Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 79336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79336 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 397(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
He rose to his feet again. “Let’s grab what we need and go.”
I stared at his bleeding arm and then the calmness in his eyes. It was the scariest moment of my life, but it seemed like nothing to him. But I knew deep inside he was devastated by the price he’d paid for my life. “Constantine—”
“We don’t have time.” He cut me down like he knew exactly what I would say. Like he could see the guilt written all over my face.
He stepped into the bedroom and then his bathroom. He found the first aid kit in the back of one of the cabinets, popped it open, and got to work on himself. He grabbed a pair of tweezers and watched his movements in the mirror as he dug out the bullet and dropped it into the sink.
I just watched in horror, knowing only experience could have made him so good at that. “That’s why you have so many tattoos . . . to hide the scars.” More blood came from the wound when the bullet was extracted, but he already had the needle ready. Sutured himself up like it wasn’t his first time either.
He didn’t confirm what I said. Or maybe he hadn’t heard it because his mind was somewhere else.
Once the wound was sutured, he wrapped it in gauze and secured it in place. He left the bloody mess in the sink for Darius to deal with later.
I would have offered to help, but he seemed to have it under control.
Then he went into his closet, opened a bag, and shoved a couple things inside—some watches from his collection, a few guns, some of his clothes, a picture album he had on one of the shelves.
Most of my belongings were still in boxes, so I took only the things that mattered, like pictures of my mom, my cameras and my laptop, some of my clothes and shoes. Just the essentials because we could only carry so much. Everything else was left behind.
Constantine hooked his bag over one shoulder and then hooked mine over the other. He walked back to where we’d left Medusa, who lay there panting as she struggled to tolerate the pain in her broken leg.
This place had been an oasis for me, but now it was the site of destruction.
Constantine knelt down and helped Medusa upright on three of her legs. Then he scooped her up into his arms and cradled her to his chest, a dog who weighed over one hundred pounds. He carried her and the bags like it all weighed nothing.
Chapter 17
Constantine
I left Aurelia and Medusa in the car and entered the Temple.
Soon, it would belong to Darius . . . along with the rest of Rome.
Rocco was already there, leaning against the table with his arms crossed over his chest, his face bruised like he’d gotten the butt of a gun. He had a bandage on his arm like he’d been cut or shot too.
I stopped before him, and judging by the look on his face, he already knew everything. A pained look full of potent disappointment. It was so palpable I could smell it in the air. I’d let him down. Let down everyone. Let down the republic.
“You’re really going to leave?” he finally asked.
“I said I would.”
“And you’re really just going to give up? Let him take Rome. Let him take everything you’ve built.” His voice rose as the anger got to him.
Mine became calmer. “I didn’t have a choice, Rocco.”
“But you have a choice now. Fight back.”
“We both know I’m a man of my word. He beat me fair and square. Beat me so good I didn’t even see it coming.”
He continued to stare me down.
“After we met at the Vatican, he never left. Just fooled us into thinking he did. He knew I’d confront him about the arms deal that he wanted me to see.” It was all a setup, and I fucking fell for it. He distracted me and then took the palace, knowing the battle would be over once he captured my queen.
The Empress.
“I don’t care how we got here, Con. We need to figure out what to do next.”
“I agreed to his terms—”
“Then break them.” He straightened, then shoved me in the chest. “Fight back. The Roman Empire fell once, and now you’re going to let it fall again.”
I let him push me. Let him take out his rage on me.
“You said you would never let a woman change what you believe in. But now you’re giving it all up for her.”
“Change what I believe in?” I asked quietly. “So you think I should have just left her there to be raped and killed so I could take him down later? Let him kill my dog? That’s your solution? No, I haven’t changed what I believe in, but you sure have.”