Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73724 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
God.
The sorrow squeezing at my heart is unbearable. I need to arrange Eleni’s funeral. I have to take her back to Athens.
Knowing there’s a mountain of things to take care of, I throw the blanket off and proceed to climb out of bed.
I hold my hand out to Dr. Anthony and demand, “Remove the IV, please.”
His eyes widen, and he quickly glances at Knight, who’s silently watching us.
“You should get back into bed. It’s too soon for you to leave,” the doctor advises.
I suck in a sharp breath, and I’m a second away from completely breaking down when Knight moves in partially behind me and growls, “She asked you to remove the IV.”
The doctor shakes his head as he starts to take the tape off before pulling the needle out of me. “You should at least stay another three days.”
I watch as he places a bandaid over the puncture mark before I say, “I’m having my sister’s body transferred to Athens, so please prepare her for the trip.”
The doctor’s brow furrows with worry. “If you insist on leaving, you at least have to have a check-up every day. You’re in no condition to travel.”
“I’ll be fine,” I mutter.
Considering the subject closed, I leave, but the walk out of the hospital saps my energy quickly, and I’m overly aware that I’m barefoot and not looking my best.
Heading to one of the golf carts so I can get to the other side of the island where the main building and the houses are, sweat beads all over my body, and I start to tremble.
Every alliance member has their own house here. We have a hell of a security setup and a team that keeps an eye on everything happening in the criminal world so we can stay on top of things.
Knight passes me by, and when he sits down behind the steering wheel, I don’t argue. I take the passenger seat beside him and ask, “Can you take me to my place?”
He only nods, and without saying a word, he starts the engine and begins to steer the golf cart along the narrow road that runs between the east and west side of the island.
God, the man is so quiet and intense, I don’t know what to make of him.
I’ve only been on the island a handful of times, and I stare at all the greenery. The air is humid, and within minutes, I’m sweating like crazy.
As we approach the main building where we hold our meetings, the other four members of the alliance come into view, where they’re standing by the entrance.
Maybe they just shared a meal at the restaurant?
One by one, the men look in my direction.
God, I hope they didn’t have a meeting about me.
“Stop near them,” I murmur to Knight.
Fear coils in my stomach because I don’t know how they feel about the attack on my family and whether they’re still willing to be aligned with me.
Santiago is the first to start walking in my direction, and when Knight brings the golf cart to a stop, Santiago frowns at me. “Shouldn’t you still be in the hospital?”
I keep sitting because I’m not sure I have the strength to stand while talking with the men.
“I’m fine,” I say while my eyes dart to Dominik, Leo, and Enzo. All three men have angry expressions, while Santiago is the only one who looks worried about me.
Shit.
My fear increases, and I force strength into my voice as I say, “I assume you’d all like to have a meeting to talk about what happened.”
Dominik nods. “Definitely.”
I lift my chin. “Give me an hour to freshen up, and I’ll meet you at the round table.”
Knight starts driving again, and as I focus on controlling my breathing while my heart hammers in my chest, a thought crosses my mind.
What if Knight is keeping an eye on me for the others?
Jesus.
My eyes flick to his face, which might just as well be carved from stone.
No, that doesn’t make sense. There are security cameras and personnel all over the island.
When the golf cart comes to a stop near my house that Dominik had designed with Asian themes, I’m exhausted with a headache pulsing in my temples.
“Thanks for the ride.” I suck in a deep breath before climbing out of the cart, and as I cross the bridge that spans over a stream, my legs threaten to give way.
The previous times I was here, I’ve always felt a sense of peace, but all I feel now is sorrow.
And fear. So much fear.
I have no idea what to do next. I’m aware of the glaring fact that I have to somehow take control of the organization, but I don’t even know where to start. Besides that, everyone’s numbers are on my phone, which I left at home during the attack.