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)
He let go of my arms and cupped my face. I shivered as his thumb brushed over my cheekbone. “I told myself I wouldn’t touch you again.”
“You’re touching me now.” I realized how stupidly obvious my words were and wished I could take them back.
He smiled. “I am.”
“And you want to stop?”
He shook his head. “No, I don’t want to stop, not ever.”
“Then don’t.”
“Is that what you want? For me to keep touching you.”
“Yes. Please.”
He brought his other hand to my face. His gaze focused on my lips, and he leaned toward me so slowly I felt like the world had shifted into slow motion. His lips were nearly touching mine when a shout from downstairs had him pulling back from me.
I heard more shouts, scuffling, and what might have been a muffled gunshot.
Lorenzo glanced toward the door.
“Go help them. I’ll be okay.”
“I’m not leaving you.”
Before I could argue more, the bedroom window exploded as my father rolled through it. He jumped to his feet and pointed a pistol at me, though he kept his gaze on Lorenzo.
Lorenzo’s weapon was trained on my father, but he didn’t seem to care. “Give me back my son.”
Lorenzo snarled. “He’s a grown man. He doesn’t belong to you.”
“He’s my asset to use as I please.”
“Then shooting him makes no sense. He won’t be any use to you dead.”
“And he won’t be worth anything to you either. Fucking a corpse isn’t much fun, unless you’re sicker than I think.”
His gun went off, and I screamed, expecting to feel pain. When nothing happened, I realized the bullet had lodged in the wall just beside me.
“Next time, I’ll go for his knee. He won’t need to walk to be useful to Ivanov.”
Lorenzo took a step closer. “You’re already going to pay for everything you’ve done to him. Don’t make it worse.”
“You can’t win. Drop your weapon.”
Lorenzo shook his head. My father cocked the gun, and I braced myself for agony.
I jumped when Lorenzo’s gun hit the floor.
My father shifted attention to him, and Lorenzo roared as he launched himself at my father. He grabbed my father’s arm, twisting his wrist until I heard a sickening snap, and his pistol fell from his hand.
Lorenzo grabbed him by the shirt front and dragged him through the broken window. My father struggled, but with only one useful arm, he was no match for Lorenzo. I watched as they fought. Lorenzo slowly backed my father to the railing. Then, with a hard shove, he went over. He screamed before a thud signaled he’d hit the ground.
Then I screamed when Lorenzo went over after him. I rushed to the balcony to see if he was okay, but he yelled, “Stay back.”
A man shot at him from behind the shed, and I screamed. My father took off running, and I fought my urge to go back to the edge of the balcony and find Lorenzo. What could I do? I couldn’t save him from bullets, and I’d probably break my leg if I jumped. How had he done that? The landing hadn’t seemed to affect him at all.
The shooter seemed to be covering for my father. Once he’d disappeared from view, the man took off after him. I expected Lorenzo to chase him, but a few seconds later, he climbed back over the balcony.
I rushed toward him, and he pulled me into his arms. “I thought you were going to be killed.”
“The fool working for Dimitri is a terrible shot, and he probably knows better than to kill Remington Theriot’s cousin.”
“I thought you would chase them.”
“Not with you here unguarded.”
“I was so scared. My dad looked crazier than usual, and then you jumped, and…”
He squeezed me tighter. “I know, baby; it’s okay.”
I hurried my face against his next and realized against him. I’d never trusted anyone so completely, but he’d saved me, and no one else ever had.
I jumped when the door burst open. Lorenzo shoved me behind him as he drew his gun.
“Don’t shoot. It’s us,” Dante yelled as Rafe surged through the door.
“Jesus, warn me next time,” Lorenzo yelled
“Are you both okay?” Rafe asked, looking from one of us to the other.
“Yes. Are you?”
They both nodded. “We’ve got two dead men down there.”
“We’ll handle it. Tell me what happened.”
“We heard something outside. When we stepped out, the guards were shooting at some men. Then we were ambushed from another direction by two more Russians.”
“The bodies downstairs?”
Rafe nodded.
“And our men who were outside?”
“They’re looking for the others who got away.”
“My dad? Was he injured?”
Lorenzo nodded. “I broke his wrist. He had that coming.”
I felt a flutter in my chest that he was thinking about me as he fought for his life. Should that make me as happy as it did?
“And he’s banged up, possibly concussed.”
“Good,” Rafe said. “But I wish he was dead.” His eyes widened, and he glanced at me, obviously worried he’d upset me.