Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 84219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
I capture her eyes with mine and say, “He won’t.”
“You don’t know that,” she cries, her fear spiraling out of control.
Fuck, I wanted to wait until she felt better before I told her I have the man imprisoned in my armory.
Keeping my voice gentle, I say, “When my men got to your place, he was still unconscious in your apartment. They are watching him until I’m able to deal with him. He’ll never get close to you again.”
Her breathing stops, and her eyes widen. She stares at me for a moment then her eyes widen even more. “What?”
“You don’t have to worry about him anymore. I’ll take care of the fucker.”
She nods, but it doesn’t look like my words sink in.
Leaning closer to her, I say, “The fucker deserves to die for what he did to you, Samantha.”
She nods again, and keeping her eyes locked with mine, she manages to regain some control over her emotions.
Instead of arguing with me about what’s right and wrong, she lets out a breath of relief. “Thank you. I don’t think I can deal with anything else right now.”
Glancing down, she notices the spatters of blood on her pants and blouse, then she whispers, “I need to shower.”
“Okay.”
When I take a step away from her, she says, “But I don’t want to go home.”
“You’re staying with me.” I step into the shower and turn on the faucets.
“But I have nothing to wear.”
Moving back to where she’s sitting on the counter, I say, “Once you’re better, I’ll take you to the apartment to pack some of your clothes. In the meantime, you can wear mine.”
She nods. “Thank you.”
When I begin to walk to the doorway, Samantha hops off the counter and rushes to catch up to me. She follows me to my closet, where I grab one of my dress shirts.
We head back to the bathroom, and I place the shirt on the counter, then say, “I’ll be right outside the door. Okay?”
She nods, but as I step away from her, she grabs hold of my arm and keeps her head lowered as if she’s ashamed that she needs me.
I turn back to her and tilt my head to meet her eyes. “Do you want me to stay, baby?”
“I’m sorry,” she says, and lifting her head, she admits, “I feel safer if I can see you.”
“Don’t apologize,” I murmur while brushing my hand over the side of her head.
She flinches, and it has a frown forming on my forehead.
When she sees my reaction, she lifts her fingers to her ear and carefully touches it. “He hit me with a cane.”
Only then do I see the broken skin on the shell of her ear.
My rage comes back in full force, and I clench my jaw as I fight to get the destructive emotion under control.
I’m going to fucking beat him to death.
I suck in a deep breath of air, and once I’m sure my voice won’t sound harsh, I say, “Never apologize for needing me.”
Her eyes dart over my face. “Okay.”
Christ, I hate what happened to her, but I’m so fucking thankful she ran to me.
Chapter 34
Samantha
Right now, I don’t care about the decision I have to make about Franco and me. I just can’t bear to be alone.
He’s the only person I feel safe with.
My nerves are frayed, and I’m so tired I can’t deal with anything else.
“How do you want to do this?” Franco asks me.
My eyes drift over his features that look like they’re carved from stone. I can see he’s struggling to keep his anger at bay so he doesn’t upset me.
God. Todd tried to kill me.
As the realization hits me again, my stomach churns, and I feel ill.
Franco tilts his head, and his eyes are filled with concern as he murmurs, “Baby?”
Right. He asked me a question.
I glance at the shower before looking at him again. “I don’t know.” My chin starts to tremble. “I can’t think straight.”
Franco wraps his arms around me and presses a kiss to my temple. “I’m going to shower with you. It’s nothing sexual. Okay? I just want to clean you up so you can climb into bed and get some rest.”
My mind is filled with the trauma I suffered, and I just need Franco to take control until I’m better.
I nod, and the word quivers over my lips as I say, “Okay.”
“Stop me if I do anything that makes you uncomfortable.”
I nod again, and when he grips the hem of my blouse and lifts the fabric, I raise my arms so he can take it off.
Slowly, I become aware of how badly my body is shivering from the horror I was subjected to. While Franco unbuttons my pants, I focus on calming the shivering.
I step out of my ballet flats, and when he crouches in front of me, I place my hand on his shoulder so I can keep my balance as he pulls my pants off.