Total pages in book: 133
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 122440 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 612(@200wpm)___ 490(@250wpm)___ 408(@300wpm)
—
Harlow sat in the swing chair, rocking slightly, allowing the peace of the night to enfold her. It was a beautiful night, the sky shades of deep blue and purple. A slight breeze fanned her, lifting the hair around her face and whispering over her skin. She needed the serenity of her beloved Sierra. She knew Wilder wouldn’t be happy with the confrontation in the studio. He definitely wouldn’t be happy that they had been forced to interrupt whatever important mission he had agreed to do.
And she did feel a teensy bit guilty that Zahra had been put in Falcon’s van. That was going to be an interesting story when Zahra told it to all of them. She had to admit the guilt came from the amusement she felt every time she thought of Falcon having to face Zahra’s wrath. She might be small, but like Raine, she was mighty. The men were used to getting their own way. She was fairly certain Zahra had a lot to say when they finally released her.
She sighed as she saw the lights of his truck moving up her drive. Wilder had texted her that he was on his way home. He’d told her to go to bed if she was tired, but there had been no way to get to sleep. For one thing, she wanted to tell him the things Guadalupe and Salvadore had revealed to her. She found she actually looked forward to sharing.
Mostly, she was extremely happy that he had once again come through for her when she needed him to. He’d proven his loyalty to her and his awareness of what was important to her.
He parked the truck and slipped out. She found him breathtaking. She always would. That first sight of him seemed to rob her of breath. It had been that way from the very start. She studied his face. He looked tired. But there was no anger on his face as he walked up the steps of the porch to stand in front of her.
She flashed him a welcoming smile. “I’m so glad you’re home.”
“Me too, mon rêve. It’s been a long day for both of us.”
She nodded. “I’m sorry that I had to have Larado interrupt whatever you were doing. I just needed you to find us a solution. I’m so grateful that you did.”
“I appreciate the trust, Harlow. You do realize you were in a very dangerous situation.” He made it a statement without judgment.
She nodded as he took the seat beside her. “I sent the text to Larado…”
“Late. He was already in position. We had far more alarms than Delgotto found and dismantled. He did have an entry point to the studio we didn’t know about, thanks to Guadalupe. My men were already in position. They followed him into the studio using the same entrance.”
Wilder hadn’t been in her studio, but Larado had probably given him a blow-by-blow account. She knew Salvadore had thought he’d dismantled all security cameras, but he was wrong. Wilder and Rainier had destroyed the footage. She was certain both had viewed it from every angle multiple times. She knew they had been protecting her, but she liked to think they were protecting Salvadore as well.
“Guadalupe makes me so sad. Their lives were so screwed up thanks to the senator and my mother. Salvadore avoided talking about them for the most part, but when he did, I could feel the rage in him. That hatred runs deep. Honestly, Wilder, I can’t blame him.”
“I can’t say I don’t understand because I do,” Wilder admitted. “I felt that way toward my father and his men.”
“I appreciate your understanding so much.”
“I knew both of you needed a sit-down. If he didn’t get one, he was going to keep coming back or I was going to have to kill him. I don’t want a war with the Delgotto Cartel. And I don’t want you to have to get up every morning and go to bed every night knowing I killed your brother.”
She didn’t want that either. “I’m not going to pretend that I wasn’t afraid when he first showed himself. I saw Misha on the floor and thought he’d killed her. Guadalupe was so certain he was going to kill me. I did send the text to Larado at that point, but I hadn’t gotten my gun from the drawer and loaded it.”
“We’ll be addressing that at some point. Larado should have been kept informed. He was your security and responsible for you.”
She sent him a quick look from under her lashes, hoping her atrocious sense of humor wasn’t showing. “Since he was already watching my every move, I’d say he was probably better informed than I was.”
A slow smile curved his mouth, but she noticed it didn’t reach his eyes. “When it comes to your security, woman, I’m not going to compromise. Or apologize.”