Page 66 of Raphael

Sailor’s old man let out a loud yelp, so fucking loud it could have shattered the glass.

“That’s where you’re wrong,” I taunted back, locking eyes with him. “Sailor is my business. I will ensure my wife and my brother are safe at all costs.”

Game. Set. Match. Motherfucker.

His face turned red, ready to explode. Beads of sweat on his forehead and blood pooling around his wrinkly old hand, soaking into his skin, and his fancy McHale family crescent ring.

I wanted him to give me a reason to kill him, so I’d end him once and for all. For Sailor. For Gabriel.

“Sailor cannot be your wife,” he bellowed. “She’s promised to Santiago.”

I leaned closer toward him, suddenly my gun out of my holster and pointed at his miserable skull.

“You ever mention Sailor and Santiago in the same sentence again, I’m going to have you killed and buried at the bottom of the Potomac River. Understood?”

He didn’t acknowledge at first, his free hand clenching. He reached for a glass on his desk. Scotch and ice. He gripped it hard as he brought it to his mouth. It was clear by the way he held it with white knuckles that he barely held on to his control.

“Consider Sailor payment for the Belles and Mobsters agreement,” I drawled with a lazy, autocratic stare. He didn’t need to know Sailor already agreed to marry me. “After all, it’s still an unpaid debt,” I taunted.

Come on, fucker. Lose your control,my mind whispered, urging him to show me his true colors. My gut feeling warned his colors were even darker than anyone had ever seen. Except for maybe his family.

“Do. You. Understand?”

He nodded. I’d stake my life that he didn’t.

ChapterTwenty-Nine

SAILOR

My eyes flickered to the clock on the wall. It was a little past five.

Gabriel and I sat in the garden in the back of the house. The long infinity pool stretched to our left, while a large green lawn stretched on the right.

Bruno and Gabriel ran around the lawn, chasing each other. Or maybe just running in circles. I couldn’t quite tell.

My son was in heaven here.

I glanced at my phone. No messages from Raphael. I couldn’t decide whether that was good or bad. I kind of expected my soon-to-be husband to check in. Why? I had no idea. We barely knew each other.

Now that I agreed to marry him, I felt kind of lost. I had no idea when Raphael expected us to marry. But I knew I wanted my friends and the Ashford brothers there. They had done so much for me and were a big part of Gabriel’s life.

I slid my phone open and dialed Aurora.

“Sailor!” She answered on the first ring. “What is going on? Byron said you’re with Raphael Santos. What. The. Fuck?”

“Hello to you too,” I retorted dryly. Not that I could blame her. I would have the same exact reaction if the roles were reversed.

“I was worried sick,” she muttered. “Are you okay?”

I sighed. That was a loaded question. So many damn things happened, I didn’t even know where to start.

“Yes, Gabriel and I are okay,” I finally told her. “After Santiago Tijuana got out on bail, I asked Royce if I could stay at the cabin until the dust settled. I never expected Santiago to find us. Thankfully, Raphael got to us early enough to get us out.”

“Jesus Christ.”

“How are you?” I asked her. “Everything okay with the scary man?”

She chuckled. “Yes, everything is perfect. Finally.”