Page 94 of Revenge & Ruin

I feel him tense up, andyes, yes, yes, let me taste you.

And when he’s done, and I’ve swallowed him down, it’smewho he reaches for in his vulnerability. The one who ruined him. The one who has the power to destroy him.

I crawl on top of him so that there’s not an inch of space between us. For the first time, we hold each other as equals.

And I’ve never felt peace quite like it.

25

TEO

There are a hundred things I should be doing right now. Most of them start with me picking up my phone.

A mere glance at the screen tells me I’ve missed calls from almost everyone at the Guild. Messages are incoming even as I lie there and simply watch. There’s no confusion as to why.

Leon Natali declared war on the Guild when he burned down the casino. The fact that I let him go in order to come here will not sit well with anyone. Nor will the fact I openly attacked the cartel, which will likely antagonize Amos Rubio to retaliate in kind.

If I’m not very, very careful, I will have a war on two fronts.

And though I’m fairly confident that the Guild could handle the Prince’s Hand, throwing the cartel into the mix will complicate things. They’ll complicate things a lot.

The Guild and the cartel’s mutual existence in Brooklyn has never been peaceful. Despite the fact the Guild’s main trade is luxury goods and entertainment, whereas the cartel focuses on narcotics, there’s just too much crossover.

Both sides have dabbled in the other; both sides have pushed the limits and been burned for it. And the docks are always the most contested territory as both rely so heavily on imports.

As a kid, it had all felt like mindless politics to me. But now…now, it’s my responsibility to fix this mess.

Only, I can’t bring myself to begin.

Isabella lies at my side. Her golden hair drapes over her naked shoulders and shifts in time with her breathing.

Evidence that she is alive despite the darkening bruise around her neck.

I’m so grateful for each of those breaths. For a moment, I just lie there, counting them, letting them bring me no end of comfort.

But the slow headache begins to build, and I know it won’t leave until I’ve had some caffeine. With a sigh, I disembark and head toward the kitchen, content to busy myself with the mundanity of making coffee.

By the time I return to the room, Isabella is awake and propped up against the headboard.

Her expression relaxes when she sees me. “Is that for me?” She nods toward the second mug in my hand.

I hand it to her wordlessly before getting back into bed. It’s oddly domestic when I crawl back under the covers, and she instantly curls into my side, humming happily as she sips her drink.

Then she freezes slightly. “Is this…”

“A skim latte with two pumps of vanilla? Yes, it is.”

“You know my coffee order.”

I smile as I press a kiss into her hair. “What kind of psycho stalker would I be if I didn’t know that?”

“You’re a bit of a freak, aren’t you?”

“Yes. Definitely.”

She hums again at this, a sound that is quickly becoming one of my favorite things.

For a few short, blissful moments, we just lie there in comfortable silence, neither of us wanting to be the first to ruin the moment, but both knowing that it is inevitable.

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