On the surface, it seemed nothing had changed since Violet left the new home she shared with Kaz. The floors were clean, nothing was out of place, and the stainless steel refrigerator didn’t boast a single fingerprint.
A maid, Kaz explained.
He’d hired one, apparently, or maybe it was two.
She wasn’t sure.
It wasn’t that she didn’t listen while he talked, because she did hear him, but Violet was somewhere else entirely. The whole situation seemed a little … surreal.
She walked back into their home, and it was like she never left. She’d noticed that not one thing was different when she’d walked through the halls to their bedroom to change her clothes.
Violet hadn’t expected that at all.
Maybe it was almost a little too perfect.
“Violet.”
She pulled open the refrigerator door, peering in to see what was there. Surprisingly, it was well stocked with all sorts of things. She pulled out a few items, setting them aside on the counter to make something to eat.
“Hey, we can order something in for tonight,” she heard Kaz say.
“I’d rather cook.”
“All right.”
So that’s exactly what she did. While Kaz milled about, constantly watching her and saying very little, Violet made supper.
Because that felt normal.
It seemed right.
Violet had just shoved the casserole dish into the oven and closed the door when Kaz came up behind her. The light press of his hand to her hip shattered the surreal sensation of Violet’s world. It brought her back from that cloud of haziness and put her feet back on the ground.
It had all happened.
It wasn’t some insane dream that she’d woken up from.
She had left—she survived—and she was back.
“Are you going to talk?” Kaz asked. “Maybe tell me what’s going on in that head of yours?”
Violet blinked, staring blankly at the light above the oven. “How often does the maid come?”
“Often enough.”
“Enough to make the place look like you haven’t lived in it?”
“The rooms are large,” Kaz said as if that should explain it all.
It didn’t.
“Who did the shopping?” Violet asked.
Because she knew Kaz sure as hell didn’t.
The man would live off takeout.
He didn’t cook.
“Violet,” Kaz said, his hand on her hip pressing firmly enough to make her turn to face him. “Talk to me, yes?”
“I don’t …”
Kaz cocked a brow, waiting.
Violet sighed. “I don’t know what happened.”
“That makes two of us, krasivaya.” Kaz’s hands came up to cup her cheeks, his palms warm and soothing. She couldn’t stop the smile starting to form as his thumbs stroked her skin softly. Sweet. Familiar. Home. “And I happened to get you back a little sooner than expected, so I’m not going to complain about whatever it is.”
She looked away, taking in the kitchen again. “You haven’t actually used this much, have you?”
“The rooms are large,” he repeated simply, “and they’re much bigger when someone is in them alone.”
Oh.
Well …
Violet met Kaz’s gaze, and she found a million and one questions there. “I’m okay.”
“Not entirely, though.”
“It was going well,” Violet said.
“And then it wasn’t?”
“Caesar had his own plans, I think. I don’t think he’s the type to let others know what those plans are, but it worked.”
Kaz didn’t look pleased at that statement. “Do you think he’s going to be a problem in the future?”
No.
Not at all.
Violet was positive Caesar had gotten everything he wanted and more and was probably already on a plane back to Philly, ready to cause someone else more heartache and trouble. That was just the sort of person he was—he didn’t try to hide it.
“Would you have let him leave when he dropped me off if you truly thought he was a problem?” Violet asked.
Kaz chuckled. “Fair enough. Besides, I don’t want you worrying yourself over those things.”
“I’m not a wilting flower, you know.”
“Excuse me?”
Violet stood straighter, her hands coming up to tighten around Kaz’s wrists. She wanted to hold him in place like that for a moment—to keep him locked there so he could see her, hear her when she spoke.
Too many people didn’t hear her.
Or they didn’t care to.
Kaz had never been one of those people.
“I’m not so fragile that I don’t understand the things happening around me,” she told him quietly. “Don’t ever treat me like I am, Kaz.”
For a long while, he just stared at her, saying nothing.
The longer the silence stretched on, the more restless Violet became until she was shifting on her feet and wondering what in the hell Kaz was thinking. It was only when he leaned forward and pressed a hard, fast kiss to her mouth did her worries bleed away much more quickly than they had come on.
The kiss was not gentle, not soft or slow. Like he always had, he dominated with every brush of his lips over hers until her mouth opened, and his tongue snaked into find hers. For those few seconds, Violet was spun.
