Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92071 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 460(@200wpm)___ 368(@250wpm)___ 307(@300wpm)
“Don’t let her go, Dante. Hold tight,” he instructed and began to walk down the steps that led into the hiding place he had built to keep Zola safe.
When I woke, the sun was already up. I felt as though I had been run down by a freight truck. My body was sore and bruised and the crowning glory of it all, the burning pain under the bandage, wrapped across my chest.
There was no one in the room with me.
The first thing I thought of was Zola and the condition she had been in. I needed to check in on her to be certain she was doing well, but the moment I tried to get up I instantly fell back. The pain was excruciating.
My body was completely fucked and probably would be for the next couple of days. I had come away with my life so there was nothing to complain about. I gritted my teeth and tried again, but this time more cautiously.
After various maneuvering, I was finally seated upright. I was hooked up by wires to an EKG monitor. There was no need for it so I disconnected it. I left my IV in mostly because the stand helped me keep my balance.
Slowly, painfully, I walked out of my room towards hers. I considered knocking but decided against it. I didn’t want to wake her if she wasn’t already awake. I simply opened the door quietly.
I saw her lying in bed, safe, and soundly asleep. The bloodstained dirty clothes were gone. She was clean and dressed in white silk pajamas. One foot had worked its way out of the duvet. It looked so small and fragile.
A rush of love filled my chest. I thought my chest would burst with joy. Yes, it was worth it. I would do it all again. Death was nothing compared to the pain of losing her.
I went over to her bed and stared down at her. There were bruises on her face and along her neck and the part of her chest I could see, but she looked peaceful in her sleep. The wound in my chest started throbbing and I turned around to leave. Probably need more painkillers. As I arrived at the door, I heard a slight gasp behind me.
She had woken up.
I turned around very slowly. When our eyes met, I found her sitting up, her eyes as large as saucers in her pale face.
“Dante,” she breathed.
With the rays of sunlight coming through the window behind her head, her face was lit in such a magnificent way that my heart skipped several beats. She was going to be a complete menace in my life, but I had never felt warmer or filled with more excitement.
“How are you?” she whispered.
“Not bad. I just came to check up on you. How are you feeling?”
“Twinges. Nothing to worry about.”
“Okay.”
“You must be starving. Do you want some food?”
“Marie will take care of that,” I said. “Just focus on recovering.”
“Is there anything I can do for you?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.
An image of my cock buried deep in her mouth flashed into my mind, and I was amazed at my own degeneracy. My pain seemed to be increasing with every moment I remained standing.
I shook my head. “Go back to sleep.” I started to turn away.
“Dante?”
“Yeah.”
“You were right. I’m really sorry I didn’t listen to you.”
I felt the weight of my doomed love for her then. She had no idea how madly, deeply and completely in love I was with her. To her, I was just an ex-mobster who was offering her some protection. Protection that she deemed so tainted she was only willing to accept it with misgivings and grudgingly.
I turned away and left before she could look into my tormented soul.
Chapter 67
Zola
Oh my God, he completely hated me!
I saw it in his eyes before he turned away. He loathed me so much he couldn’t even look at me. I could hardly blame him. Because of me, he nearly died yesterday. I had also risked the lives of his men.
I clasped my hands together and watched as he exited my room. I could tell he was in a lot of pain from the way he moved which was labored and stiff, a far cry from the man I knew who did everything so effortlessly.
There was nothing I could do, at least there was nothing he wanted me to do except to get out of his way. After he left, I found it impossible to remain in bed so I got up and went to the bathroom.
I passed the full-length mirror by the door and almost shrieked. There were scrapes and bruises everywhere. I found a brush and pulled it through my hair. I slung on a robe and feeling decent enough I exited the room and headed down the stairs to the kitchen. The house felt unusually empty and quiet after the ruckus of yesterday.