Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 98469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 98469 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 492(@200wpm)___ 394(@250wpm)___ 328(@300wpm)
And he’s come back, determined to succeed.
“Take one more move, and I’ll blow his brains out,” Anthony says, pointing the barrel of a gun at my son’s temple.
I whimper at the thought of him ending my baby boy’s life.
Anthony glances at me. “Let Dominick know that it’s not personal,” he says with a smirk. “It’s just business.”
“You don’t want him,” Brielle says, her voice calm and confident. “You want me. I’m the one you wanted to marry. Give him back to his mother and take me.”
I’m petrified of what’s happening in front of me, but the fact that she’s willing to take my son’s place warms my heart.
I hold my breath, praying Anthony will agree, but instead, he laughs.
Fucking laughs.
“You?” He scoffs. “I don’t want you. You’re damaged goods, bitch. You were supposed to be mine. That baby was supposed to be mine. But your family took everything away from me. And now, I’m going to do the same to you.”
He points his gun at Brielle, and I scream in panic. Everything happens quickly. Damien wiggles out of Anthony’s hold and darts toward me at the same time a gun goes off.
Anthony flies backward, his body hitting the back door and then sliding down and slumping against the floor.
I pull Damien into my arms and hold him close, trying to protect him in case anyone shoots at us.
“Fuck you!” Brielle yells, making me look up.
She’s standing over Anthony, and I realize when Damien got away, she shot Anthony before he could shoot her.
“I hope you rot in hell,” she says, kneeling in front of him with her gun still pointed at him even though it’s clear he’s no longer a threat.
Anthony chuckles. “You think you’ve won,” he chokes out, his breathing labored as he slowly dies. “You have no idea what you’re in for.” He laughs again, only it’s garbled this time.
And then he goes silent, his threat hanging in the air.
36
Dominick
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I bark as I watch our warehouse, filled with millions of dollars’ worth of product, burn down.
“Four of our guys are dead,” Matteo says, rounding the corner. “Whoever did this …”
His voice is drowned out by the sound of my phone, notifying me that our home security just went down. I stare at it, trying to make sense of it all, when all the pieces click into place.
“The warehouse fires were a distraction,” I tell Matteo, running back to the car. “The house is under attack!”
While Lorenzo drives, I call Daniil, who answers on the first ring.
“Boss, we have a problem,” Daniil says, confirming my suspicions. “Anthony took out a portion of the security system. He had to have known what he was doing because the guard gate wasn’t touched, so nobody suspected a thing.
“I was checking the perimeter when I heard a gunshot. By the time I made it inside, Brielle had shot Anthony. Everyone is okay. But … Ricky is dead, and Martha is hanging on by a thread. He must’ve shot them when he got in.”
Fuck. I hate that the people I care about, who care about my family, are dead or injured. But the relief I feel, knowing that my sister protected my fiancée and son, is strong.
“He was acting alone?”
“We’re doing a sweep of the house now, but according to the cameras, he was.”
“We’ll be there in ten minutes. We’re across town.”
I hang up and shake my head. Since I had my phone on speaker, I don’t have to repeat anything to Matteo or Lorenzo.
“This was a fucking setup,” Matteo growls. “We underestimated that fucker.”
He bangs his hand against the seat next to him, and I feel his frustration tenfold.
My family was depending on me to keep them safe, and I failed. This should be the moment when I admit that they’re better off without me, but I can’t live without them, so that means I’m just going to have to work that much harder to keep them safe.
“I don’t believe it,” I say. “Anthony isn’t that smart or resourceful. He’s working with someone.”
And when I find out who, I’m going to end their fucking existence.
When we arrive at the house, I go straight for Peyton and Damien, who are sitting in the living room, hugging each other.
“Daddy!” Damien yells, flying into my arms when he sees me. “The bad man got me while I was sleeping, but Auntie Bri shot him dead.”
Fuck, I hate that my kid has been through this. That his innocence has been ripped from him because of my fucked-up world. He should be in bed, dreaming about happy shit, not getting kidnapped and witnessing murders.
“I’m so sorry, buddy,” I tell him, sitting next to Peyton and pulling them both into my arms. “Nobody is ever going to hurt you again.”
“Dominick,” Peyton chides, “you can’t make promises like that …”