Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 72973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72973 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 365(@200wpm)___ 292(@250wpm)___ 243(@300wpm)
She’s quiet for a while, staring at a spot on my chest, then she shakes her head lightly as if she’s coming out of a daze.
“I was transferred to a bigger boat and held in a room. There were armed men. When they tore off my dress, I killed one with my shoe.”
The fuck?
“You took out an armed man with a shoe?” Damiano asks, actually sounding impressed.
“It’s all I had. I buried the heel in his eye,” she mumbles, her fingers twisting in the fabric of the covers.
“She can be your bodyguard, Dario,” the fucker says. “Continue, Eden.”
“I never heard any names. We were kept on the boat for a day before being moved to the house.”
“Did you see tattoos?” Damiano shoots another question her way.
She thinks for a moment, then answers, “They wore warm clothes, but one of the men had a leaf on his neck with an M.”
Damiano rises to his feet and surprises the fuck out of me when he comes to give Eden’s shoulder a squeeze.
“You did good, Eden. Get some rest.” Turning his attention to me, he says, “I’ll give you a day to be with her then you have to get to work. I want Miguel found.”
“Got it,” I reply and watch as he leaves the room.
“Miguel?” Eden asks, her tone soft.
“The drug dealers who took you work for him,” I explain.
She nods, her eyes locking on my chest. Her features tighten, giving me the impression she’s nervous.
“You okay?”
She nods again. “So…” Her tongue peeks out and brushes over the cut on her lip. “You’re in the mafia.”
“Yes.” Needing to be open with her, I explain, “I take care of all the hacking and tracking jobs. I’m also a sniper for the family.”
My body tenses as I wait for her to say something else.
When she remains quiet, I murmur, “Say something.”
Her eyes lift to my face, and I watch as they shine with a look of wonder.
“A while back, when I asked if you have a dark side, this didn’t cross my mind.” She lets out an awkward-sounding chuckle. “When you came into the house all guns blazing I was shocked.”
I’m surprised when Eden climbs onto my lap, and I quickly wrap my arms around her just happy she’s not telling me to take a hike.
She tilts her head as she stares into my eyes again. “You were totally badass. It was hot.”
My eyebrows draw together. “You’re not angry that I kept it from you?”
She shrugs. “We both had our secrets. Besides, I’ve just been through hell. If you hadn’t come for me, I’d still be there.” She places her palms against my jaw and presses a soft kiss to my mouth. “And I’ve always had a thing for bad boys.”
A grin forms on my face, and lifting a hand, I gently tuck some of her damp strands behind her ear.
“So we’re good?” I ask.
She nods before snuggling into my chest, then I hear her whisper, “I just want you to hold me. The past two days were horrible.”
I move us into a more comfortable position and lie down on the bed with my woman sprawled half over me. Keeping my arms wrapped around her, I drop kisses to her hair.
“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask.
She shakes her head and holds tighter onto me.
Just as some of the tension starts to leave my body, I hear hurried footsteps. The next second, Tyrone bursts into the room.
“Is she okay?!” he asks, his eyes locking on Eden.
We sit up again, and I move out of the way so he can get to her.
The mountain of a man swallows Eden in a hug, then a sob escapes him as he groans, “Jesus, baby girl. What they do to you?” He looks at the bruises on her face, then snaps, “The motherfuckers.” Rubbing his hand up and down her back, he mutters, “Tyrone’s here. It’s gonna be okay.”
“I was so scared I’d never see you again,” she whimpers.
“Me too, baby girl.” He lets out a heavy sigh. “Me too.”
They hold each other for a while, and when the heavy emotion begins to subside, Tyrone looks at me and whispers, “Thank you.”
I nod, and shoving my hands into my pockets, I watch as they hold each other for a little longer.
Eden is the first to pull back. She tries to smile, but her busted lip stops her.
“I’m okay. Just a couple of bumps and bruises,” she says to put Tyrone at ease.
“The doctor’s just keeping her overnight because she has a concussion. We can take her home tomorrow morning,” I mention, seeing as I have to discuss something important with them.
“You’ll need to bring me some clothes,” Eden tells Tyrone.
“Okay.”
“Actually, you need to pack enough clothes for a couple of weeks,” I drop the bomb while locking eyes with Tyrone. “Eden’s coming home with me, and because I know she’ll be worried about you, I think it would be best if you stayed in one of my guestrooms.”