Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 73655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73655 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
"Her uncle isn't dead." Valentino chuckles. "He's waiting, building his army from the ground up, and when he comes for the De Rossi clan, you'll all be dead, including the whore." That's when I see fury take over Enzo, I see the beast hidden beneath his perfectly formed veneer. His shiny suits, his crisp linen shirts hide the person that grips the older man's face, and he slices at each corner of the wrinkled mouth.
Agonizing wails bounce off the metal walls, echoing around us, a symphony of violence and the stench of death is already hanging in the air. It permeates our clothes, our flesh. There's no doubt I'll be washing it off for weeks to come.
"This is what happens when you hurt a De Rossi, when you go against the Familia," Enzo murmurs before he shoves the blade down Valentino's throat, and I'm almost certain he's about to cut his tongue out, but he doesn't. The horrific scene before me gets worse when he slices the man's tongue in two. "A fucking snake," Enzo hisses with a grin that's pure rage.
The moment the sight comes into view is when my stomach turns, and I race for the door. I make it out just in time. I hurl once, twice, before I feel hands on me. I don't smell blood, so it can't be Enzo, which means its Mario.
"Are you okay?" His familiar voice questions gently. His touch is warm, calming almost, and for a moment, I focus on him rather than what I've just seen.
"Yes," I answer before I swipe the back of my hand over my mouth. A white handkerchief appears, and I take it happily, using it to wipe away any mess I made. When I straighten, I look up into Mario's eyes that are filled with concern. "I thought I could handle it." A sense of dread takes over me.
Can I really do this?
Can I be the wife of a man who can so easily maim another?
"It's never easy to see, but what you have to remember is that if Enzo doesn't make a spectacle, the men will think he's weak." There's a small smile on his face, and I know he means well. But I feel like the weak one. I should know Enzo has to do this as he takes his father's seat at the table.
"It's still strange for me to watch," I tell Mario. "I knew my father did things like that all his life, but actually witnessing it..." I shake my head as I allow my words to filter into the silence which fills the space between us.
"Let's go," Enzo says suddenly, shocking me back to life. He's got his phone in hand as he makes his way to the car, while the rest of the men file out of the warehouse. "Get the clean-up crew at the warehouse now. I don't give a shit what you do with the body."
The moment I slip into the backseat of the SUV, Enzo's hands are on my hips, tugging me over his lap, causing a squeak of surprise to fall from my lips. He smells of violence and death, but seconds before I can question what he's doing, his mouth slams down on mine.
His tongue darts alongside mine, the warmth of him, mingled with the memory of what he's just done has me reeling as I twine my hands behind his neck. But that's when I remember I puked, and I pull away, needing space.
"I...I puked," I whimper when his fingers dig into my hips.
The corner of his mouth tilts, as if he's already considered that. "You're my fiancée, I'll kiss you any fucking time I want." His voice is husky sending shivers down my spine. "I want nothing more than to take you home and fuck you," he says, the admission causing my thighs to clench around him. And he grins, knowing his filthy mouth is making me needy.
"I'm sorry I ran out," I tell him.
"Oh, my little dancer, that was only the first of many times you'll be by my side when I'm on a job. I like getting my hands dirty," he informs me, the wolfish grin filled with amusement is back on his face now. The earlier anger gone. "You'll get used to it."
"Why take me with anyway?"
"I want you to know me," Enzo admits soberly. "Because when you say those two little words on our wedding day, I need you to know exactly who you're marrying."
As his words sink in, I lean against his chest, wondering if this is the first sign of him feeling something for me. It must be.
I'm knocking the king from his perch.
Now, I just need to make sure I don't fall as well.
Chapter 20
Enzo
Settling Luna in her bed, I stand watch over her for a long while after she's fallen asleep. I carried her from the car, all the way to the apartment, and then, set her on the soft mattress. What happened in the car, the kiss, how beautifully she moaned into my mouth, even as I held her drenched in another man's blood, it flicked a switch inside me.