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Another thing Cesare learned is that the Moirai will turn deadly the moment they retrieve their hostages. That’s why Cesare and I are running for our lives. Sure enough, our van explodes with a deafening boom. Debris hits us from all directions, cushioned by our armor.
“Those fuckers,” Cesare growls.
I grab his shoulder. “You okay?”
He laughs. “Yeah, but why are they so predictable?”
“Wait for it.”
Gunshots resound down the road, and the truck skids to a halt. I hold my breath and wait beside my brother for the door to open.
When it does, it reveals our men dragging out unconscious Moirai operatives.
“Looks like they underestimated us,” Cesare says.
I nod. “They won’t make that mistake again.”
An armored truck trundles to meet us, where Gil is ready to load six more Moirai hostages to add to our original quartet.
After stripping them naked and inspecting them for trackers and hidden weapons, I call their leader and ask if they’re willing to renegotiate.
FORTY-SEVEN
EMBERLY
Everything I sketch includes a male figure with Roman’s physique. Sometimes, he’s floating on water within a fantasy landscape. Other times, he’s cast in shadow against different sources of light. Ever since we exchanged ‘I love yous’, Roman has become my muse.
The grounds of his home extend beyond the tall walls and electrified fence. His great-grandfather purchased all the plots around the one they occupy, so they have no neighbors. Wildflowers and tall trees cover acres of unused land, dotted with the occasional guest cottage. It’s their own personal forest.
When Roman isn’t around for protection, Tony accompanies me whenever I venture out, along with someone else to hold my supplies. I’d like to say it wasn’t necessary, but there’s no telling when Jim and his cronies will make their next move.
A few days after the family dinner, I’m sitting under the canopy of a cypress tree, sketching a cluster of fungi that resembles orange peels, when Tony hands me a phone.
“Hello?” I ask into the handset.
“Meet me at the front gates,” Roman says.
I smile. “Why?”
“It’s a surprise.” He hangs up.
With Tony’s help, I gather my belongings, and we trek up the hill, cutting through the woods to bypass the winding road that leads to the estate’s tall iron gates.
The men guarding them nod in acknowledgment, which they didn’t do before Roman declared I was his woman. Before that, they went from laughing and smirking after the incident on the balcony to ignoring me completely after Roman and his brothers shot bullets into Dominic’s corpse.
On the other side of the gates, Roman lounges beside one of his usual bulletproof vehicles, dressed in black and sporting a wide grin.
“What’s the surprise?” I rock forward on my tiptoes and kiss him on the lips.
He opens the back door and gestures for me to get in. “You’ll see.”
My stomach rumbles, and I lower myself into the back seat. “Will there at least be snacks?”
“As much as you can handle, baby.” He slides in beside me and squeezes my thigh.
“Somehow, I don’t think you’re talking about food.”
He answers with a long, deep kiss. “You can snack on these nuts.”
