Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
“Yeah?” I grunted, scraping my nails along Maksim’s scalp when he looked up at me through sleepy eyes that still managed to be pinched around the edges with worry, even when he wasn’t fully conscious and aware.
“Got him,” Rurik told me. “I need to know I won’t get a bullet through my skull if I ride into Martinez territory. If you can give me your word, I’ll hand deliver the son of a bitch to you. I’d just like to be present for his reckoning.”
“You’ve got my word,” I assured him as I eased out from beneath Maksim and slid off the bed. “I’ll make sure the gate guards let you through without issue. What’s your ETA?”
“Thirty minutes,” Rurik told me.
I hung up, then quickly called Niran. The phone was just about to begin the fourth ring when he answered, sounding out of breath. “I swear to fuck,” he snarled. I snorted a laugh. I always seemed to catch him at a bad time.
“I know you’re probably balls deep inside Bento, but we’ve got the mother fucker who tried to take Maksim out. Rurik is hand-delivering him. Need you to make sure all guards are aware he has permission to access the premises.”
“No, no—” I heard Bento complain. “Goddammit, Niran!” he barked, and I snickered.
“Watch your mouth, and I’ll get you off later,” Niran promised him. Then, his attention was back on me. “Give me two minutes to get dressed, and I’ll start taking care of things on my end. You need to wake Rico and let him know. He’ll reach out to Shaw for you.”
I hung up, then turned to face Maksim. “You want to shower, mouse? Rurik is delivering our perp now.”
He rubbed his eyes, and I had to admit, it was a bit adorable. “You’re not showering?”
I snorted and shook my head. “No sense in showering when I plan to get bloody,” I told him. “Pointless. But you can shower. I’ll help you. Just need to go talk to Rico real quick before I do.”
He nodded. “Yeah. Do you have clothes I can wear?”
I smirked. “You think I’d pass on the opportunity to see you wearing my clothes, mouse? Of fucking course, I’ve got clothes you can wear. Give me five.” Then, I left the room, heading for Rico’s. It took him a minute to answer the door when I knocked, and when he opened it and saw me on the other side, he leaned his bare shoulder on the door frame, his arms crossing over his chest.
“This better be good,” he muttered.
I grinned, and when his brow arched, I knew I looked a little deranged. But who could blame me? I was finally going to take the life of the mother fucker who tried to kill my mouse. If Anurak had been on the receiving end of that bullet, Rico would be salivating for the kill. Which also meant he wasn’t judging me. Rico had never made me feel different for my blood-thirsty quirks.
“Rurik is delivering the one who did this to Maksim,” I told him. “When he gets here, I’ll find out what he knows, then torture the rest of the information out of our target so we can get to the bottom of this.”
Rico dipped his chin. “I’ll reach out to Shaw. Get the basement ready.”
I saluted him, then turned on my heel. “I will as soon as I’ve helped Maksim shower,” I told him. He grunted in response, then shut his bedroom door. When I made it back to my room, Maksim was trying to get out of his shirt but not having any luck. I stepped up behind him, and our gazes clashed in the mirror. Silently, I began to ease his shirt over his head, being gentle when he had to lift his bad arm to get the shirt off.
I pressed a kiss to his throat. “I’ll give you one of my shirts that buttons so it’s easier for you to get on and off. Get the shower going.”
He gripped my forearm before I could step back to get him clothes. I arched a brow at him in the mirror. “I think I’m in love with you,” he said quietly, and I blinked because that had come out of fucking nowhere. “And I know that’s fucking insane considering we barely know each other and how we met, but I am—falling for you, that is. I just…” He drew in a deep breath. “I can overcome anyone abandoning me but you, Alfonzo. With this being resolved, you won’t…” His voice trailed off, like he couldn’t bring himself to finish his thought. But that last tidbit told me why he’d confessed.
He was afraid I’d let him go now. But like fuck was that happening. Maksim was mine. My mouse. There was no escaping me.