Total pages in book: 126
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 115400 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 577(@200wpm)___ 462(@250wpm)___ 385(@300wpm)
“Not going to lie,” I tell Killian as he stands back to survey his handiwork. “This is messed up.”
“I’m aware,” he says, moving back toward my side. “However, this is about more than what he did to you. He was my second-in-command, the one I was supposed to trust to have my back. His vow of loyalty was broken, a betrayal of the highest treason. His actions against you were horrendous, and I will ensure he pays for that. However, his death sentence must also encompass the rage I feel when I look in his eyes.”
I nod, not quite understanding. This isn’t a world I know enough about to be able to compare the magnitude of his crimes, nor have I ever had a stable family situation to truly understand how it feels to be betrayed by someone who’s supposed to love you unconditionally, but I’m sure I’ll get there. One day, I’ll understand and be able to share in his pain. Until then, all I can do is support him in whatever he needs to do to make this sit right in his soul.
I don’t respond, but Killian doesn’t need me to. He’s not the type of man who needs to justify his actions. He does what’s required of him, and if you have a problem with it, that’s on you.
After offering me a sad smile, he moves across the room and reaches for the hose. “What are you doing?”
“I don’t intend to start until he regains consciousness, and at this rate, we’ll be here all night,” he says.
“You’re going to hit him with freezing water?”
“I am.”
“Would ummm . . . Would it be entirely inappropriate if I did it?”
He turns to face me, and his brow arches in pleasant surprise. It’s as though the idea of me taking an interest in his work couldn’t make him happier. “Be my guest,” he says, offering me the hose.
I smile wide as I gingerly take it from him, and after he turns on the tap, I twist the nozzle and watch the water shoot out of the hose. It drenches him, and then just for good measure, I raise the harsh spray of water to his face and watch as it ricochets off the blade in his eye. “Is this what waterboarding is?” I throw over my shoulder, not taking my eye off Sergiu.
“Not exactly,” Killian says. “I can teach you all about it though. It’s quite an effective interrogation tactic when performed correctly. However, I wouldn’t wear anything of value. It can be quite messy.”
A smirk settles across my face, but as the water hits the blade at the wrong angle, it dislodges and flings across the small room. “Damn,” I say with a heavy sigh, but not a moment later, Sergiu re-enters the world with a loud gasp.
His one good eye widens in horror, realizing the unfortunate position he’s in, but unlike his wife, there’s no acceptance of his fate. He’s filled with terror and pulls against the chains, desperately trying to find a way out, but there isn’t one. He should know better.
Turning the hose off, I move out of the way as Killian steps forward to take control, slowly unbuttoning his shirt in the process. He tosses it aside, and something warns me that this is about to get messy.
There’s an animalistic look in his eyes, and it speaks to me on a deep, primal level. This isn’t just a man seeking justice, this is my man protecting both of us in the only way he knows how. And goddamn, the way he so confidently steps up to take care of business is like nothing I’ve ever experienced.
God, I love him so much. How could I have ever questioned that? How could I have ever allowed him to make me fear him? It’s not possible. To love him isn’t to fear him. He was wrong. He would never hurt me because he’s not capable of it. His heart won’t allow him to.
Killian DeLorenzo would sooner lay down his own life than allow harm to come to me, and because of that, I will always belong wholeheartedly to him. Everything that I am is his.
Trying to focus on what’s about to happen, I watch Killian move right in front of Sergiu. “Release me,” Sergiu demands. “Haven’t you done enough? You’re going to destroy the DeLorenzo legacy. You’ve already slaughtered my wife, and now me? What’s next, Killian? You’ll burn the empire I built to the ground.”
“You built?” Killian questions, before striding across to the small table at the side of the room and scanning over the endless options of tools before picking up a power drill. “You didn’t build anything, cousin. You thrived in the world I provided for you. Without me, you would be nothing. I gave you your position at the top of this family, and in return, all I asked for was your undying loyalty. You’ve betrayed me, Sergiu. You broke the solemn vow you made me. You put your hands on my wife, UNDER MY OWN FUCKING ROOF,” he roars. “You stood by knowing Monica was the one who beat her black and blue and you kept quiet. You put your own priorities above mine, and for that, I will see to it that you are punished. You will never come back from this.”