Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37733 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 189(@200wpm)___ 151(@250wpm)___ 126(@300wpm)
He hits my uncle again and again, his fist connecting with his face as blood splatters and bone crunches. "You'll never touch her again, you motherfucker!" he roars. "She'll never step foot in that fucking house. She's mine, and hell will freeze over before you get anywhere near her ever again."
He hits my uncle a final time and then slams him back to the ground. My uncle doesn't move this time. He simply lays there, defeated.
Domani climbs off him, swaying on unsteady legs. He wheels around, searching wildly for me. As soon as his eyes land on me, the rage in his expression cools. He relaxes slightly, as if drawing his first deep breath in hours.
"Come here, mio sole," he says, his voice so much softer than it was just a moment ago. He speaks to me with reverence and devotion. With respect. There was nothing but implacable fury and hard malice when he spoke to my uncle. These are the two sides of my husband, I realize. The gentle man he is only for those he loves and the deadly, dangerous monster that cracks his eyes open and comes out to play when called.
I hurry to him, embracing both sides. Loving both sides.
He buries his face in my hair, breathing me in.
"We made it," I wish. "It's over."
"Not yet, tesoro. He's still alive."
I lift my gaze to Domani's, searching.
"You have another choice to make," he says quietly. "You can walk out of here right now and I'll pull the trigger for you. He'll die, and you'll be free. You'll never have to worry about him ever again."
"What's my other option, Domani?"
"You know it already." He nods at the gun in my hand. "It's the reason you picked that up, mio sole. If you want to slay your own dragon, no one here will judge you for it. No one here will ever breathe a word of it, either."
I stand silently for a moment, weighing my choices. No matter which I pick, I know this man will continue to love me. He won't see me any differently or judge me. Whether I pull the trigger or not, he'll still look at me exactly the same. I don't need to kill him myself to be free, though. I already am. But there is one thing I do need. "I need to ask him something before I make my choice," I say quietly.
Domani strides toward him, kicking him in the ribs. "Wake up," he barks when my uncle groans. "Your niece has a question for you. How quickly we put you out of your misery depends on how honestly you answer. Lie to her and I'll keep you alive until you beg for death. Tell her the truth, and I'll let you go now."
"Fuck you," Cillian spits.
"No, fuck you, Cillian," Rafe says, stepping up beside Domani. "You've already lost. Your sons are dead. Her money is gone. She's got his ring on her finger, and if he's lucky, his kid is growing in her belly. Chicago is mine. I'll root out every single one of your fucking people if that's what I have to do. And I'll keep you alive, torturing you every fucking day while I do it if you don't answer her goddamn question."
Cillian spits again, blood running down his chin. "Ask it," he growls.
Domani holds out a hand to me, calling me forward.
I slip mine into his, letting him ground me as I stare down at the uncle who caused so much grief, turmoil, and pain in my life. Even now, he's a monster. He'll always be a monster. But I'm not afraid of him any longer.
"Did you kill him, Cillian?" I ask. "Were you the one who planted the car bomb that killed my dad?"
He rolls his eyes toward me. The left one is swollen nearly shut. The right one is bruised. But I see the regret and guilt in them, and I have my answer. He killed his own brother. He murdered my father.
As it turns out, the gun isn't as difficult to use as I thought. All it takes is the proper motivation. The blast rips through the warehouse.
Cillian jerks as the bullet sinks into his groin.
I drop the gun and step back.
"Kill him," I whisper, walking away.
Chapter Fifteen
Domani
"Is it over?" Finley asks, lifting her gaze to me as I climb into the back of the SUV beside her. She's exhausted and pale.
"Yeah, tesoro," I murmur, dragging her across the seat into my arms. "It's over." Luca called while we were weighing down their bodies. Everyone at the house is dead. Cillian's foothold in Chicago is gone. And so is he.
A bullet to the head ended his miserable life. But I let him bleed out for a while first. Just to make sure he had a little time to regret the choices he's made. I think part of him did, at least some of them anyway. Like killing his brother.