Total pages in book: 168
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 153571 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 768(@200wpm)___ 614(@250wpm)___ 512(@300wpm)
My stomach flutters as his voice washes over me. It's soft and lethal at once. He's pissed. Furious. If I didn't hate Guerrero for making the last thirty or so hours of my life a living hell, I could almost feel sorry for him. Roman is going to tear him apart.
"I'm fine," I whisper.
"Tahani?"
"I'm okay, Daddy."
"Carter?"
"I'm good, man," Carter mutters wryly, his hands still in the air.
"Where's Selena?" Guerrero demands.
"I'll tell you that as soon as point your fucking gun away from my girls," Roman growls, eyeing him coldly.
A tremor runs through me at his confirmation that Guerrero does have a gun pointed at our backs.
Guerrero makes another sound in the back of his throat, and then I feel him shift behind us. "Satisfied?" he mutters a moment later, his voice full of annoyance.
"Selena is safe," Roman says. "As soon as Carter walks away with Mila and Tahani, I'll tell you where she's at."
"That wasn't part of the deal," Guerrero says.
Roman's face is a thundercloud as he glares at Guerrero. Energy crackles in the air around him, absolute fury rolling from him in waves. I've never seen him so angry before, and I know this is the Roman who lives in Guerrero's world. The man who lies and cheats and steals and does what he has to do to survive. This is the Roman who's more than willing to murder…the one willing to go to war to protect what's his. This is the Roman kept tightly leashed by that iron will and steely resolve. The one who peeks out when he's inside of me, fucking me so hard I can't catch my breath. This is the dangerous man he warned me about, the one he never wanted me to see.
I'm not afraid of him though.
I'm fucking glad he's here, staring down Guerrero. Because this Roman? This is the man who never loses. This is the intimidating, bossy bastard who's survived years in Guerrero's world, living amongst murderers and rapists and pure evil. And this is the man who will get us all out of here alive.
"You burned my house down with my girl inside," Roman growls at Guerrero, taking a step toward him. "You planned to kidnap her." He takes another step forward. "You ambushed her and my fucking daughter, intending to kill them both. There is no goddamn deal, Guerrero. You're fucking lucky I didn't put a bullet in your girl's head as soon as I fucking found her. Keep pushing me, and I will."
Julio shifts nervously, digging his gun deeper into Carter's side.
Guerrero stands in silence for a moment, eyeing Roman warily. I think he knows how dangerous Roman is. I think he's afraid of him, not because Roman has his girlfriend hidden away, but because of who Roman is.
They're two wild animals who have been sharing the same territory for years. Guerrero thought he could encroach and take what didn't belong to him. He thought Roman was tamed. That he was soft.
He thought wrong.
And now he isn't sure what to do.
"Let them go, Julio," he says eventually, resignation plain in his voice.
"Fuck that pig," Julio mutters, glaring balefully at Roman.
"Do not test me, Guerrero. I will kill her in a heartbeat to keep that baby away from you and your fucking boss," Roman says, his voice so soft the howling wind almost snatches it away.
Guerrero hears him though. His eyes widen, something close to shock rolling through his system. "I gave you a fucking order," he snaps at Julio, anger thickening his accent. "Let them go."
"C'mon, boss," Julio protests, puffing out his chest like he's the big man on campus. "Just shoot his bitches and be done with this shit. This pendejo probably doesn't even have your sister."
His sister?
What the hell?
Guerrero spins on Julio in the blink of an eye, snarling. Rage gleams in his eyes, making him look crazed. Any attempt at looking respectable is gone, ripped away by the hatred swirling through his dark eyes. The cold-blooded murderer peeks out, little vestiges of excitement mixing with fury as he raises his arm. The black gun in his hand doesn't waver as he aims at Julio.
Tahani screams from beside me when she catches sight of it, her voice sharp with panic.
Carter curses softly and spins out of the line of fire, diving into the sand.
Two loud cracks rip through the air like explosions.
Tahani throws herself to the ground with another loud cry of alarm, nearly pulling me to my knees beside her.
Julio lurches forward and then falls to his knees.
Even though I know the sound was gunshots, even though I recognize the blood spreading across Julio's white shirt and the gun falling from his hand, ducking for cover doesn't even register in my mind. All I can think about is Roman. I whip my head from side to side, looking for him, trying to make sure he's still breathing.