Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 85490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 85490 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 427(@200wpm)___ 342(@250wpm)___ 285(@300wpm)
“I’m glad you’re still here,” Elena says.
“Yeah, me too,” I tell her and lean into her hug.
Chapter 41
Marco
Icould stay here, right here, for the rest of my life. It’s not a question of getting bored, being satisfied, wanting more; it’s only a matter of physical needs.
“My arm’s asleep,” Laura whispers in my ear.
I grin and adjust so she can sit up. She stretches and her hair falls down to her back as I watch. Her lips make a little pout, and she lets out a long, sighing breath every time she does this, and I can’t get enough of it.
There are other details I notice: the way she sleeps on her left side, the way she switches hands when she brushes her teeth, the way she puts on her shoes and talks to them as she ties the laces like they’re her little friends.
These are the details I missed through the cameras. In person, she’s so much more.
“You know, I haven’t gotten a visit from Jackal in a while.” She smiles at me and leans down to kiss my chest. “Something wrong with him?”
“Not at all. Just needed a break.” I catch her hair and pull her down into a kiss. Her bed’s big and comfortable, and I could stay in it forever.
“You know, I like having two boyfriends.” She looks at me with a shy smile. It’s strange, seeing her like that, but Laura’s so much more than she lets people see. “You don’t get jealous, do you?”
“I can share you with Jackal, but nobody else.”
“I thought so.” She slips out of my grasp and gets out of bed. I smile up at the ceiling, and I know I’ll have to get up in a minute too, but I wish she’d just come back and we could forget about the world outside.
It’s been three days since the attack. One of those days was spent in suspense, worried for Laura, until she showed up at my doorstep. I thought she was there to run away: instead, she invited me back to the oasis. Part of me was worried I’d get shot the second I stepped foot on Bianco territory. Instead, she ushered me into her house without so much as introducing me to anyone else, and we’ve been enjoying each other ever since.
I left my mask back at home, unfortunately, but there will be time for Jackal soon.
Laura takes a shower. I put on clothes and head downstairs. Her coffee machine is pretty basic, but it does the job. I carry my mug down into her basement and walk around, looking at her tools and her half-finished works, and smile at the camera perched on top of her workbench. That’s my eye up there. I can’t guess how many hours I spent staring through it.
“Impressive, right?”
I look up and back toward the stairs. On instinct, I reach for Laura’s chisel, thinking I’ll need to defend myself, but my hand falls away.
Simon Bianco’s watching me. He’s alone and unarmed, at least as far as I can tell.
I would’ve killed to get in a position like this. Just me and him, the leader of my enemies, with nobody around to stop me from killing him. It takes a lot of willpower not to do anything stupid. I have to remind myself that this isn’t Don Bianco; this is Laura’s brother.
“She’s talented,” I say finally. “I didn’t hear you come down.”
“Reinforced stairs. Hides the sound.” He drifts over and runs his hand down a partially finished jackal ear. “I couldn’t figure out why she was into these until I saw your mask at the opening. Then it made sense.”
“Does she know you’re in here?”
He nods. “She let me in. I told her I wanted to talk to you alone first.”
I watch him warily, not sure where this is going. “Never thought I’d be having a civil conversation with you.”
He smirks and looks at me, head tilted. “I never really thought about you at all, but here we are.” His smile fades away. “Laura loves you.”
“I know she does.” I stare at him, struggling to keep myself in check. I don’t like his arrogance, and I hate the power he holds over my relationship with his sister. I’m rethinking that whole murder thing.
“And how do you feel?”
“I love her too. Very much.”
“Good.” He nods to himself as if that’s what he had been hoping for. “I’m going to be honest here. If you hadn’t tipped Angelo off about the attack on the gallery opening, this conversation would never happen. I never would’ve let a Santoro on our turf, not for any reason.”
“If it weren’t for your sister, I’d be busy trying to bring you down. Funny how life goes sometimes.”
Simon lets out a short laugh. “I get the message.”
“It was a good idea, by the way. The body-doubles thing.”