Page 97 of Rami

“What?” Ivy rose to her toes. “No. That’s crazy. You can’t take them on. If we leave now, we might have time to—”

His hand cupped her neck, and he secured his thumb under her chin. “I’m ending this today. I promised you I’d kill Fernando and I meant it. I need you safe, but I don’t want you to leave the house. There could be more of them waiting. We know Fernando has men everywhere.”

The walls of her throat thickened until the sides nearly touched. She swallowed but couldn’t get any saliva down. She shook her head adamantly, but there was no stopping what was coming.

Certainty was heavy in her bones.

Nothing would tear Rami away from carrying out justice. Nothing would stop the cartel from coming. It was going to end here—for better or worse.

“I love you,” she whispered hoarsely, as she gripped his wrist and leaned into his warmth. His abdomen was even more rigid than usual, every muscle at the ready. “Please don’t die.”

He touched his forehead to hers. “Do as I say and hide. That’s our best chance at survival. If I know you’re safe, I can handle myself better.”

She gulped, hating the idea of hiding somewhere in this massive house while Rami was killed in her honor.

“Ivy,” he demanded.

He was right. If she was here, it’d only complicate things more.

“Okay,” she conceded. “We’ll hide.”

Rami pressed his lips to her mouth then her forehead. He hesitated on the last kiss, holding her close, his hand strong and protective on her neck. She tipped back her head and took in his perfect jawline and thick stubble. His eyes were clear, bottomless pools of fury. The ink stretched over his eye seemed to darken with his mood—menacing and deadly.

“Go.” The order came out hard. He nodded at Gigi and she grabbed Ivy’s hand to tow her toward the stairs.

Ivy let herself be pulled from the room. One last gaze at Rami over her shoulder had her heart seizing in her chest.

God, please protect him.

***

Rami’s pulse thundered against his neck. He pressed his back to the wall near the door and peeked through the window. Todd knelt on the floor repacking his duffel bag.

“When will they be here?” Rami snapped.

Todd adjusted his glasses and looked up. “Uh, soon. Any minute. Look, they’re after me. Maybe if I go, they’ll come looking for me and leave you guys alone.” He stood. His free hand trembled at his side.

“Not a fucking chance,” Rami spat. “They want you, they can have you right here.”

“I didn’t mean for Ivy to get involved. Honest. Never even knew she was taking Gigi’s car that morning.”

“I don’t want to hear it.” Rami sent another glance out the window. “You endangered your fiancée and her sister. All because you’re stupid and greedy.” Fire rose from Rami’s core. “I hope you get the suffering you deserve. And if you’re a praying man, you better ask God to spare those women upstairs or I’ll have a whole fleet of men after you—if you survive.”

Todd’s jaw turned hard and defiant. “Fuck you.” He turned on his heel to head toward the garage.

Rami lifted his gun, cocking the weapon. “Don’t move.”

Todd smirked. “What, you gonna shoot me? Go ahead. If they come here and find me already dead, they’ll just finish all of you. You’re forgetting I’m the one who pissed them off.”

“Not just you, dummy.” Rami took a step away from the wall. “I killed their men,” he said, jabbing his index finger into his own chest. “A lot of them. All because of you. You should have turned yourself in as soon as they caught you and handled it like a man. Instead, look at all the people who had to be hurt or killed.”

Something flashed across Todd’s face. Remorse? Or maybe just shame that he’d been caught and called out. “I love Gigi. All I tried to do was give her a good life.”

“Well, you fucking snuffed that out, didn’t you?”

Todd’s gaze darted to the floor and then back to Rami. “I mean it. If I leave, there’s a good chance they’ll just come for me. You can hide with Gigi and Ivy. They’ll see my car gone. I won’t make it far. You can’t outrun these people.”

Rami shook his head. “Wouldn’t work. My truck’s out front. And you can’t hide from them either. Maybe staying and fighting is your shot at redemption.”

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