Page 42

Skyla

A few months later

“I know I said I wouldn’t kill them, but I’m beginning to think I spoke too soon.”

Joshua laughs and tucks his arm beneath his head, laying on his side. His free hand glides up and down the curve of my waist as sunlight cascades in through the windows, though it’s getting later in the day.

“You know, I don’t think you’ve ever looked more beautiful than you do during golden hour in Vermont.” His fingers trace up along the curve of my breast, sending shivers down my spine.

Screaming comes from somewhere else in the house, but I’m pretty sure it is only because Ellie found the stash of wine in the basement.

It took days to move my collection from my other house to the new one, and in one single family trip to Vermont, I know the stash is going to dwindle.

Joshua laughs, his hand stilling against the side of my throat, his thumb rubbing over my jaw. “You wouldn’t trade this for anything else in the world.”

“I know I wouldn’t.” I turn my head and kiss his thumb. “I’ve actually been thinking.”

My stomach ties itself in knots as I look at him, searching for the words I want to say.

I’ve been thinking about it for days, and though I don’t know what his answer is going to be, if I don’t talk to him about everything on my mind, I’m going to burst.

He arches an eyebrow, amusement shining in his eyes. “You look like there’s something on your mind. Do you want to go out and hunt for someone at a bar tonight?”

“I don’t kill where I live.”

“We could get on a plane. Go somewhere nice and warm. Kill a tourist on vacation.”

Laughing, I roll on top of him, straddling his hips and looking down.

“I love that you’re willing to help me find someone to kill, but you’re supposed to be transporting people in and out of the country, along with copious amounts of drugs.

You’re not supposed to be helping me hunt down my next victim. ”

He smirks and flips us over. “I’m a man of many talents.”

“And one of them happens to be getting a boner at the most inappropriate times.”

“Your fault. Your tits are out.”

I wriggle my way out from beneath him and stand up, grabbing my knit dress from the floor and pulling it on. “I didn’t think that was going to be an excuse for pawing at me today.”

He props himself up with one arm. “What did you think the excuse was going to be?”

“That it’s Tuesday?”

He smirks and shrugs. “Maybe. Now, what did you actually want to talk about?”

“I was thinking that when we get back to New York next week, we should start trying for a family, but of course, I don’t really know if you want kids, and then I thought about whether or not I want kids, like actually want them, and then I started going in circles and trying to figure it out, and I still don’t know where to go or what I want. ”

His eyes widen, and his mouth drops open before snapping shut.

Oh, God. I’m going to be sick standing here in front of him.

This should’ve been a conversation we had long before now.

“I know people don’t normally get married without talking about having children, but we didn’t do anything the normal way. I mean, we got married without a wedding. Who does that? So, I was thinking, why should this be normal?”

Joshua leaps out of bed and grabs me in a hug.

His lips press against the side of my neck before he starts laughing. “You mean it?”

“You’re excited?” My voice wavers slightly.

I wrap my arms around his shoulders, trying to hold back the wave of emotions crashing over me.

“Do I want to start a family with the woman I love more than anything? Do I want someone else to carry on our family? Have kids that look like you running around?”

“And what if they end up broken like me?” I bite my bottom lip as I lean back to look at him. “We can’t have a kindergartener killing people.”

“Then that’s going to make for some interesting family vacation activities.”

I groan, burying my face in his shoulder. “You’re not funny.”

“On the contrary, I thought that was pretty funny. You’re the one who didn’t see the humor in it, even though you should’ve.”

A million different thoughts circle through my mind.

There are so many different ways we could ruin a child. Ways that I alone could ruin a child.

Maybe it’s selfish of me to want to have one. Maybe I have no business being a mother.

“Whatever is going on in your head right now needs to stop.” His voice is soft as he kisses my temple. “This is a lot, but all the best things always feel horrible at first. Life is going to change, and neither of us have a clue what we’re doing, but it’s going to be good.”

“You’re sure about that?”

“I am.” He sinks his hand into my hair, pulling my head back to look at him. “We’re going to be great parents.”

Taking a deep breath, I step away from him. “So, you want to do this, then? You want to have a family?”

“Starting a family with you will be the adventure of a lifetime.” He reaches down and grabs his clothing from where it landed, pulling it on. “Want to go for a walk and talk about it more?”

I nod. “We could head down to the lake. None of the family would be down there, and we might actually get a shot at some real privacy for the first time this entire trip.”

He grins and takes my hand after he’s dressed.

Together, we sneak down the back staircase and through the house, escaping out the back door before any of our family has a chance to see us.

The air outside is cold and crisp, but the sinking sun is still warm. Leaves are falling down, carpeting the world in red and orange.

