MelinaMak looks at me in frustration. “How the hell did he get into your room?”I’ve just told her most of the story about last night. “He said Moon knew.”Mak swears. “That man needs to stop with the matchmaking or at least let me in on it. I’m pissed off and he’ll get an earful at breakfast.”It’s Monday and my day off. I’m looking forward to some quality time in the gym sparring with Celina. “Thank you for all you’ve done.”She rolls her eyes. “Don’t thank me. I’m not happy to lose a good employee.”“I’m not that good.”“You don’t give yourself enough credit. You’ve only screwed up one appointment and I still think you did it to Lina on purpose.”I smile and look away, giving my silent answer. “I’ll miss you.”She pulls me in for a hug and I squeeze back. “I’ll miss you more, believe me. You’ll need to visit more often than Cindy and you’re always welcome here permanently if things don’t work out with asshole.” Mak and Celina both refer to Austin as asshole now.“He’s my asshole.”
AustinIt’s been two weeks and whatever hole Fernandez is living in is keeping him alive. Moon has the same opinion. He’s underground and we need to bide our time. Usually I’m patient when it comes to killing. That’s not holding true right now.The only positive is my team. Andreas is my official enforcer and I’ve moved others around and increased security at the house. Melina will be living here and what happened to Cindy will not happen to her. The house needs to be a fortress and that’s exactly what I’m going for. The repairs are finished from where Fernandez’s men blasted through the wall, and I’ve added a little extra to the mix in case anyone tries again. I’ve been in contact with a dog handler and he’s purchasing top K9s for me. I’ve also talked to Moon in depth about his security measures for Mak. Andreas is in charge of finding Melina a team of bodyguards. If she wants to leave the house, they’ll accompany her everywhere. If she doesn’t agree, there’s always the basement. I w
Austin“They might. Attacking during the day was stupid, so I have no doubt it’s Fernandez. My question is what the hell is he thinking?”“He’s desperate. Our men are looking for him everywhere and he’s tired of hiding.”Moon’s phone rings and he answers the call. “Stay put and head into the safe room if you need to.” Moon ends the call and looks at me with fury in his eyes. “The man I wanted from Fernandez just tried to get up to the escort office. He’s trapped in the elevator. This means Fernandez is working with him and they’re going after Melina too. She’s safe,” he says before I explode. “I have men on the building all the time and there’s a safe room for them. I also have men circling the back of the other building across from us. We’ll be out of here in ten minutes and pick up the women.”It’s another few minutes before Gomez’s radio chirps. “Clear, the shooter’s gone.” Gomez runs out and across the parking lot to the other building before Moon can stop him. We wait until he re
MelinaWaiting is the hardest part. I spend a lot of time thinking about these last months. About my life before Austin. I hated school, but it was a way to get out from under my brother’s thumb and I was willing to do anything—even sit in a classroom learning a subject I detest.I would go back to school and learn for Austin, though. If he plans to marry me, he loves me. I think he just doesn’t understand love. I’ll spend the rest of our lives teaching him.It’s almost midnight when we hear a commotion at the front door. The men are home and the muscles in my stomach unclench.Moon sports a bloody white dress shirt unbuttoned at the collar. Gomez is pristine in a three piece suit looking like he doesn’t have a care in the world, and my man looks sexy as hell in jeans and a black T-shirt. Mak raises her eyebrows at her husband. He pulls her into his arms. “One down,” he says softly, but I hear it and hope it’s my brother.“You’re sexy when you kill someone who needs it,” Mak replies.
MelinaHe leans across me first and turns off the light. I don’t mind. If it makes it easier for him to talk in the dark, I’m good. “She was a bitch.” He remains silent for a minute and I give him time. “She sold me to men who liked little boys and then to men who liked older boys. She was a fucked-up mess for as far back as I can remember. Not mother material.”I dig my fingers into the skin of his arm, but he doesn’t flinch. “Her boyfriend, from the article, was he one of them?”“The worst.”I can just barely make out his face in the dark and I lift my hand to his cheek. It’s what he isn’t saying that’s even more horrifying. He was only twelve when he killed them. To give a child no other way out is inconceivable and at the same time not surprising. I thought of killing my father for what he did to my mother. I’ve thought of killing my brother for what he’s done to me and any person or animal I’ve cared for. To push Austin over the edge at twelve had to be a living nightmare. “I’m g
AustinReflecting on my past isn’t good for me. I’ll do my best to move forward after Fernandez is dead. He’s in hiding again and building his base. I’m taking Melina home with me. Victor and Cindy’s home will now be ours. I’m already thinking of it as Melina’s. I want her decorating in a style she loves. Thank God her taste doesn’t run to dead animals. For her, though, I would put up with it.This is love.I try constantly to wrap my head around it. She’s forgiven me for everything I put her through. What’s more, she knows who and what I am. There’s no turning back for either of us.Melina wasn’t happy that I didn’t tell her about Andreas taking a bullet. She’s fussed over him since we boarded the plane. It’s been fun watching him deal with her. From his clipped responses, he doesn’t appreciate her care. As long as he knows she’s mine, she can fuss all she wants and he’ll be pleasant. I give him a sharp look when he groans and he nods.Moon, Mak, Gomez, and Celina are on the plane wi
AustinThe laughter follows us when I pull her from Moon’s room and head to our suite at the end of the hall. Andreas stays back, making sure we enter our room safely. I close the door with a solid thud and secure the locks.“Turn around slowly again so I can see the back of that fucking dress.”“Do you like it?” she asks as she slowly spins for my pleasure.“I’ll like it more when it’s off,” I offer because I want the dress on the floor and Melina naked in my arms.She laughs and spins around again, stopping so all I see is her back. “It’s secured in the back. Unfasten me and your wishes will come true, I promise.”There are small buttons at her waist that require finesse. My fingers feel overly large when I try. The smell of her skin is simply too much to resist and I kiss her back and shoulders. She shivers beneath my lips and I smile wickedly. The last button is impossible and my restraint is at an end. With a sudden jerk of the material, a button goes flying and I rip the dress f
AustinThe laughter follows us when I pull her from Moon’s room and head to our suite at the end of the hall. Andreas stays back, making sure we enter our room safely. I close the door with a solid thud and secure the locks.“Turn around slowly again so I can see the back of that fucking dress.”“Do you like it?” she asks as she slowly spins for my pleasure.“I’ll like it more when it’s off,” I offer because I want the dress on the floor and Melina naked in my arms.She laughs and spins around again, stopping so all I see is her back. “It’s secured in the back. Unfasten me and your wishes will come true, I promise.”There are small buttons at her waist that require finesse. My fingers feel overly large when I try. The smell of her skin is simply too much to resist and I kiss her back and shoulders. She shivers beneath my lips and I smile wickedly. The last button is impossible and my restraint is at an end. With a sudden jerk of the material, a button goes flying and I rip the dress f