.”
Duck laughed.
Hu grinned.
Chen continued to watch me. “For now?”
I eyed him. “What?”
“Earlier you said that you would need to talk to Marcelo and that it would only be a conversation. . .for now. What does that mean?”
I put my view on the mirror.
The image that stared back at me was one of regality and tradition.
“Lei?” Chen shook his head. “I can always tell when you’re moving chess pieces in your head. If you are going to strategize some sort of move. . .I should know about it.”
I directed my view back to him. “When my father is gone and things settle down in the East, we’re going to kill Marcelo.”
The room fell silent.
Chen’s eyes widened in shock while Hu maintained his usual neutral expression.
Duck’s grin returned, this time more sinister.
When Chen finally spoke, it was barely above a whisper. “How?”
“We’ll have to make it look like an accident,” My voice ran cold and steady. “Like a drowning while on a fishing trip.”
Chen shook his head. “Does he even fish?”
“I don’t know but however we kill Marcelo, we will have to make sure nothing points to the East having any hands in it. I don’t want Banks or Moni to be suspicious.”
Chen swallowed hard. “Or Dima?”
I let out an annoyed breath. “I forgot about Dima and his new little friendship with Marcelo.”
“If you kill Marcelo, Dima will investigate and. . .he is thorough.”
Bolin bobbed his head. “When you killed Chanel’s husband, Dima knew.”
“He didn’t say anything.”
“That’s because Dima didn’t like her husband either but Dima will do more than say something if we kill Marcelo,” Chen chimed in. “In fact. . .it could be a war between the North and the East.”
War with Dima?
I didn’t like the sound of that. Dima had a lot of men and an exorbitant amount of weapons. But the most important and lethal item on his side, was his brain. During many Syndicate conflicts, I’d watched him out-smart the best.
But there was another reason why I didn’t want to fight with Dima.
I frowned. “We cannot have Dima get involved with this.”
Duck nodded. “While we can take the South and the West, Dima could beat the shit out of us.”
“And. . .” I swallowed. “I can’t lose another person in this world that I care about. After Romeo’s and Chanel’s deaths, I could never raise a gun in Dima’s direction.”
The memories of their loss were like scars etched into my soul. They were reminders of the price of power and the fragility of life.
Yet, even as I didn’t want to battle Dima, this intense darkness brewed within me.
I thought about Marcelo—his audacity in telling Moni he loved her—and my whole body vibrated with rage.
Another man coveting what was mine?
In this life, I had been forced to not go after the possibility of love with Chanel and then. . .she was taken away from me.
Now I had Moni, who I was discovering would be the greatest love of my life. . .and here we had this fucking dumbass in the South. . .violating.
Challenging.
I put my gaze back on the sword at my side.
Moni had asked me to be nice to Marcelo and she was right last night about her dedication and loyalty to me.
I owed her good behavior today.
That meant that I would accept her family with open arms.
However, Marcelo’s words had been poison on that phone line. Every one seeped into the cracks of my resolve. The thought of him, daring to confess his love to Moni, made my blood boil and my vision blur with fury.
I should have killed him last night. . .she’s changing me. . .
Going to war with Dima or not, I would find a way to protect our love—and make sure that Marcelo could never speak the words I love you again.
In the end. . .whether I liked it or not. . .I was my father’s son.
I looked at Chen. “Let’s deal with one problem at a time.”
“O-kay.”