Total pages in book: 190
Estimated words: 185785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 185785 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 929(@200wpm)___ 743(@250wpm)___ 619(@300wpm)
She takes a shaky breath.
“And then when you smashed my grandmother’s doll out of spite, knowing how much I loved it, how much I missed her and how it was the last thing she ever gave me? That was the last of it. Cold hard truth stared me right in the face. When you smashed the wall beside my face and then told me days later that you should’ve hit me since I was acting like you did? I was already done at that point. You did beat me. Emotionally. I was your emotional punching bag for well over two years, Ray, and I’m done. I’m so done.” She stops, glares at him, and delivers her parting shot. “I don’t love you. I haven’t loved you in a long time. Loving you took so much from me and I want it back. I want me back.”
Damn. I want to kill this guy. I want his blood seeping into the earth.
“You paid Killian back his money, which is good, though I have no idea where you came up with it, but that’s on you. Not me. I don’t know; and really, I don’t care. I don’t ever wanna see you again. If you come near me after this, I’ll file a restraining order. You thought you lost me temporarily to gambling in Atlantic City, but you lost me a long time ago. We’re done. Have I finally made it clear enough for you?”
Ray lifts his chin and stares her in the face with a glare. He glares at her not like his heart is breaking, it’s like he’s turning to stone. He wants to hurt her, and the expression on his face, the curl in his lip, the way his fists are clenched has me ready to rip his fucking head off.
I reach up for my gun and am about to pull it from the strap, but Violet’s voice interrupts me.
“Killian? Can we end this now, please?”
My eyes meet hers and I see how ready she is to be done with this. My eyes move to Iadanza.
“You paid me, Ass-wipe. You’re off that hook with me. But she doesn’t wanna be with you; you need to respect that. You be gone from her apartment tomorrow and you stay outta her life. You don’t, I’ll make you sorry. You leave her be or I’ll be your worst nightmare.”
He bares his teeth, but his eyes are aimed at her, not me.
Fucking piece of shit.
I raise my voice. “Think of me as Violet’s attack dog. One word from her or the barest notion you’ve fucked with her, I attack. Anything happens to her, I attack. Tell me you get me, or I attack here and now.”
“Yeah. I get you.” He stomps out but looks over his shoulder at her with a hateful glare that chills my blood. The hate coming at her surprises me. That he would look at her like that? I know what she’s said about him, but to see him react like that with her? I really don’t fucking like the way it makes my gut feel. And there’s another thing that’s crystal-clear right now. Iadanza is not afraid; he’s got some false confidence right now.
Tony jerks his chin at me from the hall.
“Shut the door; I’m good,” I say and give him a hand signal I know he’ll recognize.
He nods and closes the door.
Violet tries to get up off my lap, but I grab her and hang on.
“It’s over. Yeah? It’s all good.”
She begins shaking.
“You did good, baby. I’m proud of you.”
She starts bawling; she buries her face in my neck and I wrap my arms tight around her, smelling her hair, feeling the tears hit the hollow of my throat.
“It’s okay. I’ll take you home, run you a bath, and you call in sick to work tomorrow, okay, Violet? You did so good, baby. You were strong. You are strong, yeah?” My voice has gone gruff.
She nods and burrows in deeper to me. And the feeling in my chest, it’s powerful.
“You probably only let him have 10% of what he deserved but it doesn’t matter. You don’t need to waste your breath on somebody who no longer factors for you. Right?” I drop a kiss on her head.
She nods and rests her head on my shoulder, letting out a shudder. Fuck me, but it feels good the way she’s melting into me.
I’d prefer to carry her to the car, have someone drive us home so I can keep her attached to me just like this. But she pulls free of me and lifts her chin up, grabs a Kleenex from a box on my credenza, and dabs her eyes. She squares her shoulders and it makes me even more proud of her. She’s about to head through the club, but I grab her hand and redirect her out the back door, so she doesn’t have to see more people than necessary. I put her in my car and start it up.