It’d been far too long since she tasted him.
Too long since they touched.
Kaz was laughing deeply when he finally pulled away, but he didn’t go far. No, he rested his forehead on hers, his gaze catching hers and holding strong as he spoke. “I’m not sure where that came from—not that it isn’t valid, Violet—but I meant that given your circumstance and everything that has happened, the less stress, the better.”
It took Violet far too long to realize what he was saying.
“You mean the baby.”
“What else would I mean?”
Violet shook her head, smiling widely. “I spent the last month pretending I wasn’t pregnant, and today was the first day when I actually had to say it. Give me a break, Kaz.”
His features darkened, worry creasing his brow.
She immediately wanted to fix his concerns.
“Ask me tomorrow, okay,” she told him. “Anything—everything. We can talk about it tomorrow. I just want to be home.”
Kaz tilted his head to the side. “You are home.”
“Yeah, I’m only now starting to realize that, Kaz.”
“One thing. Tell me one thing and then we’ll leave it alone for the night and do whatever you want to do.”
“What is it?” she asked.
“Why did your father let you go?”
Violet was surprised he chose to ask that question.
Yet she wasn’t surprised at the same time.
“Because he loves me,” she said.
Kaz’s smile slipped slightly. “Violet …”
“I don’t think he loves me anymore.”
Her husband didn’t have a response.
“That might be the worst thing,” she added.
“Why would it be? I love you, yes? You know I’ll do whatever I have to—”
“It’s not that, Kaz. He just doesn’t care now. Not about me, not unless he’s hurting me.”
That was the best way Violet knew how to explain her father’s final words.
Alberto didn’t threaten her.
He’d threatened the things she loved.
The people that were hers.
Her heart, he’d said. Her soul.
He wanted her to hurt as she had done to him.
“It’ll be fine,” Kaz assured. “I’ll figure it out.”
Violet gave him another small smile before she leaned up on her tiptoes to kiss his mouth once more. “Tomorrow, right?”
“Tomorrow. How long does this have to cook?”
She turned, checking the casserole in the oven. “Another forty minutes or so. Why?”
Kaz was already tugging her along with him, away from the oven and out of the kitchen before he even answered. “I have something to show you.”
Though she didn’t have a choice but to follow behind, Violet laughed lightly at the sudden happiness lighting up Kaz’s usually stoic features. In the face of their crazy life, and the darkness of the unknown, he always managed to smile with her.
She made him happy—although she had never fully understood why.
It was a beautiful thing.
“Slow down,” Violet said as they rounded the stairs.
“Keep up,” he joked.
“You didn’t have Vera come in and do the whole nursery, did you?”
Kaz gave Violet a look over his shoulder. “And risk your unhappiness, no?”
“I wouldn’t have been … unhappy.”
“We’ll do that together, Violet. Whatever you want. It’s not the nursery.”
At that point, she decided to let Kaz do whatever it was that he wanted to do. He always took a great deal of pleasure in his surprises—whenever it was that he got the chance to spring one on her. There hadn’t been many in their time together, but she was sure that was only because circumstance had prevented him from doing so.
Kaz adored her smile.
She knew he was going to work on making her keep smiling for the rest of their lives.
Violet’s worries nearly overshadowed her own happiness—nearly.
The thought was fleeting.
But it had been there.
And how long will our lives last?
As fast as the thought came, it was gone, replaced by something sweet and wicked curling through her bloodstream with every beat of her heart. Kaz turned her in the hallway in front of a set of oak doors. It was one room down from where the nursery would be and not far from the master bedroom.
All she could see at that moment was him watching her.
“Go on,” he urged, nodding at the doors behind her. “Open it up and see what you think.”
Violet glanced over her shoulder. “What did you do?”
“There are too many rooms.” Kaz smirked, adding, “We won’t fill them all. There are too many guest rooms as it is, and I don’t need them all for myself. This one is yours, krasivaya.”
Her cheeks were starting to hurt from smiling.
It’d been the most she smiled in a month.
“A room for me, huh?” Violet asked.
“I needed something to do—to focus on and look forward to when you were back with me. It was a good distraction. Stop wasting time and open the doors.”
She gave him a kiss, lingering just long enough to feel his smirk grow into a sinful grin before she was pulling away with a wink. He gave her another one of his knowing looks, his tongue peeking out to wet his bottom lip as she turned her back to him.
