Total pages in book: 41
Estimated words: 37273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 37273 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 186(@200wpm)___ 149(@250wpm)___ 124(@300wpm)
“So what happens now?” she said and tilted her head back. He had his focus on the window, and she saw the way he clenched his jaw hard enough that a muscle ticked under the freshly shaved skin of his cheek.
He looked back down at her. “Do you really want to know?”
She nodded.
It took him a moment to answer, but then he said, “I go and wipe every last one of those motherfuckers out.”
15
Joey watched as Marra took a long sip from her wine glass, her focus on the city right out the living room window. He wanted to brush away the lock of dark curly hair that had fallen across her face, but before he could act on that she pushed the strand away.
He hadn’t told her many details about the Gondalo crew or of what he planned on doing with them once he had them alone, but it wasn’t because he didn’t trust her. For the last year he had been watching her.
She was an honest, hardworking woman, and in this day and age that was hard to come by. Even the drama was nonexistent with her, and after being with Angie and dealing with that shit it was a nice change. He didn’t tell her shit because he wanted her out of this as much as possible. The more she knew the more danger she was in.
She was already right in the middle of this, but when he had heard that fucker Carlos talk about how if Joey didn’t agree to his terms he’d come after Marra, this darkness had come over him. He wanted blood on his hands, limbs surrounding him because he had torn them from the bodies himself, and lifeless eyes staring back at him.
But this one moment in time was exceptionally nice, because it was quiet, he was full and sated, and he had Marra right in front of him. She only wore his white button up shirt, and he had to admit she looked damn good in it. “Come on.” He stood and held his hand out to her. She took it, had her wine glass in her other hand, and stood.
They moved over to the living room, and he watched her sit down, the shirt riding up and showing off her generous thighs. She was nice and plump, had a nice woman’s body that was meant to grip onto, and reminded him of those gorgeous plus sized models. But Joey didn’t consider her oversized, plus sized, or fat in any sense. She was perfectly proportioned, and all his. He put the electric fire on, and although it was too warm for one really, the atmosphere most definitely called for it. Besides, if they got too hot they could just take their clothes off.
That had him grinning. He moved back toward her and sat down, grabbed her legs, and placed them over his thighs. For a moment all he did was stare at the flames and run the pads of his fingers over her smooth skin.
“Have you thought of calling the cops yet?” he asked but didn’t look at her or stop touching her.
“I did, once, but it was a passing thought.”
He felt her stare on him, and turned to look at her face. “What stopped you?”
“Aside from the fact you took my phone away—”
“For your protection. It could be traced easily.”
She nodded. “I know, and that isn’t why anyway. Besides, you don’t have a landline, and even when I had Johnny’s phone after speaking with you I knew calling the police wasn’t the smart thing to do.” She stared at him, unmoving, unblinking, and not showing any emotion. “Because I knew they wouldn’t really be able to help.”
She was a smart girl.
“The cops wouldn’t have been able to handle this.”
She nodded again. “Yeah, I assumed, and I also didn’t want to complicate things. I may not agree with the methods I’ve heard you have used to get your way, but in this instance I just want to survive.”
The way she swallowed and shifted on the couch told him that she was afraid of him on some level. He knew that nothing he said could change how she felt deep inside, but he hoped that over time she could understand that he wasn’t going to let anything or anyone hurt her, him included. He shifted her so she was now on his lap, her legs draped over his and her head on his chest.
“Does it surprise you that we are here right now?” he asked her softly.
“What do you mean? With the shit going on, or literally right now?”
“You on my lap, wearing my shirt, and smelling like me.”
She was quiet for a moment, and then she spoke. “I am, to be honest. I mean a year and up until I woke up in your apartment I swore you off because I knew you weren’t for me.” She pulled back and looked at him. “I honestly couldn’t stop the way I felt for you once I opened up. I don’t know if that means something is wrong with me, or if I was always meant to feel this way for you and just didn’t allow myself to, but either way there is no stopping it.”