Series: Penny Dee
Total pages in book: 102
Estimated words: 97669 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97669 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 488(@200wpm)___ 391(@250wpm)___ 326(@300wpm)
I roll my eyes. “That’s right, your men will hunt your replacements.” Though I’m certain the stubborn asshole would somehow be able to do it himself from the grave.
He pulls back to look at me, and his eyes linger on me a moment longer as if he’s realizing something taking place inside him.
It’s a loaded look, and I feel every second of it.
I reach up to brush his fringe from his brow, and he catches my hand and presses his lips to my palm.
And under his warm gaze, my heart jumps. “Are we really doing this?” I whisper.
“You are mine, Doc. In every sense of the word. From now on, I’m the only one you have to fear running from because I won’t let anyone else even close.”
My breath hitches because I believe in his power and force.
“What should I call you from now on?” he asks.
I don’t even hesitate as I say, “Leo. Or Doctor Graves.” I make a point to emphasize doctor, like I had in our first meeting. “I’m not that person anymore,” I say, regarding my birth name. The moment I decided to leave that life, I buried her. And I’m grateful to Silas for giving me the strength to take this head-on, so I can protect the woman and life I’ve built here.
41
SILAS
After a week of having Leonore staying with me, I have figured out three things for absolute certainty.
One. I like being around this woman.
Two. She likes to fuck as much as I do. Because every night my little psycho rides me hard, and then in the morning she feasts on my cock with her delectable little mouth like she can’t get enough of me, before casually flicking me off and getting dressed to go to work.
And three. I’m so fucking in love with her it borders on obsession.
Okay, it is obsession.
Despite the short amount of time she’s been in my life, I can’t imagine living without her. These are the thoughts that consume me as I drive to one of my men’s locations, where no one has moved or picked up for four hours.
Usually, I’d take Valen with me, but I’ve since had him close by her workplace at all times when I’m not there. I told her not to go to work, but she absolutely refused to listen to me. I also understand her desire not to let Konstantin affect her in this way. From the information I’ve gathered from Mikhail, Konstantin has very few weaknesses. He has left his city, and I can only assume that soon he’ll make his way here.
I arrive at the pinned location, which looks like an old boat shed on private property. I adjust my jacket as I step out of the car, an ominous feeling fluttering through me.
I pull my gun out and notice the recent tire tracks beside where I’ve parked my car. Though I hear no noise coming from inside, I prepare myself when I open the door. My eyes scan the room for any threat, but there is none.
For a split second, there is only silence.
Then I look up.
“Fuck.”
It’s not loud. It’s not controlled either.
The monster I keep leashed in the dark doesn’t rise slowly this time—it snaps.
Two of my men are strung from the rafters, bodies staged like a message. Entrails spill down in obscene weight, swaying slightly in the still air, blood dripping in a steady beat onto the cement floor. A calling card. A declaration.
My jaw locks so hard it aches. Something hot and violent punches through my ribs, sharp enough to blur my vision at the edges. My hands curl without permission, nails biting into my palms until I force them open again.
Not now.
Not here.
I inhale once. Hard. Controlled on the second breath.
I pull my phone out and call Valen.
“Boss?” he answers.
“Where is Leo?”
He hesitates for a moment. “Umm, she currently has her hands in someone’s stomach and is … smiling.” I can hear the grimace in his voice that floods me with relief.
“He’s in town. Lockie and Tyler are dead.”
“What? I was only drinking with them last night,” he says, shocked. My skin pulls tight over muscle. Which means we’re also being watched, and I suspect Valen’s silence is because he’s thinking the same.
Leo was right. He’s moving fast, and it’s only a matter of time until he tracks her. He most likely already has if he knows to leave a calling card for me like this. If he weren’t coming for the woman I love, I’d say I’m mildly impressed.
“Bring her home. I don’t care if she kicks and screams. Make it happen.” And then I hang up before making another call for cleanup so we can mourn my men properly. My little raven is going to be pissed, but so be it. I’d prefer her misery over her safety anyway.