Kaz wasn’t the only one between them who sometimes liked to tease.
Violet didn’t hesitate to fling the doors open, and for a split second, she simply stared at the lit up space staring back at her.
There were very few things Violet enjoyed doing.
Hobbies were meant to keep her hands busy, but her father had always discouraged them growing up. Three years into college and she still didn’t know what she wanted to do because nothing appealed to the side of her that was bored with textbooks and facts and blah.
But she’d gone ahead and decided to do the right thing by attempting to get some kind of education to add to her Gallucci profile.
Very few people knew what Violet truly loved doing, however.
Kaz was one of those people, and only because he shared a bed with her and listened to her pen out scribbles, stories, and poems under the lamp light at night after the day was over.
Writing was an escape for Violet. Much the same way she enjoyed sketching with charcoal in the mornings or reading in the afternoon.
But hobbies would do her no good.
Hobbies wouldn’t provide.
“Well?” Kaz asked from behind her.
He’d moved closer, his hands curving around her waist and holding tight as if he thought she might run or something.
Violet stared at the space a little while longer.
Books lined the walls from the floor to the ceiling. A sitting area by the tall windows looked inviting enough to keep her occupied, while the studio setup on the other side looked as if it would keep her mind focused enough to write or draw … whatever.
It wasn’t just one space.
It wasn’t for just one thing.
It was a mixture of all Violet’s favorite things—a place for her to explore those talents.
Something no one else had ever wanted her to do.
“Violet?”
“Do I tell you often enough how much I love you?” she asked quietly.
Kaz’s fingers squeezed her waist. “It’s been a while—remind me.”
“I do love you. Thank you for this. It’s wonderful.”
“There’s no reason why you shouldn’t do the things that make you happy,” Kaz said, his right hand ghosting around her side to rest against her stomach. He peppered soft kisses across the back of her neck as he continued to speak. “I never want you to feel trapped in a big house with nothing to make you happy, Violet.”
“You make me happy.”
“Yes, but—”
Violet spun fast on her heel, quieting Kaz instantly. “But nothing. You make me happy, Kaz. Don’t ever think differently. I need—want—very little else but you.”
Kaz traced her lower lip with the pad of his thumb. “I missed you.”
“I wasn’t very happy without you. I thought I might have hated you for a little while.”
“But you don’t,” he pressed on.
“It was the right choice.”
“It was.”
But it hurt, she knew.
Violet could see it in his eyes.
It’d hurt him a great deal, too.
“I love you, Kaz,” Violet whispered before kissing the pad of his thumb. “But don’t ever do that to me again.”
Kaz laughed loudly. Taking a step forward, he crowded his body against Violet’s in the doorway. She didn’t mind, welcomed him closer even. Fisting his dress shirt, she did just that and pulled him closer until he was pressed against her frame and nothing else was in her small world but him and them for that passing time.
“Promise me,” she demanded.
Kaz’s fingers ticked under her chin, making her look up at him. “You’re not going anywhere after today—I promise.”
Then Kaz was kissing her again.
Harder than before.
Fiercer.
It was enough to make her blood burn and take her breath away all at the same time.
His thumb and forefinger held tight to her chin, tipping her head back as his other hand tangled up in her hair and tugged firmly once he had a good handful of the strands in his grip.
His mouth traveled down the expanse of her neck, making her breaths speed up as his teeth scraped lightly against her pulse point.
“Missed this,” Violet said, her voice barely above a whisper.
She didn’t think she could be any louder.
All she really wanted to do for the rest of the night was enjoy being back in her reality. Home with her husband, the one person in the world who was still just made only for her.
She’d changed into a cotton tank and short set after they had gotten home, wanting to get out of the ruined dress and the blazer that didn’t belong to her. The coolness of the room washed over her skin, but the warmth of Kaz and the firmness of his erection pressing into her body was enough to make her want to drop to her knees and beg him for anything—everything.
It’d been too long for them.
Far too long.
Kaz surprised her, though. He was the one to drop to his knees, his hands slipping under her shorts so his palms could lay flat on her ass. Then he was placing a sweet, fleeting kiss to her slightly rounded midsection before his attention was moving lower.
And so was his mouth.
