Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 144908 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 725(@200wpm)___ 580(@250wpm)___ 483(@300wpm)
There was a long silence while Mila drained the rest of her tea and Titus the coffee Blythe had thoughtfully put in a to-go mug for him. He had remained with his gun in plain sight, covering Viktor the entire time. Blythe didn’t seem to be in the least worried about Titus, perhaps counting on Ambrielle and Master covering him from their position. Titus knew Master was without a weapon; he had never once checked to see whether she had one.
“He didn’t invite you?” Blythe prompted, glaring openly at her husband.
Mila shook her head. “Galina made my life hell after that. She took every petty revenge on me. The Kozlovs were angry with her, and so was Sorbacov. It was a relief when I was given away. At least . . .” She stopped talking as if she’d run out of breath. Her face was very flushed.
Blythe removed the tray with the tea things and took them to the kitchen. “Mila, would you care for a glass of water?”
Mila opened her mouth. Coughed. Her eyes went wide. She slumped back in her chair, for the first time losing her perfect posture. Titus seemed to realize something was wrong, and he gripped his gun—or tried to. His fingers refused to curl around the grip, and the gun clattered to the floor. It was Ambrielle who got up, calmly walked over to him and stripped him of his weapon.
Blythe returned to the chair beside her husband and took his hand, threading her fingers through his. She leaned toward Mila. “Did you really think you could come into my home and threaten my husband and children and I wouldn’t do anything about it?” She gave Mila her sweet smile and then turned her head to look at her oldest daughter. “Darby, would you please take the children out of the house? Take them to Airiana’s house. Kenny will go with you.”
Darby rose obediently. Mila looked as if she wanted to protest, but she didn’t speak, just squirmed a little on her chair. Titus slithered down the wall to sit on the floor. He looked surprised to find himself there. The shock on Czar’s face made Ambrielle want to laugh.
Once the children had gone out the front door and it was firmly closed behind them, Blythe turned back to Mila. “I even told you what my mother had done. I told you I had to fight my temper every day. You didn’t understand the warning I was giving you. There was no possible way you were going to leave this house alive after threatening the people I love. Either of you. It was not up to my husband to end your miserable life, Mila. He did nothing to you.”
“Blythe,” Czar said gently. He looked at Master and Ambrielle.
Ambrielle knew what he was thinking. Two potential witnesses. She was proud of Blythe. Ambrielle would have done the same thing had she thought of it. She still wasn’t quite certain what Blythe had done, only that it was very effective.
Blythe shook her head at her husband, keeping her attention on Mila. “I wasn’t going to allow you to take my children from me or the best man I know, the best of the best. The one person in my life I hold above all others. You don’t get to do that. Did you really think I’d let you? You were so wrong. You have about twenty more minutes, and then you’ll be gone, and I have to say, the world is going to be a much better place without you. Czar is going to worry that I’ll lose sleep over this, but I can assure you, Mila, that I won’t. I warned you about my temper and I even told you I liked to experiment with various teas. I all but told you I was going to poison you. Had Titus not asked for coffee, Ambrielle was going to shoot him. Both of you were dead either way.”
Blythe stood up, leaned down and kissed her husband. “Honey, would you and Master do me a huge favor and take out the trash while I show Ambrielle my gardens? I don’t want any evidence of them ever having been here if possible. When I come back in, I’ll do up the dishes.”
“Consider it done, baby,” Czar assured her.
Ambrielle stood as well and followed Blythe out. She wanted to be just like the other woman, standing up for her man quietly, without fuss, just getting the job done.
NINETEEN
Ambrielle found herself up against the wall on the front porch. Master opened her blouse and then just impatiently tore it off her, tossing it aside. Her bra followed, spilling her breasts free. The way he did that, as if he couldn’t wait another minute, not even to get inside the house, to have her body, was so hot, she found herself nearly drowning in liquid desire.