Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
“Lucca …” she screamed out, unable to hold it inside.
As she fell back to earth from the orgasmic bliss he had carried her to, she returned to awareness with his arms surrounding her protectively.
“You caught me,” she mumbled, exhaustion overtaking her.
“I always will, darlin’.”
Chloe heard the reassuring promise follow her into the depths of her sleep. It was a promise only a boogieman could keep.
NINETEEN
A SUSPECT
As he was gardening with Chloe, it wasn’t until every hair on his body stood on end that his instincts told him someone was near.
Looking through the glass windows, he was able to see the man inside his family home not only uninvited, but unannounced. Fear chilled his bones, knowing it could have almost been too late.
“Stay here,” he instructed her.
“Okay.” Chloe could tell he was upset about something, so she didn’t dare to argue.
Wiping the dirt off his hands and onto his jeans, he slipped through the back door. Carefully, he watched the back of the man in a tailored suit and brimmed hat he recognized, but only just for a moment before he decided to let his presence be known.
“Enzo.”
Enzo spun on the heel of his Italian leather shoes. “Hello, Lucca.”
“Sorry.” Amo came barreling in to finally join them in the room. “I—”
Holding up a hand, Lucca silenced him. There were only a few men left he trusted these days, and almost all of them had women of their own to protect from One-Shot. While the relationship he had with his soldier was complicated, he did at least trust him enough to protect Chloe.
Or so I thought.
“Go outside and watch over Chloe.” His commanding tone held a threat that he better not fuck that up either.
Nodding, Amo’s head slightly hung as he went out the back door …
Chloe wiped the bead of sweat that kissed her brow, hoping everything was all right.
When the back door opened and Amo appeared, she realized he must’ve been instructed to come watch over her as he put his back to the door and crossed his arms. Her security had been instructed to be invisible to her lately, so to say she was shocked to find out Lucca had chosen him as their security detail for the weekend was a massive understatement.
She nervously picked the shovel back up. It was the first time her and Amo had been alone since they’d spoke at the Casino Hotel the last time. Their conversation hadn’t gone like she had hoped and, regretfully, in choosing Lucca, she had lost a friend in the process.
She bit her lip as her eyes drifted between him and the ground while she fiddled with the dirt. No longer did she know the Amo before her. That Amo had died upon her breaking his heart, but she’d swear she could see the disappointment in his eyes no matter how much he was trying to hide it.
With her eyes drifting back to the ground, she pulled up the roots of the dead flower only to reveal the new bud that had been burgeoning beneath.
Looking back up, Chloe smiled peacefully at an old friend. “Hi, Amo.”
“Don’t blame him for my intrusion,” Enzo said sympathetically as the door clicked shut. “As his father, I’m able to hide my presence from my son.”
“You’re lucky to be alive,” Lucca warned him what the cost of dodging his son could have been. “If I didn’t know the back of you so well, and that ugly hat, you’d be dead.”
“I’d have more than one soldier guarding the home,” Enzo gave some fatherly advice while his eyes slid to look out to the backyard to the view. “Especially with her here.”
Lucca’s jaw flexed as he turned to see his fiancée’s pale skin almost sparkling in the sunlight, sitting there as beautiful as a rose, and just as ripe for the taking.
It wasn’t that Enzo was necessarily wrong, because he did have a point, but his Capo just didn’t take into account that they’d have to get through him to get to Chloe, and hell help the man who tried.
He stepped to the side to block Enzo’s view of his fiancée. Then his words came out in a frustrated hiss. “Why are you here, Enzo?”
“I’ve requested to speak with you, but”—bending his neck, he took his hat off—“I’ve been turned down every time.”
“Because I’ve been busy,” Lucca reminded him.
Enzo’s eyes trailed down to his dirt-stained dark jeans. “Yes, I see.”
If Enzo De Santis weren’t one of his father’s best friends, he would have fucking killed him where he stood, because at the moment, it definitely wasn’t his son, Amo, nor his brother, Drago, who was keeping him breathing.
“As your boss”—taking a threatening step toward him, Lucca knew exactly why he was here—“I’m considering my options for who I want to sit underneath me.”
“Ah.” Enzo looked down with the same sad expression Amo had a moment ago. Spinning the hat around in his hands, he forced a smile. “I suppose we all get old someday.”