Violet sucked in a hard breath when Kaz tugged her shorts down her legs without warning, exposing her bare sex beneath. He chuckled at the sight of her naked, like he wasn’t even surprised that she hadn’t bothered with panties.
It wasn’t but a blink before his mouth was encasing her sex, his tongue striking with knowing precision between her folds to find her sensitive clit instantly.
Violet had been wrong.
She could make a sound louder than a whisper.
“Fuck … Kaz!”
Gray-blue eyes snapped up to find her, and his grin grew even more sinful as he repeated the motion, his tongue attacking her throbbing clit with enough force to make her legs shake and her knees weak. He had talent, this man. Something special about his mouth that made her fucking stupid in the head and ready to do just about anything he wanted to get more of it.
But in typical Kaz fashion, because he loved to make her beg when he teased her, he pulled back and slowed his assault just enough to make her orgasm wane when it was almost at its peak.
“You like that when I eat you, yes?” he asked, gaze never leaving hers as his fingers stroked her sex while his mouth hovered alongside her thigh. “Do you want my fingers stretching you out and filling you full while I eat you, Violet?”
Jesus.
Her eyes squeezed shut when two of his fingers thrust into her wet sex, a shiver rolling over her shoulders as pleasure coursed through her nerves.
Kaz’s free hand snapped hard against her inner thigh. “Don’t ever do that—you know what I want.”
Violet’s eyes flew open, finding him watching her, all of his arrogance back in a blink.
He wanted her to watch him.
He liked that—got off on it.
“Make me come,” she demanded. “I want to come. Eat me—fuck me. Make me come and then do it again.”
Kaz tipped his head to the side slightly. “You forgot something.”
Violet groaned low when his fingers found the right spot inside her pussy. He knew he’d found it too because, for a few unhurried, measured strokes, he let the tips of his fingers massage her G-spot.
“Please.” Violet sucked in a hard breath when the thrusts of his fingers came harder after she’d uttered that one single word he loved to hear coming from her lips. “Please, Kaz.”
He continued as if she hadn’t even said a thing. “And if you want me to make it really good, krasivaya, once I’ve gotten my fill of you in here, I’ll sit your pretty ass on the kitchen table after we’re done eating dinner, spread you open all over again, and get my fucking dessert, too.”
Fucking hell.
Yeah, she’d really missed this.
Him and his dirty words.
All those filthy promises.
Violet was quite literally aching for what Kaz was offering.
“Does that sound good?” he asked.
She nodded.
Kaz cocked an eyebrow at her non-verbal response, his tongue striking out to lap at her thigh before he said, “When has that ever gotten you what you wanted from me, Violet?”
Never.
Because he wanted words.
He needed her words.
“Yes,” she gasped, rocking her hips into the strokes of his fingers still fucking her pussy. It was almost enough to make her come but not quite. The teasing touches and promising strokes had taken her to that edge, but she knew his mouth was going to take her over it—screaming, sweating, and blissed. “Please, yes.”
Another kiss on her thigh.
A wink from him.
Then he was there again—his tongue driving between her folds, lapping at her tart fluids before the short flicks hit her clit.
Over and over.
Hard.
So fast.
Relentless.
Kaz didn’t give Violet the chance to breathe. He wanted to see how fast he could make her shatter after all the teasing he’d done.
It didn’t take long at all.
“Oh, my God,” Violet whined.
Every single one of her muscles clenched and then, right after, released.
The orgasm was damn near numbing. She wasn’t quite sure if that was the right word, given she could feel everything, but the rest of the world and the things around her except for Kaz bled away. It was as if ice water had been poured down her spine, while heat suddenly bloomed in her bloodstream.
Violet felt strong arms wrap around her back to keep her standing steady, but her vision was hazy, and bliss was still racing through her nervous system. She’d heard it said before that pregnant women had better orgasms simply because there was more blood flow to the sensitive areas.
She believed that to be true now.
Every kiss that dotted her skin was heaven.
Each touch of his hands was perfection.
Violet sighed into the feel of Kaz’s mouth pressing to hers as he walked them further into the room. She could taste her own arousal on his tongue—all tartly sweet and heady. That only turned her on even more, and she couldn’t pull off his clothes fast enough when they suddenly came to a stop, and he dropped down.
