Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 73042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73042 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
We get to the hospital and rush up to Mommy’s room. The fifth floor is where they keep the Mommies who had babies. The boys and Robbie are lagging behind, but I go forward. I’m so excited to meet the baby.
“Ray, please wait up,” our nanny says.
But I heard the lady at the front desk. She said Mommy is in Room 520. I’m almost running, looking at the numbers on each door. I finally find it and knock loudly.
The door opens, and a nurse widens her eyes when she sees me. She kneels and smiles. “And who do we have here?”
I twirl my dress. “My name is Raven and I’m here to meet my baby brother.”
The nurse laughs. “My goodness. I bet you’re excited to be a big sister.”
“I’m already a big sister. I have another little brother. But I was really little when he was born so I don’t really remember meeting him.”
The nurse grabs my hand. “Well, I can tell that little Eagle is lucky to have such a great girl to be his big sister.”
I look over at the bed. Mommy’s face is dark pink and she’s sweaty. But she looks so happy. She’s holding a small bundle.
I run in. “Eagle. Is that his name?”
Mommy looks down at me and smiles. “Yes, baby.”
Daddy chuckles in the corner. “We’re going to have to stop with this one, Star. We’re running out of bird names.”
I raise my hand. “You could name the next one Big Bird!”
Mommy and Daddy laugh at that. I don’t think it’s very funny. Big Bird is a great name for a baby.
Daddy walks over to me. “Do you want to meet your baby brother, sweetheart?”
I nod. “Yes, please, Daddy.”
Daddy lifts me up and sets me on the bed. I look into the bundle in Mommy’s arms.
And I can’t help it. I cry.
He’s so small. And he’s so cute. So precious.
I finally have my own baby.
And I’ll make sure nothing bad ever happens to him.
Get rid of a body?
Jesus Christ…
What the hell have my brothers gotten into?
My heart is racing as I hold Eagle’s hand, but Vinnie? He’s holding steady.
Vincent Gallo Jr. has dark hair and eyes that smolder with an intensity that’s almost magical. This is a man who left his family, spent over a decade overseas. That’s about all I know about him.
I spent so many years fighting for my life that sexual attraction of any kind was a luxury I never thought about.
But looking at Vinnie Gallo now? My libido is back with a vengeance.
He slides a hand through his thick dark hair. The sight would make any woman’s heart falter, but for me, it’s like a bolt of lightning blasting through my veins and landing right between my thighs.
I clutch Eagle’s hand tighter. Vinnie doesn’t smile, and I wonder what secrets lie behind those smoldering eyes.
“You sure you’re up for this, Ray?” Falcon says. “Because once you know, there’s no going back.”
I nod slowly. “I know you’re innocent, Falcon. But what’s the deal with a body? The cop’s body was found on our property, shot by your gun. That’s old news. What body are you talking about?”
Eagle riffles his fingers through his disheveled black hair. “A different body. The body of a drug dealer,” he says. “And it’s buried on our land.”
Savannah gasps, but Vinnie? His face is like ice. No horror. No surprise. Hardly a reaction at all.
I stare at my older brother. “I was going to ask you to get me another Orange Crush, Fal, but I think maybe I need something stronger.”
“Not with the meds you’re still on,” Falcon says.
He’s right. I shouldn’t drink. But damn…
I shake my head. “I don’t understand. You went to prison for killing a cop. Not some drug lord.”
Eagle shakes his head. “Funnily enough, it is possible for more than one person to die at a time—”
Falcon shuts him up with a glare. “Eagle, keep your damned mouth shut. Leave it to me to explain this to the ladies and Vinnie.”
Vinnie stares at Falcon. He’s still the best-looking man I’ve ever seen, but the fact that he didn’t gasp like Savannah did has me a little on edge.
So much I don’t know.
Part of me wants to go home. To forget everything I heard the guys talking about. Go back to my life of luxury. After all, I’m damned lucky to have a life at all at this point.
I could go home, meet with that lawyer tomorrow, work on setting up my foundation. I could forget all of this.
But there are two things that stop me.
One is my gratitude toward my brother for saving my life. I want to help him if I can.
The other thing?
Vinnie Gallo. His raw intensity. I don’t want to leave his presence. I feel a magnetic pull toward him, a force so undeniable and potent that it feels like the universe itself has conspired to bring us together.