Total pages in book: 88
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82332 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 412(@200wpm)___ 329(@250wpm)___ 274(@300wpm)
“Are you sure you want to handle it this way?”
I laugh, almost stopping to stare at him for the audacity. “Look who’s talking.”
“What?” Niko asks, looking confused.
“You're worried about me doing this when you made your woman marry you while you were unconscious.”
“It was for her protection,” Niko grumbles under his breath.
“So is this.”
“Point made,” he huffs.
"I want my ring on her finger and for her father to know it when I strike," I tell him, my voice leaving no room for arguments.
“You're crazy. I figured you'd prefer a willing woman in your bed.”
“She will be willing,” I tell him, confidence oozing from my words while my insides churn. I hope Niko believes me because I'm starting to worry about how Melina will react when all is said and done.
I push the worry away. It has to be this way. We keep walking down the hallway. The only sound is our footsteps echoing against the marble tile. When we get to the elevator, there's a security panel I would typically have to punch a code into, but I left it disabled when I came up just now. I had hoped Lina and I would be riding down with joined hands. I should have known my stubborn woman would refuse to make it that simple.
Marco, Killian, and the Priest are already down in my conference room, waiting. The elevator doors open to what I often refer to as the center of operations. This area is basically the headquarters for DeLuca enterprises—both legal and illegal. Different hallways branch off where the men practically live since I have them working round the clock. Some have chosen to stay instead of having their own place, while others decide to crash when they're too tired to go home. The whole place is safe and locked up tighter than Fort Knox. It’s also designed to my style with lush, black leather couches and expensive art on the walls. Between the chandelier lighting, the decor, and the grand staircase, this space gives the illusion of a skyscraper luxury suite rather than a basement with caverns beneath filled with panic rooms and escape routes—exactly as I intended.
Killian and Marco look at me as I walk back into the conference center, and I sigh.
“I take it my sister was less than cooperative?”
“It appears my future bride is a bit stubborn,” I grumble. “Are we ready? We need to get this show on the road.”
“I will agree to this, because I think you’re right in that your name will afford her protection beyond my father’s reach. Still, if I sense my sister is scared of you or doesn't want this, I'm calling an end to it. I'll take Melina to a place my father won’t be able to find her,” Marco says, staring me down.
“If you knew how to do that, you already would have. Not to mention that if you even try now, you sign your death warrant. No one is taking her from me. She's the only reason I'm saving you, and let's not forget she will be the reason I am giving you the opportunity to become my Capo," I rumble, trying very hard to rein in my temper. No one will ever touch Melina—not even her own brother.
“Fair enough," Marco says, looking away as he clears his throat. "I guess we understand one another. We both want my sister to be happy.”
I resist rolling my eyes. He does likely want that, but he also wants to push his agenda. I've looked into him long enough to know that with the right firepower, he will be good at controlling his family. All the men he's worked with that have allied with Dracos have said they only stayed in the deals where Marcos was in charge. It also helps that Killian vouches for the man. His word means a lot. Eventually, this deal will make Melina happy, too. I've never considered a woman's feelings before, especially when it comes to my business. Then again, before Melina, I've never cared about a woman enough for it to warrant thought.
She's changed everything.
melina
“Why do I feel as if I'm being marched to my death?” I mutter under my breath.
Emilia laughs beside me. I didn't intend for her to hear me, but it’s not like it matters. That is exactly what I feel like. We waited the ten minutes as Antonio said. With each passing second of the clock my nerves multiplied. Now it feels like my stomach is churning and I’m a million miles above Earth, trying to prepare for a crashlanding that I can’t hope to survive.
“Stop,” Emilia admonishes, shaking her head. “You aren't fooling me.”
I stare at her. “I'm sorry? Fooling you? I'm not trying to fool anyone.”
She looks at me with disbelief, not listening to anything I say. “I'm not blind, you know. I saw how you lit up when Antonio came into the room, not to mention how you folded into him when he whispered to you. You're already in love with him.”