Total pages in book: 260
Estimated words: 245483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1227(@200wpm)___ 982(@250wpm)___ 818(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 245483 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 1227(@200wpm)___ 982(@250wpm)___ 818(@300wpm)
But it’s not okay. I killed my father. I murdered him with a knife in the most brutal way imaginable. There was so much blood, so much more than I could have imagined. I still can hardly believe that I did it.
I’m a sobbing, shaking mess, my body trembling and my breath coming in ragged, but Gio holds me tight and whispers gently into my ear. “It’s okay, it’s okay. I have you. I’ll never let you go, princess.”
That’s what I need to hear. Never let me go. I can’t live without him.
After a good hard sob, I’m an exhausted wreck. He releases me as I finally calm down. He wipes my tears and kisses my cheeks.
“You’re safe now, princess,” he says.
I shake my head, not feeling safe or secure at all. I wrap my arms around myself and take in a long inhale, just trying to calm down
“Trust me.” He pauses and looks me in the eye. “You trust me, don’t you?”
“Of course,” I say softly.
I climb off his lap after a few minutes and pace across the kitchen. It’s a large kitchen with a big island in the middle. The tile backsplash is a blue and green geometric pattern, and the cabinets are all dark wood. The appliances are stainless steel. It looks like a normal home. Like a real home.
“Can I have a tour?” I ask, trying to keep my mind off the images. The horrible images that keep flooding through my mind
“Of course. You can do whatever you want, princess.”
I smile, then walk out of the kitchen. He follows me, drink in his hand, ice clinking against the glass.
His living room is sparse, but nicely furnished. There’s a lot of light from multiple large windows and a sliding glass door in the back. I walk through the living room and he lingers behind me, not saying anything. He lets me wander around his home, looking at every little thing. I’m not taking it in though. I’m only distracting myself, and I’m sure Gio knows that. He’s patient though.
I look into his bedroom, at his large bed. There are guns stacked in the corner.
The bed looks so inviting. I strip out of my clothes and crawl onto it, pulling the covers over my body. I look back at Gio, wanting to see his reaction.
I can’t go back to the room. I just can’t.
Gio gives me a small chuckle as he walks over to the bedside. “You can’t sleep in the middle. I need room, too.” He leans down and kisses my forehead, pushing the hair from my forehead.
A sense of relief washes over me, but it doesn’t last long.
“We have to go, princess.”
I look at him with a hint of worry, pulling the blanket closer to me. I don’t want to leave. I just want to stay here and deal with everything threatening to consume me. I’m overwhelmed.
“I have to go see my father.” It takes a moment for his words to sink in. I know his father’s the one who sold him out. Tears prick at my eyes, but the anger keeps them away. “And you need to go to the safe house.”
“And by ‘see’ you mean?” I ask with my eyes on the back wall, and a white-knuckled grip on the blanket.
“I’m going to kill him, princess. I’m going to kill him for what he did to you.” Gio’s voice is low and threatening.
“Don’t leave me,” I whisper. I feel weak, but I don’t want to be left alone.
“I have to do this.”
I look up at him, pleading, “Then take me with you.” I don’t know why I asked. It sounds ridiculous, but the thought of him leaving shreds me.
“I can’t risk you. I can’t.”
“I don’t want you to go.” Tears stream down my face and I grip on to him.
He kneels on the bed and cups my chin in his hand. “My princess, I’ll be back. I promise you. Let me take you to a safe place. I’ll give you a phone, it’s untraceable, but I’ll know where you are and I’ll call you as soon as it’s done.”
My chest pains, clenching in agony. “Please don’t.” The wretched words leave my lips even though I know he’s going to go. There’s no stopping him. This must be done.
He crawls closer to me, the bed groaning from his weight and he holds me close.
I can’t resist the urge to take his lips with mine.
I pull him closer to me, gripping onto him, not wanting him to leave.
“Princess,” he breathes the word, pressing his lips to mine, his tongue slipping along the seam of my lips until I part for him.
He groans into my mouth, pushing the covers away and letting his hands roam over my body.
We’re both covered in blood and filth. But I don’t care. I want him. I need him. I have to have him close to me, consuming every part of me.