AustinAndreas glares and I glare back. “Someday you’ll act like a boss, boss.”“And someday you’ll stay out of things that don’t concern you, fuck head.”“Name calling, I’m impressed.”“Fuck you!”He only laughs.“Why the hell do I make other men shake in their boots but you have no fear?” I ask.Andreas looks down at his feet for a moment and then meets my gaze again. “You’re loyal. You protected Victor with your life and earned my respect. You’re straight up and I respect that too. Victor thought of you as a son. He knew what he was doing when he left you his territory. The other men feel the same. I’m ready to take over your old job and serve you or help the person you choose to do it. You just need to step in and fill the right shoes. They’re not too big for you.”He’s pegged the entire problem in a few short sentences. I don’t feel I can fill Victor’s shoes because no one can. “You know I’d kill you if I had to.”He shakes his head and smiles. “That I’ve never doubted. What the

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

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.

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