Page 200 of Sins of the Orchid

“There you are,” I rasped against her hair, inhaling deeply. I’d survive anything, except losing her. I needed her by my side to live.

She smiled softly, pressing a fleeting kiss onto my lips. Then she turned around to look at her best friend, her hands clenched at her chest and her eyes on Adriano.

“I-I thought—” she stammered. Her voice shook badly.

“We can take care of this,” I murmured against her forehead. “Or you can. It is up to you.”

Her eyes darted to Lorenzo who nodded his agreement. Then back to Adriano.

“Revenge is yours, Amore,” Adriano told her. “Either way, he’s dead and out of our lives forever.”

She sniffed, reminding me of the day way back when I first saw her. A girl with shattering pain in her eyes and a runny nose who still showed so much courage.

A short nod. Amore took two steps and kneeled to pick up Lorenzo’s gun, resolve in her eyes. Atta girl. My woman! We all wanted her to have closure, whether it was her pulling the trigger or one of us. But George Anderson would no longer be a threat.

She aimed the gun at his skull, determination in every ounce of her fiber. Sharing a short glance with Adriano, they both nodded at the same time. They were good at sharing thoughts without words. After all, they had been joined at the hip since Amore entered our life.

George’s eyes flashed with surprise, but he didn’t seem too concerned. Stupid fool.

“You don’t have it in you to shoot me,” he deadpanned.

A lone tear trickled down her face, but she stood her ground. “I’d rather torture you, but I’ll settle for killing you.”

Flicking off the safety, she fired five rounds into his body. “Now, you’re full of lead. Bastard.”

He fell to his knees, the light extinguished in his eyes.

She slowly lowered her arm to her side, turning to me. I knew that look. I saw it in Adriano’s eyes. She wasn’t a killer; neither was my little brother. He was a hustler, but he hated taking a life. I suddenly saw more similarities between my brother and my wife than ever before.

Their light way about them. Both of them had a heart.

Dropping the gun, she threw herself into my arms. The smell of strawberries enveloped me, soothing me. After hours of rage, worry clawing at me, it had all finally subsided. Calmness replaced it all.

It didn’t matter that I was a bloody mess. Just that she was safe.

“I think you should work from home,” I mumbled into the crown of her head. The relief swam through my bloodstream, washing over me like a high dose relaxant.

She choked out a laugh. “I won’t argue about it for a few days.”

I pressed a kiss against her temple, holding her and sending a silent prayer to whoever was listening. Life without her wouldn’t be worth living. She mademefeel alive.

Nuzzling my head into her hair, I knew with her by my side, I’d endure it all.

“Is she hurt?” Savio’s voice came from behind me. I knew he wouldn’t be able to resist coming inside. After all, it was his daughter. DeAngelo and Renzo watched too, all of us exhausted, breathing heavy.

“She’ll heal,” I told him. She hurt; I knew she did. George’s body lay not five feet from us, a reminder of the betrayal.

She turned to her father, hugging him tightly. The old man’s hand shook as he placed it on her hair. She went to move to Lorenzo, but Savio pulled her back. “Jesus, Amore. Let me hold you a bit longer. I almost lost you.”

“It all ended well,” she murmured against his chest. “Don’t think about it. Let me hug my brothers and then I want to talk to Adriano.”

“No,” I told her firmly. “Not here.”

There was death and blood everywhere.

I took us out of there, through the front door, her eyes darting everywhere. There were dead bodies lying around, and I knew it bothered her. I wished I could have spared her all this, but there wasn’t another way to get rid of George. The fucker refused to show his face until Amore was captured.

She chewed on her bottom lip, her hand squeezing mine with such force, I thought she’d break my bones. She didn’t even realize she was doing it. My chest squeezed with worse pain than the beating and stabbing I endured over the last two days. My SUV was waiting with the driver, and I opened the door for Amore to slide into the back of it.