Total pages in book: 42
Estimated words: 38670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 38670 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 193(@200wpm)___ 155(@250wpm)___ 129(@300wpm)
Sighing, I began to put away the tools I’d used. “I can get away with a lot of shit since I’m Nic’s right-hand man and cousin. Of course, I’ve earned that leniency because I’ve rarely defied him. You, I’ve decided, are not worth the friction that killing you would put between me and the boss. So today is the luckiest day you’re ever going to have.”
I walked over to stand directly in front of Chet and felt the presence of several men creating a wall behind me.
“When you leave here, I expect you to crawl into the shadows and stay the fuck there. If I see you in the spotlight, for even one minute, or if I catch a glimpse of you within hundreds of miles of Vivienne, it will be the last time you see anything at all.”
Chet whimpered, and I shoved my fist into his gut one last time.
“And know this, there is nowhere on this earth that you can go where we can’t find you. You won’t be just hiding from the Family.”
“You’ll have the Silver Saints on your ass,” Mac growled.
“And the Iron Rogues,” Fox added.
“We won’t watch you. If you attract the attention of the Hounds of Hellfire, I’ll probably just kill you,” King drawled.
“The Family’s associates are every-fucking-where,” I told him, the dispassionate and calm side of me taking over once more.
I pivoted and lifted my chin at my brothers in silent thanks, receiving nods from each of them as well.
“Dump him somewhere his family will find him,” I ordered Alec. “I’m going home.”
15
VIVIENNE
My worry about rambling around Rafa’s mansion by myself while he was gone turned out to be unnecessary. About an hour after he left, Gabbi showed up with their mother in tow. They had apparently been giving us space to get to know each other better but decided that wasn’t necessary any longer since I had been left to my own devices.
Rafa didn’t know it yet, but he owed his sister something extravagant. Not only had she distracted me from my fear about what was going on, she also scored him major brownie points by sharing lots of stories about what an amazing big brother he was. Then Mamma Giulia—who insisted I call her that even though my place in her son’s life hadn’t truly been decided yet—broke out the big guns…baby pictures.
It was nearly impossible to hold on to my anger when I had visions of him as an adorable, dark-haired, brown-eyed baby in my head. They also made it all too easy to picture the children we could make together—including the one that might already be inside my womb. Something I tried not to think about around his mamma because what we’d done to possibly put it there made me blush furiously.
Mamma Giulia was as sweet as could be, but she was also very astute. Something I’d learned over the past twenty-four or so hours.
Tapping the photo in front of me, she smiled widely. “My Rafa will make beautiful bambini, eh?”
My cheeks burned even hotter, and Gabbi giggled. I narrowed my eyes at her before returning her mother’s smile. “Yes, he will.”
A sly gleam shone from her dark eyes, so similar to her son’s. “And una bella ragazza like you will, too.”
It took every ounce of my willpower not to allow my gaze to drop to my flat stomach. It didn’t matter that there wasn’t a single sign I was pregnant. She would know what I was thinking. “I hope so…someday.”
Gabbi finally swooped in to save me with the one thing that could distract her mother—food. “Is there any pastina soup still in the freezer, Mamma? With the cold front coming through, I bet Vivienne would love a bowl of it to warm her up from the inside out, like you always tell us your Italian penicillin does.”
“Ahh, my minestrina.” She stood and nodded with a grin. “If mio figlio already devoured it all, we will send someone to my house for the new batch I made yesterday.”
My brows drew together. “Italian penicillin?”
“If you’ve never had pastina soup, you’re in for a treat,” Gabbi assured me, patting her belly. “My mamma is an amazing cook, and it’s one of my favorite things that she makes.”
Mamma Giulia patted her daughter’s cheek. “You used to ask for it whenever you were sick, mia cara ragazza.”
Gabbi beamed a smile at her. “Because I always felt better after slurping down a delicious bowl of homemade chicken broth and the tiniest pasta ever made.”
I licked my lips at her description. “Yum.”
“Ah, we’re in luck,” Mamma Giulia called from the freezer. “My boy must’ve been distracted because he hasn’t eaten a single drop yet.”
Gabbi wagged her brows, her eyes going wide as she shot me a look filled with humor. “I’m sure he had a lot of…business to handle.”