Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 78627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 78627 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 393(@200wpm)___ 315(@250wpm)___ 262(@300wpm)
The remaining three months at St. Monarch’s are going to feel like a lifetime.
When Misha returns, I’m going to talk to him. I think it would be better if we announce the engagement as soon as he’s back. It will give Tiana three months to get used to the idea of an arranged marriage with me.
Standing in the combat training studio, I give Pedro, a cartel member, a bored look.
I’m so over this training. I feel I’ve learned everything there is to learn and would rather return to work.
Pedro rolls his shoulders as he sneers at me. We’ve been instructed to fight until there’s a knockout. Normally I’d wait for my opponent to attack, but needing to blow off some steam from the sexual attraction I feel toward Tiana, I dart forward. Spinning my body, I bring my right leg up and slam the heel of my boot into the man’s jaw.
While Pedro shakes his head, I lunge at him, delivering an uppercut to his chin. He staggers back, and I follow, slamming blow after blow into his face, ensuring he has no time to recover.
The attack is aggressive, and I end it with a knee to Pedro’s dick. The man crumbles to the floor, and an easy kick to his head renders him unconscious.
“Who pissed in your lunch?” Alek mutters, giving me a worried look.
I shake my head as I catch my breath, then reply, “No one. Just felt like kicking ass.”
My friend lifts an eyebrow at me. “Right.”
“That’s it for today,” Instructor Inna calls out. “Good fight, Mr. De Santis.”
I nod in her direction before walking out of the room.
“So you’re not going to tell me?” Alek asks as he falls into step next to me.
I let out a chuckle. “You’re dying to know what I think about Tiana, aren’t you?”
“Yes,” he admits. “Out with it.”
Knowing Tiana is like a little sister to Alek, I don’t admit anything sexual and keep it respectful. “I like Tiana. She’s beautiful and well-mannered.”
He shoots me a scowl. “You can do better than that. Tiana’s a fucking goddess.”
“That she is,” I agree as we head up the stairs toward our suites. Shooting Alek a glare, I mutter, “You could’ve warned me, though. When I met her, my jaw was practically lying on the floor.”
He lets out an amused chuckle. “I would’ve paid good money to see your reaction.”
“Misha fucking enjoyed it,” I say. When I reach my door, I add, “I’ll do everything in my power to make Tiana happy.”
“I know.” Alek’s eyes lock with mine. “That’s why you haven’t heard an argument from me when Misha brought up the arranged marriage.”
“How do you think your parents are going to react?” I ask.
Alek shrugs. “If Viktor gives his blessing, there’s nothing they can say. They’ll accept the arrangement.”
Nodding, I open my door. “That’s good to hear. I’ll see you at dinner.”
I step inside and shut the door behind me. Walking toward the bathroom so I can shower, I pull my phone out of my pocket.
There are no messages from Tiana, not that I expected any. I get the feeling she won’t ask for help if she needs any, so it’s up to me to keep tabs on her.
I quickly type out a text to her, asking how her day was, then drop the device on the counter. Opening the faucets, I strip out of my combat uniform and step beneath the warm spray.
My thoughts turn to the training and the work I’ll do once I leave here. Before I started my training at St. Monarch’s I worked as an enforcer for three years. I have twenty-two kills under my belt and know over a hundred ways to torture someone.
A woman like Tiana will make the brutality of my work bearable. Coming home to an angel after spending the day in the pits of hell will make a huge difference.
The mafia’s not all bad, and it pays fucking well. I’ve invested part of my inheritance and income. Turns out I’m good at reading the stock market, and I’ve managed to increase my investments dramatically. I’ll be able to give my wife and children a good life, and if I’m killed on a job, there’ll be enough to take care of them in my absence.
Just like my father did for us. He might have fucked around with other women, but he was a good father, and he made sure my mother would never suffer financially.
I’ll never cheat on my wife. I saw what my father’s infidelity did to my mother. It’s also not something I’ll tolerate. If I catch my wife fucking around, I’ll end her and the bastard.
But I can’t see Tiana being disloyal. If she’s anything like Misha, she’d rather die than betray a loved one.
After I’m done showering, I get dressed in a clean combat uniform. Picking up my phone, I see a reply from Tiana and open the message.