Page 60 of The Killer Who Kept Me

“Let’s sit.” I followed him to the love seat, and once we were settled he took my hands in his. “They’re bleeding.”

My first thought was to call Paulo, but then I realized I couldn’t. “They’re fine.”

“I need some warm soapy water, clean towels, bandages, please,” Em asked someone—who, I wasn’t sure.

“Teddy and Bobby?” I didn’t take my eyes off Em’s hands in mine.

“Bobby was shot, but he’ll be okay. Teddy was knocked out. Your aunt is with them downstairs,” Benny said.

Em released one of his hands to retrieve the bowl, his injured one resting in mine. I watched as he carefully cleaned my knuckles and wondered how often he’d had to do this to himself because of Ramsey.

He was so meticulous. Cleaned, dried, and wrapped them without saying one word, without asking anything. When I finally met his gaze, there were tears in his eyes…he knew.

“I’m sorry, Em. I know you liked him.”

Em’s brows twitched. “Saros, no.” He placed the bowl on the table and held my face in his hands. “He told me what you did for him. I lost someone I knew. You, baby, you lost a brother.”

“Clear the room,” I heard Cos order. “Take your time, Saros.”

I never took my eyes off Em and after the doors closed and it was just us, I did something I’d never done in front of anyone. I cried.

Em pulled me to him and like I’d done to so many people in my life, he held me, protected me through my vulnerability. He didn’t shush me, tell me it would be okay. No, Em lived with this monster who’d done this. He understood that words meant so little, and actions were everything.

I pulled away and kissed him. How could Ramsey not know the gift he had in this man? Maybe he did, and maybe that was threatening for him. Well, Ramsey was done. I’d wanted to do this as tamely as possible for all the territories.Fuck. That.

“I’m ready.”

Em nodded. “I know you are.”

Once I was cleaned up, Em moved to the doors, opened them, and people filed in. I had my back to them, waiting for them to settle, centering myself. A gentle brush of Em’s hand on my arm eerily calmed me, and I faced the room.

“Ramsey Brookes and Barrett Frazee don’t understand that this isn’t a game they can win. They hit me hard tonight, but one thing I’ve learned in my life is that when I’m knocked down, I get up ten times stronger than before.”

I looked at Em, who was smiling proudly at me.

“I want everything; I don’t care what it costs. Ramsey Brookes and Barrett Frazee will watch everyone they love, everything they built, be eviscerated and only after the world around them is at their feet, broken, will they die.”

Em nudged me, and I opened an arm to him so he could cuddle in.

“Are you ready for this?” I asked him.

“No one should be ready for what’s happened or for what’s to come. I understand it, and I know Ramsey. He won’t stop untilhe has you on your knees begging.” He smirked and tapped my chin. “That’s not Saros Tancredi’s style. He took enough from you—it’s time you took from him.”

I pressed a kiss to his soft lips. “I’ll take it all.”

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT

“We live with the scars we choose.”

~ Shannon L. Alder

Em

Our relationship shifted.Sure, the sex certainly gave it a push, but sitting there in that room with him, sharing in his vulnerability, was altering. I fell in love with Saros Tancredi right then and there.

The house was organized chaos. Saros had certain rooms cordoned off for children and teens. The theater room was running movies nonstop. One of the living rooms—because there were two, apparently—was for the smaller kids and had more toys than I’d ever seen. The game room was for the teens. He was being nice, wanting them to be entertained, but mostly he needed them out of the way.

Absolutely nobody was allowed off the property unless Saros okayed it and never without escorts. He wasn’t messing around.

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