Kaz sat on the black leather couch in her studio-library, his hands working the buttons on his dress shirt as she helped to rid him of the belt and slacks. When he pulled his erection free from his boxer-briefs, Violet was already kneeling down.
He pulled her up just as fast.
“Later,” he promised as he dragged her onto his lap, widening her thighs and yanking her down onto his cock. Violet sighed happily, sensation driving into her body over and over as she grinded her slippery sex over the length of Kaz’s erection. “I want to fuck now, yes?”
Violet’s fingernails danced over the tattoos on Kaz’s chest as she lifted her hips and he lined the head of his cock up for the next time she lowered. He pushed the straps of her tank top down, forcing the material to bunch at her middle so that her breasts were free to his attention.
And God, it was good.
Lowering down on him, she felt his cock stretch her out while his hands grabbed tight to her ass. His mouth found her right breast, his teeth biting hard enough to make it sting.
It was goddamn good.
She’d almost forgotten how much he actually owned her like this.
How nothing else ever felt quite this way.
This sinful.
This real.
Kaz’s bite released at the same time a breath of air pulsed against her chest.
“Fuck,” he grunted.
Another shift of her hips and his control snapped.
His fingers dug in, likely leaving his marks behind.
His own hips lifted off the couch, driving his cock into her fully and dragging over each and every nerve he could reach until she was whining low and her lungs burned.
She’d hoped he would never treat her as if she was made of glass—that he’d always take what he wanted when she gave it to him because that was how they loved best.
Him and her?
They loved the best when they were hard, rough, and raw.
“Get it,” she heard him say. “Ride me and get it, Violet.”
But between his darker demands, his affection—all that love she knew he felt for her—was spilling out, too.
Love you, love you, love you.
Over and over again.
She’d already been chasing that high with him before he’d said the words.
Kaz was still her addiction.
She intended to feed it.
Especially now.
The sound of Velcro being pulled and pressed into place was like music to Kaz’s ears as he strapped the bulletproof vest into place before grabbing his shirt and yanking that on next. A glance at his watch told him it was nearing four in the morning, a time when most were asleep—a time where he was meant to be asleep in his bed next to his wife—but the second Violet had dozed off next to him, he was up and moving.
There was no longer any time to waste.
It was time to end this once and for all.
It was time to put Alberto Gallucci out of his misery.
It was time for his wife not to have that worry in her eyes any time his name was brought up.
It was just time.
Kaz had prepared for this day—though he couldn’t have known Violet would be back with him when he made his move against her father. He’d thought he would be taking her back by force, but he was almost thankful for the turn of events.
Now, Violet wouldn’t have to see him killing her father.
It was one thing to know—and he was sure Alberto’s death would weigh on her at some point—but it was a different matter altogether when one saw their father’s death up close and personal.
Kaz liked to think that Vasily’s death hadn’t bothered him, but sometimes, thoughts of the man plagued him, and he didn’t want that for Violet.
Walking over to the safe in the wall, he keyed in the combination, twisting and tugging the handle to pop it open, pulling out the pair of Sigs he had tucked away in there. These only came out on special occasions.
Holstering them, he was shutting the safe door when he caught the blurry figure in his peripheral. Violet was barefoot, a blanket wrapped around her shoulders as she came toward him, rubbing one eye with the back of her hand. Tumbling locks of blond hair swept over her shoulders, and like many hours before, he had the urge to sift his fingers through the strands.
“You’re supposed to be in bed,” he said, already reaching to pull her into his embrace.
“I woke up, and you weren’t there,” she said, laying her head against his chest. “I was wondering where you went.”
He touched his lips to the top of her head. “Boss’s job is never over.”
“Hmm.”
Her soft hum made him smile. She was still practically asleep on her feet.
A selfish part of him thrilled in the comfort she offered, even as he knew he was going off to do something that would hurt her—but he couldn’t help but think of these moments in the future when he would come home to her.
Those were the times he was looking forward to the most.
“Let’s get you to bed,” he said as he swept her up and carried her back up to their bedroom.
Somewhere, in the minute and a half it took to get her there, Violet had fallen back asleep. Before long, he was shutting their bedroom door and going down to the front entrance where his men waited.
“Guard her with your lives. Anything happens to her, and I will have your balls eaten by dogs, understand?”
His threat was clear.
