Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 94024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94024 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 470(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 313(@300wpm)
He glared. “Speak of this again, and I’m choking you.”
I rolled my eyes again. “Please, you’d probably like that too.”
“Son of a bitch.” He wiped down his face. “What the hell am I supposed to do with you?”
“Welllll…” I checked my watch and winked. “You have exactly three hours to figure that out, don’t you?”
He blew out an exasperated breath. “Not sure if I should spank you or thank you.”
“You can do both…” I blew him an air kiss. “You have three hours to decide.” I reached to open the stall door just as he put a hand over my fingertips. “Yes?”
“Does this offer have an expiration date?”
“What a great idea.” I jerked away from his hand. “It does now.”
“But—”
“Hey, we gotta go; we only had fifteen minutes.”
“Vi, I don’t think—”
“See ya!”
I adjusted my dress as I stepped out of the stall and nearly had a heart attack when Breaker’s hand snaked out to snatch mine. He turned me around and pressed a heated kiss to my mouth that I hope translated into the word “tonight.”
He pulled away abruptly with a smile on his face.
One I hadn’t been privy to since last Christmas.
My first real Breaker smile.
His smile was bright like the sun, and beneath it, I felt nothing but warmth and security as he slowly started buttoning his shirt back up.
Movement caught out of the corner of my eyes. I whipped my head to the right just in time to see Junior wrap his arm around Ash and lead him into the church.
I exhaled in relief.
“You ready, Abandonato?” Breaker offered his arm.
I swallowed the ever-present ball in my throat. “Not ever.”
“Shall I distract you?”
I snorted. “Watch it, or I’m going to start calling you Cocky Campisi.”
His dark chuckle wrapped around me even though he was barely touching me as we walked arm in arm into the church to join the Families.
“Admit it.” His voice lowered to a whisper. “It does have a ring to it. Plus, better you think about tonight than right now.”
“Impossible.” My eyes welled with tears. “Look at us.”
He followed the direction of my stare.
Ash was trembling next to Junior, who was trying his best to keep his expression neutral, but every time Serena glanced at him, you could practically see the guy grab a knife, cut open his own chest, and offer his heart to her, with every stolen glance, every breath, and then there was my little sister, Izzy as she stole looks at Maksim, who was doing his best to burn a hole through the back of the church pew while his dad sat next to him.
“Shit, we’re a mess.” Breaker agreed. “Maybe this isn’t—”
“Finish that sentence, and I’m going to find the first random stranger who smiles at me and invite him into my bed.”
Suddenly Breaker’s hand gripped my arm, tight enough to cause a stinging pain as we stopped walking. “One day, you’ll realize how dangerous your threats are… one day, I may not stop myself.” He released my arm, his eyes burned with fury as he waited for me to say something.
But I had nothing.
Because I liked the darkness that swirled behind his emerald eyes.
And one day, I would do more than push him over the edge.
I’d give him a shove and jump after him into the oblivion—and I’d worship at the feet of the fallen.
Chapter Four
The fault must partly have been in me.
The bird was not to blame for his key. —Robert Frost
Breaker
Claire’s funeral was heavy with a sadness felt in the soul—it hurt to breathe, my lungs burned with the need to inhale more air, but every single time I tried, I imagined myself in Ash’s position.
Standing up at that pulpit.
Destroyed.
Lost.
Un-fucking-repairable.
How easily our spots could have been switched. And the only people who knew were the ones who kept my secrets safe.
Phoenix Nicolasi, who was currently watching me like a hawk—for good reason.
And Andrei Sinacore-Petrov, who cheerfully sat directly to my left with his wife and Maksim. Every few seconds, I saw the glint of the knife shoved down around his ankle as he purposely crossed his legs.
Message received, dick.
Ash’s voice rasped as he continued the Eulogy. “All it takes is one second, and life can get ripped from you. I actually had a fight with Claire that morning. She wanted to go shopping, and I wanted to send security with her. She finally…”
His voice trailed off as I squeezed my eyes shut and tried to think about anything but that night.
“You have a choice,” Andrei whispered as I watched the leering fifty-year-old looking man shrug out of his black leather jacket and grin at one of the idiots spouting off insults in Russian about how tight her body would be, how it was an honor…
“I don’t,” I hissed through my teeth.
“We always do. The choice will always be yours.” Andrei put his hand on my shoulder and squeezed.