Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 34381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 34381 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 172(@200wpm)___ 138(@250wpm)___ 115(@300wpm)
I looked up to Rurik. He’d taken me off the streets and given me a family. But I also knew Rurik was a psychopath through and through, and if someone got in his way, he wasn’t afraid of taking them out. And while I wanted to believe that letting someone else off me wasn’t Rurik’s style… it definitely was Anatoly’s. And if Anatoly gave the order to Rurik…
I was going to make myself sick with all of the what-if scenarios pulsing through my skull. As it was, I was already getting a headache from it. But how was I truly supposed to cope knowing my family was turning their backs on me without even giving me a chance to explain myself?
The door to the room opened before I could think of something to say, like all the questions pouring through my skull that I couldn’t seem to be able to open my mouth to voice. Alfonzo filled the doorway, and Bento stood.
“I hope you feel better soon,” Bento told me.
“Thanks,” I rasped.
He smiled, then left the room, dipping his chin once at Alfonzo. The door shut behind him, leaving me and Alfonzo alone in the room together. “Do you know how stupid it was to go meet with him?” I blurted once I saw for myself he wasn’t injured, that he was truly okay.
Alfonzo arched a brow at me. “You calling me stupid, mouse?”
I huffed. “No. I’m saying you made a stupid decision. What if Rurik can’t be trusted? What if he’d hurt you or taken you from me or—”
Alfonzo crossed the distance between us, then gripped my chin, his fingers digging into my jaw. My breath hitched in my throat, and I stared at him as he ran his eyes over my face. “Worried about me, mouse?” he finally asked, his voice low and soft.
I grunted. “He could’ve killed you.”
Alfonzo’s lips twitched with an aborted smile. “You’re adorable when you’re worried about me, mouse. But don’t fret. I’d never let anyone take me from you.” He pressed a kiss to my forehead, then released my chin and sat on the edge of the bed, facing me. “Rurik and I met at the Ghost Born MC clubhouse. Neutral territory. He’d had no idea you’d been shot, and he sounds pretty pissed off that someone tried to take you out. He cares about you, mouse.”
My heart clenched. Rurik never really showed he gave a damn about anyone. “Did he say that?”
Alfonzo laughed. “Not exactly, but he said he has a personal investment in you. I know what that means. He’s not taking kindly to anyone coming after you. He’s digging on his end, and we’re digging on ours. One of us will find whoever did this to you, mouse, and when we do, I’m going to take pleasure in watching the life bleed from their eyes.”
I sighed and scrubbed my hand down my face. “Do you think I can see Rurik?”
Alfonzo nodded. “I’ll reach out to him. In the meantime, how are you feeling?”
I shrugged my good shoulder. “Tired. But I don’t know if I can sleep any longer.”
“You’ll feel tired for a while,” Alfonzo said as he stood. “You lost a lot of fucking blood, mouse. Come on. Let’s get up and go downstairs. I’ll whip you up a midnight snack of cookies and milk, and then, we’ll come back up and sleep some more. Sound good?”
I nodded and slipped off the bed. Alfonzo gripped my hip and tugged me close to him. I moaned softly when his lips pressed to mine. He coaxed them apart, then dipped his tongue inside, kissing me deeply. I groaned, easily sinking into him and submitting. It was second nature to let Alfonzo take control of me and let him do whatever he wanted.
“Couldn’t help myself,” he rasped when he finally pulled back, both of us breathing heavily. “Come on. I want cookies.”
When I bravely grabbed his hand, he linked our fingers together and gave it a gentle squeeze, like he knew I needed his touch. He was the only constant I had in my life at the moment, the only reliable force I had. And I was going to cling to him with everything I had.
I couldn’t lose him, too.
Chapter Twenty
Alfonzo
Iwas never one for keeping men around. I liked to get my nut in, then send them on their way. Didn’t care much about if they even got off, to be honest. If I went in search of a man to sate my needs, then I got what I wanted. I was a selfish bastard like that.
But Maksim? My mouse? Fuck, I liked having him around. Fucking needed it, even. And waking up with him wrapped around me—his head on my chest and one of his legs thrown across my thighs—was an immediate highlight to my day. Who knew the enemy would be the one to make me soften up a bit? I was growing addicted to the way Maksim needed me.