Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 94024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Ash’s expression was hollow, his skin tone pale. “I’ll think…”
“Oh good, Ash is going to think!” I roared. “Thinking isn’t going to save his ass!”
Maksim’s sharp blue eyes narrowed in on me. “If I didn’t know any better, I’d say you’re more freaked out than Junior. Any reason for that?”
Brilliant bastard. I hated him for seeing everything. “No,” I lied. “But I kind of want to avoid more bloodshed. It is a Sunday.”
“Actually, it’s Monday,” Maksim corrected with an arrogant tilt of his lips. He was lucky we were on holy ground—I was seconds away from aiming my gun at his kneecap and pulling the trigger.
“I’m hungry.” King kicked one of the steps and yawned like we weren’t in yet another life and death scenario.
I shot him an incredulous look. “Are you serious right now? Junior’s about to drive his own funeral procession toward the house, and you’re worried about your stomach?”
He just shrugged. “It’ll work out.”
Naive. Sometimes he was so naive.
I ran my hands through my hair and threw my arms up at Ash. “So, anything?”
His eyes narrowed. “Yeah, Maksim’s right… what are you hiding?”
“How the hell is this about me now?” I wondered out loud while Junior jerked his head for me to follow them.
He’d driven to the church in his black Maserati; it was parked near a tree I used to climb in the park next door to the church.
Hell, was I ever that young?
“I’ll wait in the car.” Serena swiped at the moisture beneath her eyes and flashed us both a confident smile that I wish I could believe.
Once the door slammed behind her, Junior’s teal-colored gaze locked with mine.
I lifted my chin and stared right back.
“You’re shaking,” he pointed out.
I noticed the tremble in his right hand. “So are you.”
“So either we’re both addicts…” He released a hollow-sounding laugh.
And then I cracked, lunging at him, ready to fight because it felt so much better than this sick feeling in my soul that told me everything was about to come crashing down around us.
Because I was the spare.
And if something happened to Junior—the spare would be needed.
Since I was adopted, I was the Capo’s spare.
I would take his place.
A place I didn’t deserve.
A place I didn’t want.
A place that would expose every sin committed before I was ever even able to ask for forgiveness or to confess to the one girl who held my heart.
He let me hit him in the chin, then ducked my next sloppy blow and pulled me against his chest. “It’s going to be okay.”
I hugged him back, not sure if I wanted to beat the shit out of him or cry. “You don’t know that.”
“This isn’t about me… is it?”
“I—”
We released each other.
He loosened his tie and pulled it off, then leaned against the car, not making eye contact as he asked, “Is it love?”
I squeezed my eyes shut as the feel of her mouth against mine, my hands in her hair filled my head until I couldn’t even think straight.
Junior just patted me on the shoulder, then pulled open his car door and got in.
“So, that’s it?” I asked once the window came down. “You just get in the car and drive toward certain doom?”
“You forget one small detail,” He reached over and grabbed Serena’s hand. “Sometimes, all you can do is drive, Breaker, even if all roads lead to hell, I have my heaven, my heart, right by my side… the question is, do you?”
He pulled off, then, leaving me in a cloud of dust.
More confused than ever as I slowly walked back toward the waiting SUV, with the Abandonato princess inside.
Taking a calming breath, I crawled in and rasped, “Drive.”
“Ash will figure it out,” Violet said as she wrung her hands together in her lap. “He always does.”
Ash, our leader of the younger generation, was my king, and I was more peasant than prince.
“Yeah,” I agreed. “He’ll figure it out.”
The drive back to the house was as silent as looming death. And when we finally made it there, most of the bosses were outside waiting, my dad included.
I helped Violet out of the SUV and escorted her past her father.
“Violet, go inside. Breaker, a word,” Chase said through clenched teeth.
I could tell Violet was ready to defy him, so I gave her a little shove past him in hopes she’d get the message. The last thing we needed was for them to find out we had sex minutes before the funeral—in the church restroom.
Or that I still had his daughter’s flavor on my tongue and wanted nothing more than to tell him how good it tasted when his daughter came undone just so I could pick a fight, just so he could hit the fear out of me, the pain, and the looming dread of losing her before I even had her.