I tilt my face up, taking a deep breath.

“You know, the thing I miss the most when I’m back in the city is the fresh air.” I glance at him as we keep walking, heading into the tree line. “Even with the new house in the woods, I don’t think it’s the same.”

“There’s something about being out here.” He takes my hand and laces his fingers through mine. “Do you think Aiden would mind too much if we moved out here?”

“I have no idea, and there’s something going on with him lately. I don’t know what it is, but it seems like there’s this dark cloud hanging over him. He’s not the same person he was before Noah took him last year.”

“I didn’t know he was taken.”

I shrug. “He doesn’t like to talk about it much. Ellie and Sean were the ones who took most of the beating. Aiden still blames himself for a lot of that, but I don’t think that’s what’s going on with him now. I think whatever is in his head is much, much worse.”

Light laughter comes from the trees at the other end of the clearing we step into.

Joshua reaches for his gun, but it’s not there. Neither of us took one when leaving the house.

We’re in the middle of the woods in Vermont. Nobody should be tracking us out here.

And yet, boots crunch against fallen leaves.

Dark figures move at the edges of trees.

Zoe appears in front of us with Logan standing behind her.

She smiles as she steps around the tree, holding her hands up. “I didn’t come here to start a fight. I came here out of the goodness of my own heart.”

Bile rises in the back of my throat.

I could try to get to her. I could kill her right here and now. Joshua should be able to handle Logan.

But I don’t know who is lingering out of sight.

She could have an army with her, waiting to attack. She could be here to slaughter my entire family, and none of us would’ve seen it coming.

Joshua looks past Zoe to Logan. “You’ve been gone for months. I thought I saw the last of you before you tucked tail and turned your back on your family.”

Logan shrugs, sticking his hands in his pockets. “Better deal came along.”

A scream echoes through the trees, but it’s not the happy one from earlier. This one is like a dying animal.

My heart lodges in my throat as Zoe starts to laugh.

She pulls out a gun and points it at me, flicking the safety off.

“You’re going to have to excuse this. You’ve always been unpredictable at best, Skyla.”

“What did you do?” Joshua glances over his shoulder in the direction of the house. “Who the fuck is screaming?”

“I guess you’re going to find that out when you go back there.” Logan steps closer to his brother, grinning up at him with a coldness in his eyes that I’ve only seen a couple of other times.

Logan isn’t stable right now. Whatever he’s up to, he’s gone off the deep end.

I wouldn’t be willing to put anything past him. Especially when he’s working with Zoe.

Zoe hums and circles around me. “I killed Emily for you. I didn’t want you to get distracted while your family and I keep playing this game.”

“What do you want?” Joshua asks.

She clicks her tongue, shaking her head. “This is between me and your wife. If you can’t stay out of women’s business, then you’re going to be bound and gagged, understood?”

Joshua looks like he could kill her, but he nods, pressing his lips together while Logan laughs.

My husband looks like he could be seconds away from launching himself at Logan, so I shake my head.

Zoe wouldn’t be here right now if she had the upper hand. There has to be something she wants. Something to make her risk coming out of the shadows she’s been hiding in.

And if there’s something she wants, that means there’s something we can leverage against her and the Rinaldos.

I keep my focus on her, not trusting her to refrain from putting a bullet in Joshua’s head to prove a point. “You want something. What is it?”

She comes to a stop in front of me, the gun lowering slightly. “Gia, Bianca, and the new baby.”

“She’s having a boy. Dominic.”

Zoe nods, her lips pressing together in a thin line, a flash of emotion in her eyes. “I want you to keep them safe.”

I snort, crossing my arms. “You’re the one who keeps putting them in danger with all the shit you’re pulling.

Do you really think we’re going to put up with it without a fight?

You slaughter our people, effectively screw up our drug dealing, and you steal from us every time you think our backs are turned. ”

She laughs and shakes her head before groaning.

Her head tilts to the sky before that gaze settles on me once more. “You still haven’t figured it out, have you?”

“That you’re a raging bitch who doesn’t give a shit about your sister, niece, or nephew?”

Zoe gives a sharp nod and tucks the gun away. “Just keep her safe. Keep all three of them safe. The worst is yet to come.”

She spins on her heel and stalks back into the woods, Logan following behind her like a desperate little puppy.

They disappear through the trees, and everything goes silent again, except for the blood rushing in my ears.

The worst is yet to come.

Joshua steps in front of me. “What the fuck do you think that was? Why does she think she needs to tell you to keep Gia safe? What the hell does that mean?”

I swallow hard and look up at him, my chest tight. “It means someone is done playing games. It’s time to go to war.”