Total pages in book: 80
Estimated words: 79261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79261 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 396(@200wpm)___ 317(@250wpm)___ 264(@300wpm)
“You need to relax.”
I pulled down the visor mirror. “Are you sure I look okay?” I touched my bruise. “I couldn’t cover it more than this.”
“Darlin’, look at me.”
I sat back against the seat, turning to face him.
He caressed my cheek with the back of his fingers. “They’re gonna love you as much as I do.”
That was another thing he was doing, saying how much he loved me without actually saying it.
If that made any sense.
LUKE
I grabbed her hand, leading her inside without bothering to knock on the door.
“Ma!” I yelled out, shutting the door behind me.
I heard a loud gasp coming from the kitchen, and moments later, she was hurrying toward me.
“Luke!” she exclaimed, throwing her arms around my neck. “I’m so happy you’re here!”
My mom wasn’t too happy with me when she learned from the news that I’d been shot, but she hadn’t reprimanded me about it yet. I knew that would eventually come. My old man was more laid back and less dramatic about it than my mother, but again, I was aware that was coming soon.
I welcomed it since I had a lot to say to them too.
“You need to eat.” She pulled away from me. “Look at you, have you been eating?”
“Ma.” I got her attention. “This is Sloan.”
My mom spun to face her. “Oh, it’s so nice to finally meet you,” she welcomed, pulling her into a tight hug.
“It’s nice to meet you too. I feel like I already know you with everything Luke has told me.”
Mom backed away, grinning. “All good things, I hope.” She playfully slapped my chest. “Everyone is out back.”
Sloan’s eyebrows pinched together. “Everyone?”
“Yeah, it’s a Sunday ritual around here. The whole family comes over for a barbecue.” Ma grabbed her hand. “Let me introduce you to everyone.”
Sloan glanced over her shoulder as my mom dragged her out back, mouthing, “Oh shit.”
I waved her off, not worried in the least that they wouldn’t fall in love with her on the spot. Plus, the fact that she was the first woman I ever brought home to meet them would already excel the bar of how I felt about her to them.
I found my father in his office, conscious he’d be in there.
I knocked on the door.
“Yeah?” he called out, and I opened the door.
As soon as he saw me, he leaned into his leather chair, and without discourse, he announced…“You have a lot of explainin’ to do.”
CHAPTER
FORTY-THREE
LUKE
I caught him up on everything. He didn’t interrupt me. He only sat there and listened intently to everything I shared with him.
Rubbing the back of my head, I inhaled a deep breath. Finally putting this story to end, I was free to do whatever the hell I wanted and what I wanted was out of this life. The press had a fucking field day with the news of what supposedly went down.
The story was easy to sell, which would earn us a death sentence for all the souls I collected. Even without my help, Sloan would have had enough evidence to take him down. Seeing the photos of the injuries he caused made me sick to my stomach.
The amount of pain he inflicted would forever haunt her, but she wasn’t taking sleeping pills to pass out at night, and I owed that to her demons finally being laid to rest. I was trying to do the same, and my old man was my last stop.
We didn’t involve Sloan in any of the plan. To the world, no one knew she was Del Toro’s daughter, and she wanted to keep it that way. For the first few days, news reporters wouldn’t leave my house. They all wanted an interview with me about taking down Vicente Del Toro.
Eating up the fact I was Creed Jameson’s son.
Meeting his disappointed stare, I confessed, “For the first time in my life, I’m on the straight and narrow, and I wanted you to be the first person I told.”
“You’re a grown-ass man, Luke. There’s not much I can scold you for, but what I can tell ya is how much it woulda killed your mother and I if somethin’ were to happen to you. Please tell me you know that, right?”
“I never gave it too much thought. If I did, I would have left a long time ago.”
“You doin’ okay? I don’t want you watchin’ over your shoulder for the rest of your life.”
“I’m as safe as I’m gonna be.”
“Which is what?”
“Sloan’s brothers are runnin’ my territories now.”
“I see. Is this for the girl?”
“No.” I shook my head. “It’s for me. It’s time to move, and the more I think about it, the further I’m convinced I should have done it a long time ago.”
“Why would you want to involve yourself in that world? After everythin’ you know I went through with your mom?” He bowed his head for a second. “What did I do wrong?”