Total pages in book: 158
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 145729 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 729(@200wpm)___ 583(@250wpm)___ 486(@300wpm)
“I’m glad.”
Her lashes fluttered, and his heart dropped. He wasn’t out of danger yet. She still had concerns. He couldn’t blame her. He’d laid it all out for her and their future wasn’t pretty. She was intelligent enough to know that his reputation as a crime boss would grow and the people she cared about were going to shun her.
“I love what I do, Joshua. I mean, I really love it. I want to work for Jerry and renovate old historical houses. I know I can modernize them and yet keep the original beauty. I’m good at it. I take online classes all the time, but more, I just have a feel for it.”
She didn’t have to tell him that – he saw her work. It was beautiful and brought the homes into the present century, making them safe and functional without compromising the beauty of the original architecture. She was so hopeful and he wanted to give her the world, but…
“I know you love working. I know you love what you do. I’ll do my best to compromise, but you’ll have to as well. You know, with what I’m doing, there’s always going to be some danger. That means bodyguards. I have to have them on you at all times to protect you. At home, at work. Wherever you go.”
He couldn’t stop the acceleration of his heart. Sonia had learned independence and she wanted to keep that. He couldn’t blame her. He detested having bodyguards. He’d been the bodyguard for several years and having to switch roles still wasn’t easy for him, but he knew the necessity.
“I wouldn’t be able to do my work with bodyguards, Joshua. I go into people’s homes. That would be upsetting to them.”
“They don’t have to look like your bodyguards.”
“Right.” There was an ache in her voice.
He hoped that ache was because she feared giving up work she loved, not him. “You were here every day for a month. Longer. You didn’t suspect.”
Hope flared in her eyes. “That’s true. And I’d heard the rumors.” Her face shut down again. Lashes veiled her eyes. “What about Molly and Bastien?”
His heart clenched hard. It felt as if a giant hand squeezed the organ and kept it up. He had to tell her the truth. “Once Bastien connects the dots and realizes those rumors are true, they aren’t going to associate with us.”
She turned her face away from him, her breath audibly catching in her throat. She turned onto her side, her back to him. “I don’t have any other friends. Molly. Jerry. Do you think Jerry will do the same thing?”
He rolled to his side and slipped his arm around her waist, forming a protective shell with his body. First, he’d ripped her heart out when he’d revealed the truth about what he was, and now he was doing it all over again. He wanted to lie to her, but he’d promised himself he’d tell her as much truth as possible. He’d shield her from the things he had to do – the details of the dirty side of being a criminal, the boss, the one making the decisions on who lived or died, but he’d try to give her the truth in all other areas.
He didn’t want to think too much about what he’d do or say if she asked him about the things Rafe Cordeau was into that allowed Joshua to live in that world. He buried his face in her hair. The thick mass was like silk and smelled like heaven. He tightened his hold on her.
“You don’t know for certain that Jerry and Molly would turn on me.” Her voice was shaky.
He swore to himself. He wanted to protect her from the firestorm that was coming. He knew they were probably going to war with the Russians. She’d believe it was solely about her, but Nikita would learn soon enough that Alonzo Massi was really Fyodor Amurov, and he’d share that information with Fyodor’s uncles. They wanted the man dead. Joshua was never going to let that happen.
“No, baby, I don’t. You’re right. The odds are that they will, or they’ll treat you different and you’ll hate it, but there’s a chance they’ll be loyal to you.” It was so small he knew he shouldn’t give her hope. The hurt would be so much worse.
“She really likes Bastien. He wouldn’t risk his career to be friends with us, would he?”
Her voice was muffled against her pillow, but he heard the ache in it. The pain. He detested being the cause of hurt to her. He tightened his hold on her as if his arms, his body, could shelter her from any unhappiness. “If Bastien remained friends with us, once the rumors start flying, others, including his department, could brand him as a ‘dirty’ cop. He’s a good man, Sonia. I looked into him. Rafe had a few cops in his pocket. Bastien wasn’t one of them.”