Page 92 of Brazen King

But I’m not the one with stitches. And Killian onlyjustwoke up.

Still, his heart is beating soundly, his vitals seeming to have recovered completely from the excessive amount of blood loss. He sounds healthy and so gloriouslyalive.

We still together, me resting lightly on his chest, not wanting to add too much pressure. But Killian’s arms wrap around my waist. And as he holds me close, his lips brush across the top of my head every few moments.

“God, I love you,” Killian murmurs as we lie in each other’s arms, catching our breath.

“I love you too,” I murmur.

A gentle hand combs through my thick locks and brushes across my spine, raising goosebumps in its wake. And after along pause, he says softly, “I’m so sorry for your loss, Natasha. I know how much your family means to you.”

Pain tightens my chest, and I close my eyes, allowing the agony to seep into my body. Then slowly, it disperses, creeping out to every cell of my being as I try to process what happened and why.

“Thank you,” I murmur, and I mean it. Because as hard as it is to think about my parents right now, I don’t want to forget about them, to forget all that they’ve done for me. And grieving for them somehow feels safe when I have Killian’s arms wrapped around me.

Because he won’t let me fall completely to pieces.

He knows just how to support me. To let me feel what I need to feel without getting lost in the darkness.

My thoughts turn to the Agosti men—the ones who targeted my father and mowed him and my sweet mother down for no apparent purpose.

Why? Why were they taken from me?

Though I knew my father didn’t particularly like doing business with the Italians, I never got the impression they were our rivals. And yet, Lucian came after them. At an event where they couldn’t even defend themselves. It seems inhuman. Cruel.

“What will you do about the Italians?” Killian asks, as if plucking the thoughts from my head.

I cringe, wondering if perhaps I was thinking them out loud. “Actually, I wanted to speak to you about that, but perhaps it should wait until you’ve had a bit more time to recover,” I murmur. Lifting my ear from his chest, I peer into Killian’s eyes.

But he shakes his head, his jaw set in a grim line of determination. “I’m ready now. If you want to talk about it, I’m all ears.”

“Well, when I spoke to Tatiana about marrying you, one of the things I mentioned was that an alliance could mean youwould help us get revenge on Lucian for what he’s done.” I don’t want to make it sound like that’s the only reason I decided to marry Killian—because nothing could be farther from the truth. But it is something we should discuss. Because my sister will have expectations after giving her blessing.

Capturing my chin with his finger and thumb, Killian lifts it to look me in the eye. “I would do anything for you, Natasha,” he murmurs. “Most certainly, I’ll help you get revenge for what Lucian did to your parents. If you and Tatiana want my help, all you have to do is ask.”

Then he clears his throat, suddenly looking uncomfortable.

“What?” I ask, propping myself up to get a better view of his face.

“I do have something to tell you…something I didn’t think anything of until it was already too late. But now that I know, I do feel responsible for what happened at the charity ball to a certain extent.”

Ice drops into my stomach, and I put a bit more distance between us as I brace for what Killian has to tell me.

“I had a meeting with Lucian a few weeks back. He invited me to discuss a business deal. And I went for curiosity’s sake because the Italians have never shown any interest in an alliance with me before. But during our meeting, he made what I thought was a joke in poor taste about how someone should do the world a favor and get rid of your father.”

Killian cringes as air rushes past my lips, then he goes on. “I warned him not to attempt anything so stupid, and I walked out of the meeting. I refused to do business with him. But now…I wonder if I should have taken him at face value. If I had warned you…”

Sadness grips me as I see the possibility, the chance that we might have had to stop Lucian from killing my parents atall. And it had slipped through my fingers without me even knowing.

But I can’t let Killian take on that responsibility like he’s trying to. Because he didn’t know. He couldn’t believe anyone would be so ruthless. And honestly, neither could I until it happened.

Brushing my fingers gently across his furrowed brow, I smooth the worry from his face. “You couldn’t have known,” I murmur. “And that’s not a cross for you to bear. But helping my family get revenge will make up for the mistake in judgment.”

Killian releases a grateful sigh and pulls me down for a kiss. “Lucian will pay for what he’s done, I swear it,” he assures me softly.

And I kiss him deeply in return.

The hintof lingering tension settles in the room as Tatiana and I sit down with Killian and his right-hand man to discuss what’s to be done about Lucian Agosti.

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