Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Carlo looks pleased. Saul is resigned.
And I’m too angry to care how either of my brothers feel, too angry to care about what this war will mean for the Famiglia.
All I can think about is my wife.
My Maddie. My bella topo
That Russian bastard nearly hurt my baby.
And I wasn’t there for her. I assigned Dante to watch over her, but it still kills me that I wasn’t the one saving her life. I wasn’t the one pulling the trigger.
This whole city will burn for what they just did.
Jasha made a mistake coming after my girl, and I won’t stop until he’s down in my basement, choking on his own blood.
Chapter 32
Maddie
Ipull my knees to my chest in the reading nook and cry. My stomach tightens and I feel sick as I relive that terrible moment over and over again. My ears are ringing from the gunshot, and I can still feel the knife tip pressing against my side.
They tried to kill me.
The Russians, Renzo’s enemies. They would’ve dragged me into that van and I never would’ve seen the world again if it hadn’t been for Renzo’s best friend. I didn’t even know he’d been following me—which I guess was the point.
The door opens. I look over as Renzo enters and closes it behind him. He moves toward me, my beautiful husband, walking with a languid grace. He’s hesitant, but his face is hard. “Are you okay?” he asks quietly.
I nod miserably and wipe my face. “I’m not hurt.”
“I’m sorry.” That’s it, two words, and I start to cry again. Renzo has nothing to apologize for—I’m the one that should be begging his forgiveness. He comes over and kneels down, pulling me roughly against him, and hugs me tight. “You’re safe now,” he whispers as I get it all out. The feelings are too much, way too big, and I sob against his chest until I feel like I’ve been drained of all my tears.
“I should’ve told you,” I say, not able to look him in the face.
He pulls back slightly. “I already knew.”
I go very still. My breath hitches in my throat. “You did?”
“That’s why it was Dante watching you and not a more junior soldier. I’d never let someone else keep my pregnant wife safe.”
The dam breaks again. I cry, covering my face with both hands. This time, he doesn’t move forward to comfort me, and that hurts even more.
“I should’ve told you,” I manage to say once I get myself under control again.
“Yes, you should have.” He rocks back onto his heels. “Why, Maddie?”
I shake my head, feeling pathetic and stupid, hating myself for being such a coward. “I didn’t want things to change.”
“This is what we wanted. This was the whole point of you marrying me. This child you’re carrying, it’s my future. It’s our future.”
“But the baby means what we’ve been doing—” I choke off the words, feeling so useless and pathetic.
“What, bella topo? What do you think the baby means?”
“It’ll stop,” I whisper. “Me and you. What we’ve been doing.”
“The sex?” His eyebrows raise. “You think I’d stop fucking you just because you’re pregnant?”
“No, not that. Everything else.”
But he’s pulling back from me. Renzo stands and takes a step away. “You lied to me,” he says, averting his gaze. That fucking kills me. “You’ve known for how long now? Over a week?”
“Nine days.”
“I figured it out when I heard you getting sick in the morning. I should be insulted you thought I wouldn’t put it together, but I’m too hurt and disappointed to feel anything else.”
“Renzo—”
“You lied to me,” he repeats, and now his expression hardens. “I’m sorry you were almost hurt today because of me. I won’t let that happen again.”
“I understand.” I stare down at the floor. My hands twist in my lap.
“You can’t go to work anymore. You will stay in the house as much as possible. I’ll have a guard detail assigned to you at all times until things with the Russians calm down.”
My eyes widen. “I’m a prisoner now?”
“No, baby. You’re my pregnant wife, and the city’s too dangerous for you at the moment. We’ll keep you safe here. It won’t be forever.”
I nod, biting my lip. This is all wrong. Everything’s changing just like I thought it would, but for the wrong reasons. I can feel how hurt he is, and I wish he could understand that I didn’t tell him because I care, not because I wanted to hurt him. It’s the opposite—I want him badly, so badly it made me do something very stupid.
Now I’m paying for it.
Paying for everything.
He turns and walks away. I don’t move. I can’t move. My body’s lead and my heart’s a shattered wreck.
“I need to make a doctor’s appointment,” I say. “I need prenatal vitamins too.”
“I’ll have the best OB come here to the house along with whatever equipment she needs, and I already got you vitamins. They’re under your sink.”