Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 108119 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 541(@200wpm)___ 432(@250wpm)___ 360(@300wpm)
I guess it made sense.
I’d always dreamed of an escape.
I just didn’t realize mine would be death by the very monster who saved me.
“I’ll be okay. No matter what, Andrei. I’ll be okay,” I promised.
He kissed my back, his hands spread wide across my skin. “I’ll follow you.”
“No.” I shook my head. “You won’t.”
“I will.”
“Don’t ruin these last moments we have together by saying something like that.” I almost turned back around, but he had me pinned down with his body weight. “Don’t. I can’t bear it.”
“Tears.” He swiped them with his fingertips as I turned my head to the side. “You shouldn’t shed your tears for a man like me.”
“Someone should, Andrei. Someone should shed tears for a man like you. You have years’ worth of unshed tears, unfulfilled promises — let me decide who I’ll sacrifice my tears for.”
He pressed a kiss to my shoulder. “I will love you forever.”
I squeezed my eyes closed as more tears slid onto the pillow.
And then he was inside me, causing me to come up from the bed in pleasure as he pressed my hands down against the mattress, he was wild in his passion.
His hands bruising my wrists.
His body heavy and perfect against mine.
I would remember this for as long as I still had breath.
And I would be thankful that I was given at least a few short moments of perfection.
I could feel the intensity of this moment as it built up between us, as he whispered my name like a vow.
“Andrei,” I whimpered. “You’re my everything.”
“Alice…” He let out a growl. “You’re my fucking soul.”
CHAPTER FORTY-SEVEN
Phoenix
There weren’t enough curse words on the planet for what was about to take place.
It was early, around seven a.m. when I got the call I was expecting.
I drove, with my hands gripping the steering wheel like a vise, and when I made it to Nixon’s and saw all the nice cars parked — the suits; the what seemed like hundreds of suits…
I questioned my own judgement.
I was helping bring down my old family.
I was helping build a new strong arm of the five families.
This was what it was about.
Because at the end of the day it wasn’t just about a love affair for Andrei, it was about keeping my blood safe, my friends, my family, my wife, my child.
I would not apologize for that.
For using the knowledge I had to force their hands.
To force his.
I slammed the door to my car and casually made my way into Nixon’s. Wine was already on the table despite the early hour.
Several black suits seemed out of place against the old Mediterranean style furniture. A sea of them, all waiting for me, waiting for the final call. Everyone was tense, rigid in their posture despite the wine that was waiting on the table. I imagined half of the men in there had twitchy fingers ready to reach for their guns, I also imagined that this was the moment that would define the next generation. And if it failed, if he failed, it would be on me.
The rest of the guys gave me a knowing look, probably because I wasn’t surprised. I had, after all, made the call to the Sinacore family.
And there they were.
The underboss, who had stood in for the last decade, because it was said that he would stand in until the rightful heirs took their place, he refused to step up regardless of the outcry to be named boss. He was surrounded by a few of his made men and captains.
“Drinking already?” I nodded to the bottle. “Must have been some flight.”
Louis Sinacore, the underboss gave me a placating smile. “Where is he?”
“Probably sleeping like everyone else at this godforsaken hour,” Tex said under his breath.
Louis said nothing. Tex was still the Capo; even the Sinacores reported to him, and even more so now that they weren’t in Sicily.
They were in the US.
They were of equal power to each of the families in the Cosa Nostra. The only difference was the blood that ran through their veins.
It was ridiculous that people would think they held extra power just because they hailed from the last living royalty in Italy, but people were superstitious. Not just that, they wanted something to believe in.
Needed it.
And the Sinacore Family had given it.
“Phoenix,” Nixon said through clenched teeth his lip ring glistening in the early morning light. “Care to explain why we have visitors?”
“Sure,” I said slowly. “I made a call.”
“Obviously.” This from a tense looking Chase.
I sighed and crossed my arms. “The De Langes were working with the Russians, with Alexander Petrov, with Ivan, one of his last men. They re-opened their prostitution rings. Three of them. They went back on their word, we’d given permission for Chase to do a cleansing of the lines, but we weren’t going to eliminate all of them, it made no sense at the time, we just wanted them to believe we were going to in order to keep them in line.” I swallowed. “And now…”