Total pages in book: 95
Estimated words: 90642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 90642 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 453(@200wpm)___ 363(@250wpm)___ 302(@300wpm)
“You’ve been doing… what?” I shake my head, trying to clear it. I was sure he was seeing someone and I had been preparing myself for a little heartbreak. But this… I wasn’t expecting this.
He takes a deep breath and blows it out. “You remember the deal we cut with Captain Kennedy. It became clear to me that the only way I could make that happen was by contacting Santoro and making him believe that I wanted to deal with him directly. But I also knew that you and your family are very emotional when it comes to that man, and I decided I needed to keep you in the dark as much as I could.”
I stare at him as I put all the pieces together. I assumed that he’d dropped the whole getting Santoro arrested thing and that his plan had fallen apart—or that he was still busy working on something else. But I had no idea that he was in direct contact with Santoro and had been for nearly a month.
My body shivers as a chill runs through me. “Brody, that’s insane.” I push my chair back and stand. He gets to his feet but doesn’t come closer as I pace away. “Santoro is dangerous. If he figures out what you’re doing—”
“That’s why I didn’t tell you. The less people know, the better. Not even my brothers are aware.”
“But you should have told me.” I stare at him, trembling slightly. “What are you even talking to Santoro for? I mean, what are you trying to give him?”
He tells me the whole story, from the first meeting to the last. “That’s why I need your father’s help. I was going to have to tell you all this eventually, I just hoped that I’d have more time.”
I close my eyes and nod. “And that’s why you want all the dirt Simon has squirreled away.”
“Santoro believes that I’m willing to sell your father out in exchange for a big chunk of new territory for my family. I’m inches away from getting him to agree to a meeting.” He watches as I pace back and forth, wringing my hands together. “All I need is for your father to show up and I’ll do the rest.”
“This is crazy. This is happening too fast. You should’ve told me, so we could have worked on something together—”
He steps closer and catches my wrist. I think about yanking back, but I feel a strange sense of relief when he pulls me into his chest and hugs me tight. I close my eyes and breathe in his smell, and I try not to feel like a total moron for how happy I am that he’s not cheating on me.
“I should have trusted you sooner,” he says very quietly. His heart’s beating a slow, steady rhythm. “I didn’t need to keep this entirely to myself. You’re right, you could have helped me sooner, and maybe this would’ve been easier if I had you to talk to. I’m so sorry that you felt like I was seeing someone behind your back, but I swear, baby, that’s not going to be a problem.”
“I almost wish you were,” I mumble and pull back to look at him.
“Do you really mean that?”
“No. I mean, I don’t like that you’ve been meeting with Santoro, but no.”
“You want me all to yourself.”
I touch his cheek and nod. “I want you all to myself. But mostly I want you to let me in.”
“I will. I promise. I’m working on that.”
I chew my lip and get up on my toes so I can kiss him. He kisses me back, and when I pull away, I feel a deep, throbbing longing inside my core.
“I want you to walk me through all your plans. I want to hear all of it.”
“I can do that.”
“Then we’ll decide what comes next, and we’ll decide it together.”
He nods slowly. “I can do that too.”
“Good. Let me help. And I promise, I’ll let you help me when I need it. We can do that for each other, right?”
“Right.” He leans down and kisses me. “That’s why we work.”
“That’s why we work,” I echo and another low thrum runs down my spine. We work. He’s right, we work in a way I’ve never felt before, and I don’t want to let go of this moment.
But we have a gangster to set up and a war to finish.
Chapter 41
Brody
I’m exhausted when I get to the oasis around nine at night on a Tuesday. It’s one thing to run a crime family, but I’m also a working tax lawyer on top of that shit, and occasionally my legitimate clients cause me actual headaches. I’ll get some very nice billable hours, but I have enough going on without the extra bullshit.
As I reach the house, my usual parking spot is taken up by a dark truck. That’s unusual, but I roll past it toward an open space further down in the shadow of a huge tree. I get myself situated, kill the engine, push open the door, and start to head toward home, already thinking about a glass of wine and Elena in my lap.