Total pages in book: 109
Estimated words: 103878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103878 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 519(@200wpm)___ 416(@250wpm)___ 346(@300wpm)
“Little bit.” She smirks.
“Well then, it seems Cavin may have to wait while I teach you some manners.” I lift her in one smooth motion, then bring my palm down on her arse with a satisfying crack.
She squeals, and I cover her mouth with mine, swallow the sound, and kiss her until we're both breathless.
“Later,” I rasp against her lips. “Later, you and I have a date, don't we?”
She nods. “A date.”
I don’t want to leave her.
“You go downstairs and get something to eat. Aunt Caitlin's been dying to feed you. And I have a feeling my cousins are eager to get to know you a little better, aren't they?”
She sighs. “I will, but… I’m not super social, Ashland.”
“I know,” I say, kissing her cheek again because I can't stop touching her. “And I promise, when this is over, you don't have to be. You can be as social or as antisocial as you wish. Deal?”
“Deal,” she says.
“Good. Okay.”
“Okay. Then take care of yourself or whatever,” she tells me, trying to sound casual, when I can see the concern in her eyes.
I tug a lock of her hair possessively. “Alright. Get on with you before I can't help myself any longer… pin you to this bed, and take you again.”
“Go.” She pokes me in the ribs. “You have things to do.”
I groan and adjust myself as I climb out of bed, cursing under my breath. “Thank you for that too.”
I can feel her watching as I dress. I catch her staring in the mirror's reflection and have to force myself not to climb back into bed with her.
Training with Cavin. Research on Marcus. That's what I'm doing today.
Then I'm coming back to her.
***
The indoor gym smells like sweat and leather… home. It was my sanctuary when I was stalking Bianca, the years I’ve spent here exorcising demons and training for what’s next.
Cavin's already here, wrapping his hands when I walk in. He looks up and grins. “Well, well. The ghost finally appears. Thought you'd gone soft on us, cousin.”
“Fuck off,” I mutter, but there's no heat in it. I’m holding back a smile.
“Brought your girl home then?” He ties off the wrap and tests his fist. “Family seems to like her well enough. Mam won't stop going on about how sweet she is, how polite.”
“Aye,” I say, starting my own wraps. Left hand first, the familiar ritual calming me. “She's perfect.”
“She know you're planning to murder her ex-fiancé?”
I pause mid-wrap and meet his eyes. “More or less.”
“You gonna tell her before or after?”
“After,” I say flatly. “Can't have her trying to stop me.”
Cavin laughs, short and sharp. “Fair enough.”
“You’d do the same.”
“That I would.”
My hands are shaking now, the rage I've been keeping locked down threatening to surface. “So aye, he fucking deserves it.”
“Then let's make sure you're ready.” Cavin moves to the heavy bag and holds it steady. “Come on then. Show me what you've got.”
I don't hold back.
Every punch is Marcus Crowning's face. Every kick is six years of watching her, wanting her, and not being able to touch her. Every combination is the fury of knowing he had his hands on her, that he planned to hurt her, that he thought he could take what's mine.
“Christ, Ash.” Cavin grunts after a particularly vicious series. “Save some for the actual fight, yeah?”
I'm breathing hard, sweat dripping down my spine. “When?”
“How long you think it’ll take before we have what we need? Before he retaliates?”
“Week, maybe two, reckon.”
Two weeks. I can wait two weeks. I've waited six years for her.
“And the research?” Cavin asks. “What do you need?”
“Everything on Marcus Crowning. His movements, his men, his weaknesses. I want to know every place he's vulnerable, especially anything involving Francesca.”
“Already started.” Cavin pulls out his phone and scrolls through it. “Declan's been tracking him. He's got a pattern—seems he visits his accountant every Tuesday, then stops at the same coffee shop after. Alone.”
I frown. “Tuesday's too soon. Need more time to prepare.”
“So we watch him. Learn his habits. Make sure that when you face him, you know exactly how to break him.” Cavin's grin is sharp, feral. “This is what you're good at, cousin. This is who you are.”
Aye. This is who I am.
And Bianca, my sweet, innocent Bianca, with her bright eyes and soft smiles, is mine to protect, mine to keep.
And Marcus Crowning is a dead man walking.
“Come on,” I say, moving toward the ring in the corner. “Let's go another round. I need to be faster, stronger. Need to make sure when the time comes, I don't just beat him.”
“What then?”
“I destroy him.” I climb between the ropes, then raise my wrapped fists. “Completely.”
Cavin follows, bouncing on his toes. “That's what I like to hear.”
We spar for over an hour, and he lands a few good hits. Cavin's always been quick, but I'm driven by something beyond skill or training.