Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
We came together in slow, hungry strokes that stole my breath. The intensity of every flick of his tongue on my nipples, every open-mouthed kiss against my overheated skin, left me hot and aching. I was perched on the edge of ecstasy for so long that when he finally tipped us over, I wasn’t sure I’d ever be the same.
As we lay there in a tangled mass of hot, sweaty limbs, I knew that this time, we would both choose to fight. To stay.
To love each other forever.
Chapter 30
Enzo
California felt different now. From the moment the plane wheels touched down on the West Coast, everything felt different. Not in terms of safety or danger. Just…different.
My house in the hills hummed with the quiet efficiency of guards rotating around the property, phones buzzing softly from all directions, and business being handled in hushed tones. It was all so fucking normal, but it didn’t feel like the life I left behind weeks ago. It was the same, yet unfamiliar.
The chaos in the wake of David’s betrayal still lingered. His actions still hung in the air, coloring every interaction, but nobody dared say anything. Learning there was a traitor in the organization had shaken everyone, and it would take some time for things to return to normal, whatever the fuck that meant anymore. David was a traitor and died like one.
The Russians were still out there, and they were still a fucking problem, but without David, their reach had shrunk dramatically. We pushed back, slowly but surely, every single day. Each time they attempted to take something, we made them regret it. It was part of the plan, a tit-for-tat pushback instead of a full-blown war. That shit would draw too much attention, and we were both content to fight this under the cops’ radar.
Aunt Valentina found me staring out the window in my office. I watched the swaying palm trees in the distance, the low haze of LA smog, without appreciating any of it the way I used to. “Lorenzo,” she said softly, studying my face for a long time when I turned to her. Light filtered through the tall windows, striping the room in gold.
“Aunt Valentina,” I sighed and went to her. It was so fucking good to see her. We hadn’t spent any real time together since I returned to California. She was one of the few living blood relatives remaining. “Hi.”
She reached for my hands, her fingers warm and steady as they grasped mine. “You did what needed to be done, boy.” Her words landed heavy in the air, full of truth rather than the condemnation I half-expected.
“I wish it could have ended another way,” I admitted. A week had passed since David’s death, and while the sharp edge of guilt had dulled, it hadn’t vanished completely. It didn’t rule me or distract me, but it fucking lingered. We’d grown up together. Sure, we’d never been particularly close, but we’d been playmates until school and life separated us. And now he was dead.
Another stark reminder of the cost of leadership.
Aunt Valentina squeezed my hands gently. “David wanted the crown, and he was willing to risk his own damn head to get it. He knew the cost of betrayal, and he went into this ill-advised scheme with his eyes wide open. He simply underestimated you. To his own peril.”
“Yeah,” I sighed, nodding because what the fuck else could I say? There was nothing I could say to her about killing her son that would ease her pain, no matter how well-deserved his death was. No matter how necessary.
She flashed a sympathetic smile as if reading my thoughts. “All is well again, Lorenzo. Ella is safe back at school. Lena is coping as best she can, given everything. And,” she began with a half laugh, “she has been staying with me.”
That surprised me since they’d never been all that friendly, but I kept my surprise to myself. Grief hit everyone differently, and if they needed each other to get through David’s death, I wouldn’t judge.
“You are back where you belong,” Aunt Valentina pushed on, interrupting my thoughts. “This is how it was always meant to be. How your father and our father pictured things.” She patted my chest once, the move full of affection. Then she kissed both of my cheeks before she smiled. “Come on, everyone is waiting.”
The family was already gathered. It was the first family dinner since Matteo and I got back.
Luca, my brother-in-arms, was there along with all the other important people that made up the DeRossi organization. Trusted advisors mingled with lieutenants and family members; even loyal associates sipped DeRossi wine as they smiled and made conversation. Everyone in this room had earned the right to be here through loyalty or blood—in many cases, both.
The room fell silent as I stepped up to the head of the table with Luca at my right side and Ren on my left.