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That day was the scariest of my life, but somehow, I survived and managed to earn the respect of the other alliance members. Now, I just have to keep up the act so I don’t jeopardize my position as the soon-to-be head of the Greek mafia.
Crouching over Dad, my breaths explode from me as I bite the words out through clenched teeth. “It’s time for you to retire before you burn everything to the ground. I want what’s best for the family and that includes you, Mpampà. Don’t make me fight you.”
I’ve been working with Santiago for over two years, placing me in the position where I’m able to kill the most evil motherfuckers. Like the ones who murdered my sister.
The day I lost Ronnie, I also lost my will to live.
And then I had to save her life when part of the building came crashing down. At the time, I simply reacted, but after the adrenaline from the action wore off, I found myself thinking a little too often about Cassia.
Just as Kiki grabs hold of Eleni’s hand, we’re bombarded with bullets. One slams into my side, but I hardly feel the pain as I watch a bullet hit the back of Kiki’s head.
“No,” I whisper. “I saw them shoot Dad.” I think it’s just Eleni and me who got out alive. “And Mom?” I shake my head.
“How do you feel?” my sister asks. Like I was shot three times and I’m bleeding to death.
Because Dad kept provoking the fucking Russians. If only the stubborn man had listened to me.
My vision starts to darken around the edges, and I might be hallucinating things when Knight brushes his hand over my hair, and I hear his voice rumble above me, “Don’t die on me. Just this once, let me be in time.”
I might have been too late to keep the sisters from getting hurt, but as long as they’re breathing, I’ll guard them. I’ll do for them what no one did for Ronnie.
“No!” I cry as I pull away from Knight. “What happened?” “She had a cardiac event because of the swelling in her brain,” the nurse explains.
His tone is rough and impatient as he mutters, “I told you I’m keeping you safe because I don’t need your death on my conscience.” When I lift my head and meet his intense green eyes, he adds, “I’m your bodyguard.”
“Why do you insist on helping me?” “Because I’d hate to see you die after saving you twice.” It’s not the only reason. How do I explain that I can’t tear myself away from her?
“Your people were either dead or hiding while I was the only one fighting for you.” She turns her face away from me, her chin trembling as her stark reality sinks in. “No one was loyal to you, Cassia, because you’re not the head of the Greek mafia.” I watch as she swallows hard, then I add, “Yet.”
“I’ll keep you alive and kill whoever you order me to kill.” Letting go of her jaw, I pull my hand away from her face. “I’ll protect you while you fight for your rightful place as the head of the Greek mafia.”
“What do you want in return?” Taking a deep breath, I sit down on the armchair before I answer, “Nothing. I’ll get to kill evil fuckers. It’s why I joined Santiago.” “To kill?” she asks, her eyebrows lifting. “That’s all you want?” It’s not what I want. It’s what I need.
“I wish I had the ability to protect you from the pain,” I whisper as I start to caress her caramel-colored hair. “But I can make sure no one else sees you like this.”
“Knight is my last name,” he grumbles while his eyes lock on me with an intense expression I can’t place. “What’s your first name?” “Lincoln.” He takes a breath then adds, “My friends used to call me Link.” “Used to? You don’t have friends anymore?” He stares at me for the longest moment before he replies, “No. I don’t. They are from before –”
He’s broken beyond repair, and it’s the most beautiful thing I’ve ever seen.
“For what it’s worth, you have a sexy ass.” “Oh Jesus,” she squeaks. I gesture up and down my chest. “And the front is…” Fuck, I suck at this, “…not bad either.”
“I’ve never been in a relationship, so that was the first time…” her voice drops to a whisper, “a man saw…uhm…me naked.” She clears her throat again. “My weight never bothered me until today.”
“You’re goddamn near perfect, Cassia. The only thing wrong with you is that you don’t believe in yourself enough. You need to stop that.”
“You’re innocent. Like Ronnie was.” When I press my foot on the gas and the golf cart starts rolling forward, I admit, “I just don’t want to fail you the way I failed her.”
I can remember every outfit she’s worn since I first laid eyes on her, and it makes my worry grow. I can’t fall for her. Jesus, besides my ability to protect her, I have nothing to offer her. I’m in no state to get involved with a woman. This is only a temporary arrangement.
Knight straightens up, his eyes glued to my face. “Santiago mentioned you know mercenaries,” I say while I start to walk toward the door. “I do. How many do you need?” “All of them,” I reply. “There’s no way I’m losing this fight.”
