Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 67039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 67039 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
"Dario." We have never stepped past the point of father and son, but I will if need be. Tova is off-limits to everyone.
"You needed purpose. You think a wife can be a weak spot? Do you think it tames you?" My father shakes his head back and forth, making his way over to me. "What you don’t realize is it makes you only that much more deadly. You, my son, needed a reason to live." His hand comes down onto my shoulder. I think my father had his own reason as well. He wants to make sure that I stay solemnly planted in the gray. That I don’t want to make things too clean.
“That’s how you see it?”
“It is.” He nods.
“That I’d kill you to save her.”
My father smirks. “And I’d kill you to save your mother.” He gives me a shoulder squeeze. "But she’d kill me right after, so I suppose you're safe.” With that, he leaves the library.
“Is everything okay?” my brother asks, stepping into the library. Z is right behind him.
“I don’t know.” My father's words linger in my mind; he’s not wrong.
Chapter Twenty-Seven
TOVA
“You always make me be the decoy,” Cosima huffs.
“I let you pick out our outfits, and I’m wearing pink! And there is a bow in my hair. I didn’t know they even had accessories,” Marks snaps back, like she gave over a kidney because she has to wear pink.
“You look adorable.” Cosima says it like an accusation. “You should be thanking me.”
“You know people die by friendly fire,” Marks informs her.
"Are you threatening me?" I have to bite the inside of my cheek to not laugh. The two of them together can be comedic gold. I’m loving that they are getting along—well, in their own way.
"I'm only stating facts."
"I'll have you know I was the best archer in my class."
"Archer?" Marks and I say at the same time.
"I got mad skills with a bow. What can I say?" Cosima shrugs.
"It's not that; it's that we didn't know there was archery in school," Marks mutters.
"Fancy private school. You know, the type we don’t know anything about,” I tell her.
"That's right. Switzerland."
Cosima asks, "How did you know?" Marks tends to know a lot of things. That better be something she learned while digging into my life when she was worried about me. We don't need a reason to put Warren's target back on Marks. Cosima switches her weapon in the middle of the game, only to be shot while in the process. "Freaking rude." She drops the controller.
"It wasn't me, I swear, but hold on." My eyes go to the screen to watch Marks shoot the person that shot Cosima before killing off the other two.
"We won!" Cosima claps. "I guess I do make great bait." I can’t help but burst into laughter.
Cosima and I have taken over the library. Warren even had a TV brought in so we could play with Marks. He was quick to make it happen, which surprised me with him not being a giant Marks fan, but Cosima let me know it was to stall our shopping day.
I had kind of forgotten about that. I must be used to just always being here. There are always things to do. Cosima, however, is going stir-crazy and is in no rush to return to Europe. I'm not in a hurry for her to go either. We have gotten close over the past few weeks, which is also how she and Marks started becoming friendly.
"Wait, how did you know about where I went to school?" Cosima playfully demands. She cocks her head, her brows pulling together. She has never looked more like a Marino than at this moment.
“You want the truth or you want me to make some stuff up?” Marks asks.
“This sounds juicy, and I’m here for it.” Cosima rubs her hands together.
“I just want to preface my actions by saying that I didn’t go looking for information because I was being nosy. I was worried about Tova.”
“So you were digging into my family.” Cosima glances over to me, that playfulness falling away again.
“She got busted,” I tell her. “And as you see, still my friend.”
“How did you dig into us?”
“Let’s just say I have a particular set of skills.”
“She’s a hacker, like Z.” I cringe. Marks was already on to someone with tech skills in the house.
“Yeah, like Z,” Marks confirms.
“We’re friends now, right, Marks?” Cosima smirks.
“You want something, don’t you?” Marks laughs.
“I want revenge!” Cosima jumps up from her seat.
“Oh, God,” I mutter to myself. This is not good, and I’m sure it’s not going to win Marks any points with Warren either.
“Oh, I love revenge. I’m in.” Marks is fully on board without any details.
“Seriously, Marks? You don’t know what she wants you to do.”
“Girl power.” I believe she’s in it for girl power, but there is more. I know her too well.