Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 91389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91389 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 457(@200wpm)___ 366(@250wpm)___ 305(@300wpm)
I didn’t stop. I should’ve stopped. Skinny let go—Angelo wasn’t dying anymore—but I kept hitting him, over and over. I was terrified Skinny would get up and finish Angelo off and kill me next, but more than that, I was so fucking mad.
The bastards did this to me. They did this to Serena. They tried to take Angelo away. And seeing Skinny with that wire wrapped around Angelo’s throat, I lost my mind. Angelo’s eyes were bulging and blood was running down his throat, and I hated Skinny so much. I felt like I was hitting Tommy too as I bashed Skinny’s skull over and over until he stopped making noise, stopping moving altogether, and I slumped back against the wall gasping for air.
Seamus’s guys found us not long after that. Angelo had crawled over to me and pulled me into his arms, and I hadn’t even noticed the blood on my hands and arms until I got back to his place.
I took a long, hot shower, and scrubbed and scrubbed, but it was like the blood wouldn’t wash away. I kept seeing Skinny curled up on the ground, bleeding from a ruined skull, not moving an inch.
Nobody said anything about it. Not Angelo, not Seamus, not any of the guys, but they all knew.
I killed him. I killed Skinny. I did it to save Angelo, or that’s what I’m telling myself.
Because there was a moment where Skinny was lying on the ground curled up in a ball, a moment when I knew he wasn’t a threat anymore and that I could stop, but I didn’t.
I chose to kill him. I kept on going because I wanted to.
And that scares the hell out of me.
Now Angelo’s gone again with the other men. I wish he were here. The house feels so big and quiet, and I’m going crazy as I pace around the kitchen. I keep calling Serena, but she’s not picking up. It rings and rings, and it tosses me to voicemail. I send her a couple texts, just trying to find out if she’s still alive, and there’s only silence.
Silence filled by the crack of Skinny’s skull and his last pained grunts.
There’s a knock at the door. I flinch, hesitate, but peer through a window. I recognize Angelo’s sister, a woman named Elena. She’s pretty, gorgeous really, and her smile is big and bright when I open up for her.
“You must be Claudia,” she says but she doesn’t move to come inside. “I heard Angelo stashed you here. I figured I’d come over and say hello.”
“Hello. Angelo told me about you.” I hesitate, but step aside to let her in. “Want something to drink?”
“That’d be great. It’s been a long night already.” She follows me into the kitchen. I find wine in the refrigerator and pour two glasses.
“Is your husband with Angelo right now?”
She shakes her head. “Brody’s back home, but he’s Seamus’s brother. I guess my actual brother and my brother-in-law are there.”
“I don’t know how you do it.” I curl up on the couch and she sits on a chair facing me. “I’m so stressed out right now.”
“I can imagine,” she says gently. “I mean, what you went through earlier. That must’ve been hard.”
I stare at the wine and take a long sip. It doesn’t help. “I feel like it’s all happening so fast, you know? For months I was going in to Cage and doing my best to watch out for my sister, and now—” I gesture vaguely into the air.
Now I’m killing people.
“That’s not your fault,” Elena says and crosses her feet under her butt. I like the way she’s sitting. It’s weirdly informal and comfortable, and it puts me at ease in a strange way. “Angelo’s a hurricane right now. He got out of prison and decided to tear everything to pieces.”
“You’re not kidding.” I smile bitterly to myself. “I can’t even say I’m mad that it happened. I think if he hadn’t shown up, Serena would’ve kept on indefinitely with Tommy, and who knows what would’ve happened to her.”
“Now there’s a chance,” Elena says, nodding to herself. “But more importantly, what about you and my brother?” Her eyes seem to sparkle as her brows raise. “From what I hear, there’s a little something going on between you two.”
I clear my throat and change my position, not sure how to handle that question. “It’s, uh, very new.”
“That’s a very diplomatic answer.” Elena’s beaming huge and I can tell she’s loving this. “Come on, be honest. You and my brother are sleeping together.”
“I mean—” I look away, cheeks burning. This is his freaking sister. I’m not going to start talking about our sex life. “There’s definitely something between us.”
“Do you want to be with him?” she asks, which is very direct, and I haven’t even thought that far.