I drink in the sight of her high cheekbones, her full lips, and slender neck. My eyes move lower to the sexy as fuck cleavage and the curves of her breasts. She has hips I want to hold onto while she rides me. My teeth scrape over my bottom lip as my gaze stops on her ass. Yeah, I’d pay millions to…
“I don’t know what I’d do without you, Lincoln.” That’s all it takes. I swear my heart swells to twice its normal size, and it fills with an insane need to protect her and the urge to possess her. It becomes pure fucking obsession. I suck in a sharp breath as the mustard seed of affection breaks through the crack in my soul, the first living thing since everything in me died with Ronnie.
My arms tighten even more around Cassia, and I practically squash her to me as I growl, “You’ll never have to find out. I’m with you until the end.” She turns her head and rests her cheek against my chest. “This war could take months or even years. That’s a long time to commit to.” “I’m with you until I die,” I spell it out to her. Her head snaps back, and she looks up at me with parted lips. “Until you die?” “Yes, because there’s no way you’ll die as long as I’m alive.”
“If you lift your dress like that in public to get to your gun, it will be an effective weapon in disarming any warm-blooded man,” Knight mutters. “Yeah?” I chuckle. “Should I just go around flashing my enemies?” “At least they’ll die happy when I shoot them,” he grumbles as the yacht comes to a stop.
Handing him the note, I say, “Here you go.” “That’s the first time I’ve been smacked in the face by an ass,” he mumbles as he checks the address. “Sorry.” “I wasn’t complaining.”
“And I will never let you go.” I lean into her, my tone murderous as I hiss, “You’ll have to kill me to get rid of me.”
“If you plan to leave me, you better shoot me now, Cassia. It’s the only way you’ll get away from me.”
Then she surprises the fuck out of me by gripping the side of my neck with her free hand and pressing her mouth to mine.
When my mouth slams against hers, I shudder from the intense rush it sends through my veins.
Suddenly, there’s a pounding on the bedroom door, and Tobias shouts, “A car is pulling up the driveway!” I let out a disgruntled groan as I break the kiss and growl,
“Time to finish what we started earlier,” he says, bringing his right hand up and wrapping his fingers around my throat.
“You look so fucking sexy with the gun strapped to your thigh and your dress pushed up.”
He sucks in a deep breath before admitting, “Every cut is for a life I’ve taken.”
“It’s so I can see the proof of every fucker I’ve killed in an attempt to make up for failing Ronnie.” He looks down at his chest and brushes his hand over some of the cuts. “The pain helps.”
“I want you, Lincoln,” I admit. “Every single broken piece.”
“You are mine,” I whisper. “It’s not up for discussion.” She lets out a soft chuckle. “I was worried the attraction was only from my side.” “Safe to say it isn’t, and I wouldn’t call what I feel for you attraction.” She hesitates for a few seconds before asking, “What would you call it?” “Obsession.”
“One day soon, I want you to sit on my face so I can make you come with my mouth.” “I’ll smother you,” she argues while turning back around to face me. “That’s the plan.”
“You’re really good at this relationship thing,” he mentions. “I’ve had a really long time to dream about it.”
try to imagine my future, and all I see is Knight. “What are you thinking about?” he asks. “Who I’ll end up marrying.” He leans his head on his palm and locks eyes with me. “And?” I shrug. “Only time will tell.” “Wrong answer.” His eyes narrow on me. “Time has nothing to do with it, Cassia.” When I frown at him, he says, “I told you you’re mine. The only man you’ll marry one day is me.”
the marriage has to take place as soon as possible. It will make me appear stronger to everyone if I’m married. The men in my world tend to think they can fuck with a woman if she’s single.” I’ll marry her right now. I nod. “I agree. The last thing I need is some fucking bastard sniffing around you.”
“What?” “When I introduce you at a meeting, I’ll refer to you as my second-in-charge and never as my husband. It will strictly be business.” “Got it.”
“I’ve never heard you laugh,” she says. Standing up, she moves around the desk and comes to throw her arms around my neck. “It’s one of the most beautiful sounds I’ve ever heard.”
“This is where my life ended.” I look at Cassia while opening the lid so she can see the ring before I go down on one knee. “Until I met you, and you breathed new life into me. You’re my every breath, Cassia. My heart belongs only to you.”
