Total pages in book: 70
Estimated words: 68192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 68192 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 341(@200wpm)___ 273(@250wpm)___ 227(@300wpm)
“How good is someone in your line of work supposed to be?”
“We’re not like your father or his friends. Sure, we don’t follow the law all the time, and we’ve been involved in some bad things with bad people, but we don’t hurt anyone like you. We would never hurt our family. We would never sell off our family.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll talk to them.”
I wanted to keep him all to myself, but I knew that would never work. “I’ll be right back.”
“I can come out there if you—”
“No. You’re tired. You stay where you are. They can come to you.”
He sighed. “I’m not an invalid. I just—”
“I said stay in bed.”
“You’re fucking bossy. Does that come from being the oldest?”
“Yes and no, but I’m only bossy with those I care about.”
He sucked in his breath, and I rushed out the door. What the fuck made me say that?
14
NIKOLAI
Had he really said that? I stared at the door long after Lorenzo had retreated through it.
People he cared about. He cared about me. That was what he’d implied, but I was sure it was just my health and because he blamed himself for my father attacking me. Lorenzo was a decent person, so of course he’d feel empathy for me. His caring didn’t mean anything else.
Just because I’ve been half in love with him since the first time we met didn’t mean he felt the same way or that he ever would, even if we had months to spend together instead of days. I had to stop imagining anything would happen between us other than him protecting me and finding me a safe place to go. It would help if he didn’t look at me like he wanted me as much as he had that night.
Lorenzo knocked softly on the door. “Is it okay if we come in?”
“Yes.” I hoped I’d spoken loudly enough. My throat was sore from all the crying I’d done, and I was nervous as fuck.
When Lorenzo walked in with his brothers, I realized how unprepared I had been to see the three of them together. Lorenzo wasn’t joking when he said Dante was just as hot as he was. Both of the other men were beautiful as fuck, and they were all three different enough that they might appeal to different men or women. If I had to be around all of them for long, I might melt into a puddle.
“I’m Dante.” The tallest one of the brothers stepped forward, holding out his hand. Somehow, despite wearing a black T-shirt and black cargo pants, he still looked like a professor, the kind everyone in the class has a crush on. His dark hair was thick, and it looked so soft where it curled over his forehead.
I shook his hand and managed to say, “I’m Nikolai.”
The third man held out his hand. “I’m Rafael, but call me Rafe.” His well-trimmed beard and the tattoos on his arms would’ve had me salivating if Lorenzo hadn’t been there. He was the shortest of the three but also had the broadest shoulders.
“Stop flirting,” Lorenzo ordered.
Rafe laughed. “I’m just introducing myself.”
“It’s nice to meet you both,” I said.
Dante grinned. “Don’t let on that it’s too nice, or we’ll be in trouble with our big brother.”
“Get started patrolling the house. I’ll join you in a few minutes,” Lorenzo waved them toward the door. “Keep alert. Shoot anyone who looks suspicious or acts suspicious or approaches the house.”
I sucked in his breath. “Oh my God.”
“We don’t take chances,” Rafael said.
“What if it’s just someone who wants to sell something or…”
“It won’t be, sweetheart. It’s the middle of the night, remember?. The only people who would come here now are people we know or someone your father sent after you.”
Right. What was I thinking? No one knocked on the door randomly at 1:00 a.m. “You really believe he’ll come for me? He hates me. Why would he bother?” Even as I said it, I knew. I knew it was wishful thinking. He didn’t care about me, but he cared a hell of a lot about money.
“He took money from Ivanov and promised him you as a groom for his daughter and—” Lorenzo growled. “I won’t even say it. Dimitri doesn’t have what he owes, so he’s going to come get it. If he doesn’t bring you to the wedding, he knows what will happen to him. Ivanov doesn’t leave loose ends.”
“My father doesn’t either.”
“He won’t get to you. He’d have to come through me to do it.”
“Why don’t you stay here with Nikolai,” Dante said. “Rafael and I can take care of patrolling the rest of the house. Nikolai should have someone here as a last line of defense.”
Lorenzo studied him for a moment. “I think it’d be better to have us all on lookout.”