Page 41 of Vengeful Reign

“Sorry, I’m not sure if you heard, but I just got engaged. What’s going on, Giles?”

“I’ve got more info on that Julia Sanchez you asked about. She’s the sister of Fernando Espi—” A door slams open on the other end of the line. “What the fuck are you doing here?” A shot rings out. Connor and I stare at each other.

“Giles, Giles!” I shout. Then the call is hung up. We both know damn well what happened. Someone gunned down my damn guy who gathered me intel. Was it because I asked him to pull info on Julia, or was it something he was tied to?

“Did he just say she’s related to Fernando Espinosa?” Connor asks.

“He did. That motherfucker’s involved somehow; I know it.”

“Or maybe he just helped Julia escape. That could be the crux of it. He’s a big pussy, but do you think he’d go to war with us just to get Joanne or Julia out from under our thumb? It doesn’t make sense.” My brother does have a point.

“Damn it. Is Giles still in Philly?” I asked.

“I thought so.”

“I have to check it out. Can you stay here and watch over Nora and John? I’ll ask Ian as well.” They’re the only ones I trusted with my family. I sure as fuck wouldn’t trust my father to the task.

“Of course, but do you think it’s safe?”

“I’m not taking more than twenty-four hours. Hell, I might only be gone twelve because I refuse to leave them for so long.” Shit, my chest aches to leave, but there’s no way I’m leaving anything up to chance when it comes to them.

“That pussy got you good.” If I didn’t know better, I’d think he was jealous, but my brother loves her in a brotherly way and enjoys teasing me.

“Damn right. Excuse me, but I have to tell my bride-to-be to plan without me.”

“Go ahead.”

I fuck her twice before I board my private jet back to Philly. Leaving John was hard, but he was a good boy and clung to Nora.

The cops discovered Giles’s body on the edge of town in the water, but I know damn well that wasn’t where he was at. He more than likely had been in his hotel room, but I don’t have access to it and I’m not going to leave my DNA anywhere near that shit, so Espinosa can tie shit to me.

I decide to go to Nora’s old house and see if she needs anything while I plan my next move, but when I arrive my blood runs cold. This is the motherfucking crime scene. Giles had been inside Nora’s home. Why?

Things are trashed, totaled, everything she owned ruined, but I can’t fathom why. Thankfully, I’d decided to installcameras in her place before we left. They aren’t hooked up to the internet, but they were activated via motion sensors. I have to pull the data, and then I can copy it.

I snatch the cameras and go straight to my rental and drive away, parking down the road two miles so whoever had been there doesn’t see me. Turning on the video, I spot Giles. He’s the one who comes in cursing.

“You fucking bitch. You picked that old fuck over me.” He picks up a picture of Nora and John and then smashes it on the ground. “Damn it, I hoped you’d come back to me. His plan didn’t work. I did all this for nothing. I hoped to get rid of that brat, but no, fucking bastard had other ideas.” He picked up a bat and swung it around the room, smashing everything.

The bastard deserved to pay for what he did, and someone took him out. I wait for the footage to appear, and it does. I don’t see who shoots him until he comes into the frame. It’s fucking Espinosa. He picks up the picture frame and sighs.“Fool. I should have killed the kid when I had the chance. Now, my sister’s dead for nothing.”

Son of a bitch, it’s all starting to make sense. Espinosa is involved in all of this. He killed Giles, had my brother kidnapped while killing a dozen of my men. I’m guessing Nora was a bonus to get us to turn on the Fieri family and start a war with them once she was found with John, but they underestimated my attraction to her and her willingness to protect him.

I drive straight to the airport and board my plane with all the evidence I need. Before we take off, I call my brothers. “How is my woman doing?”

“Good. She said she was taking a nap.”

“And John, he’s playing in the room with us. What information do you have for us? Please tell us you havesomething important to tell us.” I tell them about Espinosa’s involvement, but I don’t understand Giles’s comments and his interest in Nora.

“You should ask her.”

“I will as soon as I get home.” It’s pissing me off that I don’t have an answer, but there’s nothing I can do about it.

Chapter Fifteen

Nora

I’d spent a couple of hours looking at wedding cakes and fell in love with these amazing cakes from this one girl on Instagram. They are fabulous, and I want one. She’s so talented, and since Jack said I could have whatever I desired, this is the one thing I won’t waver on. She’s local, so I give her a call and she can meet on Friday.

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