Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 71632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 71632 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 358(@200wpm)___ 287(@250wpm)___ 239(@300wpm)
My heart swells, and I whisper, “I’m okay.”
He presses his forehead to mine, and I exhale, closing my eyes, feeling him, breathing him in. He came for me. He risked it all to come for me. He didn’t have to. Hell, two days ago, I wouldn’t have wanted him to. But sitting in that room, wondering if I was going to live or die, made me realize the petty things don’t matter. He was wrong, for doing what he did, but I also understand how it could have happened.
And, I’ll make sure he makes it up to me.
Without a doubt.
He stands up straight, eyes still on mine. I hold them, and ask, voice hoarse, “Yolanda?”
Malakai is the one to speak, and when he does, it’s gently. “She got shot.”
I flinch, and my blood runs cold.
I might not like, or even love, my sister, but the fact of that matter is, she’s still my sister. She’s still my blood. And unlike her, I’d never wish anything to happen to her.
“Is she...” I whisper, rubbing my arms, “dead?”
Malakai shakes his head. “No, but she’s in a bad way.”
I swallow. “You know, I had to do it. I couldn’t let you hand her over. That would have made me as big of a monster as her, and I don’t think I could handle that. I couldn’t live with myself if something happened to her. I did what I had to do.”
Malakai smiles, and Mason turns to me, and says, “Nobody is pissed at you for doin’ that. Fuck knows, she deserved to be tossed at them. What you did, showed me...us...exactly the kind of person you are. And that’s a fuckin’ good one. You made us all proud, Saskia.”
My heart feels like it’s going to explode.
“I could have pushed her for you,” Scarlett points out with a smile. “But, I still think you did the right thing, even though I still want to poke her eyes out.”
I laugh and it hurts, so I stop, clutching my ribs.
“Are you in a lot of pain?” Amalie asks, her face concerned.
I shake my head. “Not yet, but I will be soon apparently. Never mind, I’m alive, and for a while there, I didn’t think I was getting out.”
Mason steps closer, big hand cupping my cheek. “Never goin’ to let anything happen to you, I would have made sure you got out of there.”
I swallow, and nod. “How did you find me?”
Mason grins. “Your insane, smart, best friend.”
“Chantelle?” I smile.
“Yeah, she went to Enzo, roped him, got him thinkin’ she was goin’ to pay the money, and got the names of the people after him. Stupid fucker fell for it.”
I frown. “But, if she didn’t deliver and said she would, Enzo might come after her.”
Mason’s eyes flash. “Enzo ain’t comin’ after anyone, I promise you that. He wouldn’t want to dare.”
Maybe.
But I’m still worried.
Enzo doesn’t just lie down.
If Chantelle screwed him over, he will come after her.
One way or another.
~27~
MASON
“The people who took me, are they all dead?” Saskia whispers, rolling and tucking herself into my side as best she can.
The nurses and doctors tried to get me to leave.
I told them over my dead fuckin’ body.
And they decided not to argue.
Smart thinking.
So I shrugged my jacket and boots off, and got into the bed with my girl. She didn’t complain, and has been tucked into my side since. It’s well past midnight, and the hospital is quiet, but there is no way either of us are sleeping. Not after what happened. Handling her is like handling fine china right now, but nothing is keeping me from her.
Fuckin’ nothing.
“Not all of them,” I growl, frustrated two got away.
When Saskia hit Blondie, the other men in the room threw down, and started shooting. We reacted quickly, shooting at them, and the blond motherfucker crawled out.
He got away.
But we will find him, and we will make sure he suffers. Slowly. Painfully.
“Oh,” Saskia whispers. “So we’re not safe.”
“I’ll make sure you’re safe, babe. Guarantee it.”
She doesn’t say anything for a few seconds, and then says, “Any news on Yolanda?”
“She’s had surgery, she’s doin’ okay so far. You can see her tomorrow, when you’re not in so much pain.”
“Mason?”
“Mmmm?”
“Do you think I’m crazy for caring, after everything she’s done?”
I hesitate, wanting to answer this question perfectly.
“No,” I finally say. “I don’t think you’re crazy. Not even fuckin’ close. All that shows me, is that your heart is pure as fuckin’ gold and that’s somethin’, Saskia. Not many people out there can honestly say they’d be as kind as you, after someone did something so awful. The fact that you can rise above it, makes you the strongest kind of person.”
“I’m never going to forgive her, but I couldn’t let anything happen to her, either. I would have never forgiven myself then, and that’s an even worse position to be in.”