Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Soon, my limbs felt heavy with sleep. Amelia’s words drifted away, and darkness claimed me.
Pain erupted through my body, and merciless blue eyes brimmed with laughter as Lamorgese pressed the branding iron against my chest. A scream ripped from my throat. I thrashed, but the bindings kept me down.
“Nestore, wake up.”
The voice that had kept me alive filtered into my mind, and I followed it out of the darkness and away from the pain. My eyes shot open to peer up into beautiful, kind blue eyes. Amelia’s lips were parted as she breathed raggedly, her expression stricken. “You had a nightmare.” She stroked my hair as if I were a little boy, and I allowed myself to lean into the touch. Amelia made even the dark moments appear a little lighter.
“I couldn’t wake you.”
“But you did. You led me back into the light.”
Her eyes softened, but the concern remained on her face. Concern for me, despite what I’d done. I’d kidnapped her and forced her to marry me, and now I forced her to stay in the very house she abhorred. I sat up and cupped her face, then brought my lips down on hers. I needed to feel her warmth, to taste her sweetness. I needed to remind myself of the good. We kissed for a while until the shrill sound of my phone ripped through the peaceful quiet. I pulled away and slanted a look at the screen to see whom I’d have to punish.
Remo
He was one of the people I couldn’t punish. Dammit.
Amelia leaned back against the headboard with a look of trepidation. I grabbed my phone from the nightstand and lifted it to my ear. “Remo, to what do I owe this call?” I had an inkling of why Remo was calling me today. The news of my spectacular exchange must have reached Las Vegas by now.
“I’m currently watching helicopter footage of police shooting chimps after they ripped apart as of yet unknown victims in the Port of Los Angeles.” He paused for effect, and I waited patiently for him to continue. “I remember these crazy apes distinctly from my conquest of the manor. Nino recommended we shoot them as they were obviously out of control. I thought this should be your decision, considering the manor was yours. I reckon you didn’t kill them.”
“Indeed,” I said. I motioned for Amelia to go ahead to the bathroom. I had a feeling Remo was calling with a purpose in mind. Often, when I acted too volatile, he liked to remind me of my standing in the Camorra. His word was law, even in California.
“Apparently, a few rats kidnapped Achille Lamorgese’s son, and you staged a risky exchange?”
I wondered who had leaked the information. Several of my men had known about the kidnapping and my plan. I doubted Niccolo had gone behind my back. He preferred to be honest with Remo, as did I, but he would have told me if he thought we should call our Capo. “It wasn’t very risky. Chaos was on my side.”
“It always is, and so is madness.” Remo was one to speak. My chaos and madness were why we got along so well, or as well as one could get along with my bloodthirsty Capo. “I assume the boy is safe and our enemies died brutally.”
“The chimps were very vengeful.”
“Given their abrupt end, you probably failed to obtain any information regarding possible supporters.” The strain in Remo’s voice revealed his anger, but I could handle it. It was my friend, not a foe.
“These men are the last of a dying species. We’ll burn them out of their dank holes even without the unreliable words out of Corvin’s mouth.”
“Considering your adept torturing skills, he would have revealed the truth eventually.”
I didn’t deny it.
“I enjoyed seeing their torn apart bodies. I’ll give you slack for that. And I’m glad those apes are finally out of the picture. I always worried they’d eat you one day. That would have been a shame.”
That probably meant he didn’t want to kill me for my actions.
“As you might have guessed, this circus spectacle isn’t the only reason I’m calling. I told Nino to schedule your next cage fight in Las Vegas for tomorrow evening, so you should probably grab a flight tonight so you have some time to acclimatize.”
“I expected an invitation from you, and I’ll be there tonight.”
“I assume Amelia will join us?”
Protectiveness reared its furious head. “She’ll be with me where she belongs.”
“Good, good. I booked a hotel suite for you in the Palazzo. Nino and I will join you for dinner at their steakhouse restaurant tonight.”
“I haven’t had a good steak in a while.”
“You’ll get one. I hope Amelia likes hers bloody?”
Remo was trying to get a rise out of me, but with him, I rarely felt the urge to snap. Maybe his volatile nature spoke to mine on a deeper level. “I’m sure she’ll appreciate her food either way.”