I pulled the knife from Rafe's chest. Stuffed a wad of towels into his wound. Slapped his face. Maybe a little harder than I should have, but he'd just made me kill him in front of his loved ones. "Wake up, you little shit. I know you're not dead." Yet. His eyelids twitched before he opened his eyes fully. "Wh-wha-"I shoved a clean towel into his mouth. "I just killed you. In front of your family. For them. Not for you. But I now own your ass. Your life is mine to do with as I please. And despite your death wish, now isn't your time to die."He worked up a weak glare. I smiled down at him. "You're going to leave. Go get yourself fixed up. I'll send you a text message. Meet me at the address I list. If you miss the appointment, I'll tear your life into so many pieces you'll never put it back together. And if you think to disobey me so I'll kill you, I'll make sure you stay alive forever. You don't get to waltz around here like the spoiled little brat you are anymore. You don'
Stunned silence was thick enough I could hardly breathe. It felt like a herd of buffalo were sitting on my chest, squeezing my heart and lungs into stillness. Under the heavy weight, I could feel the barest sigh of relief. It was peppered through the room, coming from different people. But it was there. And it was slowly growing. Willow came over, wrapped me in her arms. "I'm so sorry, babe."I cuddled her back. For every tear that fell on my shoulder, I put another tally mark in the sins list of Rafe's life. He had a lot to answer for. The least of which was hurting these people. Soon, the entire Amatucci family surrounded me. There was no ill will. No recriminations. My kill had been clean in their eyes. They grieved for the man they loved as their son. The man he should have been. The man he could have been. Momma cleared her throat from the back of the pack. "From all accounts, Rafe had raised a gun against his sister, Eden." Her voice cracked. She shook her head as b
A week laterWe all stood around in mission ops. Waited for Papa to finish the eulogy for Rafe. A conflicting mass of feelings swamped me, just as they had over the past seven days. I felt like I was still trying to just tread water, to keep my head above the surface of everything. Eden and Amara were the only bright points in my life at the moment. Every single moment I was awake, I was with them. Holding them. Loving them. Cherishing them. They would know, beyond any shadow of doubt, that they were loved. Amara squirmed in Eden's arms. Gave a pouty sigh. "Fi'shed?" She looked up at me with hope in her eyes. She made the sign in the air as she asked.Eden kissed her nose. "Almost, Monkey. Almost."Amara nodded. Stuffing her fingers in Eden's hair, she twirled them around a long lock of pure black. Laying her head on Eden's shoulder, she closed her eyes. "And so we gather here today to pray for the peace and mercy of our Heavenly Father. Please accept Rafe into your grac
Shoving my phone back into my bra, I walked back into the ballroom. Apparently the kitchen staff had been prepared for Nik's rushed nuptials. The room was decked out and was almost dreamy. Massi walked up to me, Amara in his arms. "Feel better?" he asked softly. His voice was back after an entire week of resting it. I nodded. "Much." He held out his hand, pulled me into his arms with him and Amara. He tapped Amara's nose, tilted his head at me. Amara's shoulder drifted up to her ears. A huge smile on her face. "Wiet!" she yelled in the mostly calm room. "Daddy has westions!"Massi chuckled. He dropped to one knee, Amara perched on it. They both looked up at me. Massi tapped Amara's shoulder. "Mama, will you marry us?" she asked. Massi looked up at me, his heart in his eyes. Tears flooded my eyes as I nodded. "Of course, Monkey." I leaned down, gave her kisses. Then I switched my kisses to her daddy. Sandwiched between us, she giggled and slapped at our faces. "Ki
Six months laterI stood in the dark. Alone. Just like I preferred it. Not even the moon was out tonight to betray me. I watched them going about their lives. Saw that the agony and grief hadn't lasted long. Oh well. Nothing lasted long in this life. Sweden was beautiful this time of year. But the hard push of winter was making her appearance. But just like everything else, it would sweep in and demand her notice. Then fade off into the creeping clutches of Spring.Nothing lasted. A noise beside me had me sinking back into the shadows. I knew it couldn't be a security guard. I wasn't stupid enough to have been seen or even noticed. And those lardbutts couldn't be bothered to search the roof when it was accessible by stairs only.From the darkness, I watched as a man crouched near the ledge of the roof. Rolled my eyes at his attempts to be sneaky. What the hell was this world coming to? Did the idiot just decide to wake up this morning and say, "You know what? Be
I hunched over as I ran across the roof. Black and empty threats trailed through my mind, one after the other. Little Mouse was going to catch it. And I would be the one to throw it at her. Her soft laugh drifted through my head. Even my brain called me a liar with the disbelief that tinged her mental chuckle. I knew I would never hurt her. Not really. Not after everything she'd done for me. But damn, did I want to. Even just a little. Before I could process the reality that I wasn't alone, I fell to the roof's floor. Pain saturated every part of my consciousness. I soaked it up like plants in a drought. It was beautiful. Sweet. Sharp. I blinked as I was rolled over. Looking up into the dark face above me, I realized I'd had no idea what beauty truly was. "Listen up, you dumb shit. They're mine. Step on my toes again, I'll beat you to death."My dick twitched. She snickered as her gaze darted down the length of my body. "Fine, then I'll stuff you in a padded room."
A shaft of light burned across my consciousness. Even from behind closed lids, I felt the searing pain scorch along my optic nerve. What the hell had I gotten into last night? I sent my brain searching for the answers. Inhaled around the sudden influx of delicious agony that ripped through my mind. It was amazing. Almost beautiful. Beautiful.A fuzzy face flashed before my mind's eye. Brown skin made ebony under the moonless night. Only the otherworldly eyes stood out in the dark. A color that reminded me of something, but I couldn't put my finger on it. "Stay out of my lane," she'd said. Her voice was a smoky murmur that rode the currents of midnight and stroked over my body like diamond studded velvet gloves. My skin prickled at the memory of her voice. As if she'd offered me a BJ and not to stuff me into a padded cell, my dick jumped to attention. She'd read my body in a single sweep. If I weren't so turned on, I'd probably feel humiliated that I was so easy to r
"Come here, Pet. I have something for you to clean," Anders said from across the room. The sneer in his voice when he used the hated nickname I'd been given as a child sent rage flooding through my system. But I hadn't survived in this world by letting my rage get the better of me. I would do my job, get him off, then go back to doing my true life's work. Ridding the world of the Petter clan. Nodding, I got up from my small island of pillows in the corner of the room. With a walk slinky enough to make a zig zag jealous, I allowed a false heat to enter my eyes. Anders wasn't the worst of the group, but he certainly wasn't the best of them either. At best, he was stupid. At least he wasn't mean. He couldn't tell the difference between real or faked anymore. I worked hard to make sure none of them could tell the difference. It was made a little easier when I could heat my eyes with rage that they mistook for desire. My performance was flawless after all of these years. My l