Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 74220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 371(@200wpm)___ 297(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
When her coughing subsided, she rolled onto her back and looked at the sky, feeling the rain pour down on her face. She turned her head to lock her eyes with mine, and she released a shaky breath, her eyes watering at the sight of me.
I scooped her into my arms and pulled her close, feeling the pulse in her neck against my thumb. I held her in the pouring rain, my chest aching from the way I breathed so hard, and I forced my tears to stop.
“I knew you would come for me.”
We pulled up to my estate, Adrien still in the car with us.
Fleur said she didn’t need to go to the hospital. She just wanted to go home, and by home, I assumed she meant mine.
Adrien stayed in the car, and I helped her to my bedroom. She was covered in mud, and so was I. Whatever clothing she wore before was impossible to decipher now because it was thoroughly destroyed.
She headed to the bathroom first and started to drop the muddy clothes on the floor.
I stayed by the door. “I’ll be back.”
She turned her head so fast. “You’re—you’re leaving?” Her tone was packed with ice-cold fear.
“I’ll be back in an hour.”
“But I want you to stay. I need you to stay…”
I couldn’t stay even if I wanted to, not when I was so angry I could tear down his house with my bare hands. “I have to, sweetheart.”
“I almost died—”
“And I’m going to kill the assholes who are responsible for that.”
She finally understood and didn’t ask again.
“Turn on the news when you’re done in the shower.”
“Why?”
“Because I want you to see what I did to them.”
Adrien and I returned to Oscar’s residence. My men still maintained control of the perimeter, and the police didn’t interfere. Luca was there when I showed up, in his vest and with a shotgun. “You got her?”
I nodded. “If I’d gotten there a minute later…”
He gave a nod in understanding. “How do you want to play this?”
“Execute the men who buried her. Oscar is mine.”
“Let’s do it.”
We strode into the house, the marks from the explosion still visible on the walls. His men were still dead on the floor, having bled out and marked the rugs and furniture.
Oscar hadn’t tried to run and was where I’d left him, sitting in the armchair with dried blood on his face, like he hadn’t even gotten up to clean it. He was holding his shoulder at a weird angle, like his collision with the wall had broken something. “Did you get her in time?”
“Yes.”
He nodded. “I’m glad to hear it—”
“You violated the code, Oscar.”
“I didn’t know she was your girl, Bastien. I thought she was Adrien’s.”
“Whoever she is doesn’t matter. Because the code pertains to all women, regardless of which man she’s in a relationship with. You may not like how Adrien conducts his business, but that doesn’t give you the right to abandon the code you vowed to honor.”
Oscar got to his feet so he could meet my gaze. “Adrien had the chance to spare her, but he chose not to.” His eyes flicked past me to where Adrien stood behind me.
I slowly turned to look at him, eyes narrowed. “Explain that.”
Adrien shifted his gaze between us. “He said he would let her go if I gave him all of my clients.”
I tilted my head, expecting a better explanation than that.
Adrien continued. “But if I did, my clients would come for me and my entire family, including Fleur. There was no way I could save Fleur, no matter what I did.”
“You agree and then come to me. You don’t let them bury the woman you love.”
“It all happened so fast—”
“I should fucking kill you too.” Fleur had endured all of that because her piece-of-shit ex was too stupid to think on his feet. “She almost drowned in mud, and you’re equally responsible for that.”
“Bastien.” Oscar addressed me gently. “I never would have come for Fleur if I’d known.”
“What kind of fucking excuse is that?” I turned back to him.
“Yes, I violated the code, but I never would have touched someone who’s important to you. You know I speak the truth. It was an honest mistake.”
“No such thing as an honest mistake.” I turned back to Adrien. “You cheated because you wanted to cheat.” I looked at Oscar again. “And you almost subjected an innocent woman to a brutal death for your own agenda. Those are not mistakes.” I stepped away and motioned to Luca. “Take him to the car. We’re going to Notre-Dame.”
Oscar didn’t know my plan, but he knew that was where he would die. “Bastien, we’ve known each other for years—”
“Shut up, Oscar.”
The guys grabbed his arms, and Luca zip-tied his wrists together.
“I’m sorry.” He tried to come toward me, but the guys pulled him away. “I said I was sorry.”