Total pages in book: 55
Estimated words: 54899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 274(@200wpm)___ 220(@250wpm)___ 183(@300wpm)
“So did you,” she insists. “You were shot. I hurt you so badly. But you survived. You did what was necessary, too.”
I’m not ready to accept it, but I’m selfish enough to nod my agreement.
I’ll do anything as long as she keeps touching me so tenderly.
I won’t risk driving her away. I’ve given her this one opportunity to choose to leave me, and she didn’t take it.
She’ll never escape me now.
15
KAROLINA
Finding out that Brandon was an assassin doesn’t change my feelings for him.
Maybe that’s crazy, but I can’t deny the love that still swells in my heart when I look deep into his familiar blue eyes.
Finally, there are no more secrets between us.
He was scared to tell me about what he’s done, but he was even more afraid to tell me about the horrors of his childhood.
He thinks his blood is tainted; he thinks he’s inherently evil.
I’ll prove to him every day that he’s not a bad man.
Yes, he’s killed people, but they were all criminals. They would’ve hurt others, and he stopped them.
The same way he stopped Shirley and Charlie from abusing more children.
I can’t hate him for that.
I still love him, despite everything.
The words tease on the tip of my tongue. I’m almost ready to declare my feelings for him out loud, but there are still matters to resolve before we can truly start our lives together.
His enemies are still a threat to me.
It all makes so much more sense now.
He’s more than just a brutal underground MMA fighter. If he was an assassin, of course he made enemies.
Brandon’s phone rings, and he picks it up from the nightstand. Ghost’s face fills the screen.
“If you’re done fucking each other’s brains out, I have an update for you.”
Brandon growls. “Don’t talk about Karolina like that.”
“I could hear you from down the hall. There was a lot of screaming. For a minute there, I thought I’d have to bust into the bedroom with my gun.”
I cover my face with my hands.
How embarrassing.
“Stop talking, or I’ll make you stop,” Brandon warns.
“You’ll have to come down here if you want to fight me. But I think you’d rather fight Costa. I located him.”
Brandon sits bolt upright, eyes flashing with vicious triumph. “I’ll be right there.”
He ends the call and kisses my forehead. “I’ll be back once I talk to Ghost.”
I climb out of bed along with him. “I want to know what’s going on.”
His lips purse with displeasure, but he doesn’t argue. He knows better than to try to keep things from me now.
We both get dressed and hurry downstairs. Ghost is in the opulent study, seated at an antique mahogany desk. He’s set up three laptops.
He described himself as the world’s best hacker.
I’m still wrapping my head around this underworld Brandon has been living in for the last five years. It barely seems real, despite his confession about Ragnarök.
“Where’s Costa?” Brandon demands as soon as we enter the room.
Ghost swivels around in his chair, blond brows raised. “Hello to you, too. It’s like you don’t even give a fuck that I dropped everything to come to England and save your ass. A little gratitude, Ragnar.”
“It’s Brandon.” He corrects his friend tersely. “And thank you.”
Ghost lets out a low whistle, and his eyes flick to me. “I never thought you’d come to your senses and tell her everything. I hope this means you’ll be less angsty from now on.”
I thread my fingers through Brandon’s in a show of solidarity. I don’t mind that Ghost is ribbing him a bit, but I’ll stand by my man.
“Tell me about Costa,” he insists. “Where can I find him?”
“He’s staying at a historic house in the Yorkshire Dales. He brought security with him, but nothing you can’t handle.”
It seems Ghost is confident in his violent skillset.
It doesn’t bother me as much as it should.
I don’t want Brandon to get hurt. It’s a good thing if he can handle himself.
“You have an armory here?” his friend asks.
“Of course. And a safe room.”
Ghost nods. “I remember that. I set up the safety protocols, remember? I’ll get your girl there if anything happens while you’re out taking care of Costa.”
I clear my throat. “My name is Karolina, and I’m standing right here. I want to know what’s going on, too. I’m involved in this conversation.”
He grins at me. “I knew you’d be good for Ragnar. He needs someone bossy to put him in his place.”
“And his name is Brandon,” I remind him coolly. “I don’t like these aliases, Logan.”
His jaw drops for a moment, then he glares at Brandon. “What the fuck? You told her my real name?”
“I’m not keeping any secrets from Karolina anymore.”
“That wasn’t your secret to tell.”
I wave away the argument before it can truly start. “Who is Costa? Is that the man who threatened me at Brownie Bakehouse?”