Rus was waiting for him outside, covered in black from head to toe, not to mention the sheer number of weapons he had on him. At Kaz’s look, he explained, “Italians are a wild bunch—I have to be prepared.”
Shaking his head, Kaz went around to the passenger seat and hopped in. “Let’s get this done. Did you get everything else we needed?”
Rus slammed his door shut, driving off almost immediately. “All gate codes were taken care of, the boys are already in place, and the only thing we need now is the ‘okay.’”
How many times had he thought about venturing out of Brighton to find Alberto or even just one of his men? But with the truce in place, he’d been forbidden. It was amazing, the difference a year could make.
Kaz hadn’t given much thought to what the Gallucci family home looked like—he only cared that once he left it, the patriarch of the family would no longer be breathing.
His heart rate kicked up a bit as Rus entered the code on the panel—the guard inside already having been shot before they rolled up—and Kaz watched the rolling gates slowly slide back a moment before they were driving up the hill toward the sprawling mansion that was at the top. Two other cars followed.
It was quiet as they exited the cars one after the other, too quiet in fact. He wouldn’t put it past Alberto to have a trap waiting for him, knowing that he was next on Kaz’s shit list. That was why he was being cautious, taking his time rather than barging in.
There was no need to rush.
Alberto would be dead soon enough.
Rus used his skills to get the lock undone, and the door opened, and then he stepped back for them to go on ahead. The minute they were inside, chaos erupted.
The rapid-fire gunshots exploded, screams started, and the coppery scent of blood quickly filled the air. Kaz ducked out of the entryway, barely missing a bullet to the side. But spinning around just as fast, he aimed and fired, watching heated metal burrow a hole into a man’s head, taking a chunk out of it as it ripped free from the back.
Going up the stairs, Kaz cocked the hammer back as he went. The minute he cleared the landing, a door was thrown open violently. A girl around the same age as Violet came stumbling out, her wild eyes settling on Kaz as recognition flared.
It took a moment for Kaz to remember who she was—Nicole, he thought her name was. The one with Carmine.
Kaz almost smiled—two birds, one stone.
“Where’s your man?” he asked Nicole, pointing the gun at her face.
Very slowly, she raised a finger, pointing to the room she had just come out of. When Kaz took a step toward her, she took one back, and he continued this dance until they were back in the room and he could just see the gun Carmine had aimed in his direction.
“What the fuck do you think you’re doing, Russian? Do you have any idea what my father will—”
“Good, actually. Where is the man? I have a bone to pick with him about that fucking bruise he left on my wife.”
A muscle worked in Carmine’s jaw as he glared at Kaz, but he didn’t once look at the woman Kaz was aiming his gun at.
Interesting.
“Where’s your father?” Kaz repeated the question, his finger wrapping around the trigger.
“None of your fucking business.”
Kaz sighed. “Wrong answer.”
Shifting his aim, he fired, the bullet tearing the flesh of the girl’s thigh. Kaz was careful, making sure his aim was just right. The thigh was a safer place to hit when it was only a flesh wound. It bled more, but the look of it was more pressing than the actual damage.
Nicole screamed Carmine’s name as she crumpled to the floor, though she did her best to catch herself with one arm and the other was wrapped protectively around her middle. And with her arm there, he could see the swell of her stomach.
It seemed Violet wasn’t the only one that was pregnant.
“You shot my goddamn wife!”
“Your father,” Kaz said, unaffected by the venom he heard in the other man’s words. “Where is he? I won’t ask again.”
Though it sounded like the words were ripped from him, Carmine finally answered. “He’s gone.”
“Where?”
“I don’t know.”
“How could—”
“Don’t you think if I fucking knew where he fucking was, I would be standing here dealing with your bullshit? You want him? You have to find him your-fucking-self.”
This was the last thing he needed. He was in no mood to play fucking cat and mouse games all over again.
“But you may not have to worry,” Carmine said pulling Kaz from his thoughts, that subtle bite of arrogance back in his voice. “He’ll find you first.”
Kaz wouldn’t give the man the opportunity.
“Curious, don’t you think? That he would choose to skip town now?” Kaz shook his head.
Carmine frowned. “What are you going on about?”
“He knew the second Vasily was in the ground, I would be paying him a visit, and if he knew, why would he leave you here knowing what I would do?”
Maybe Carmine was the trap.
Maybe Alberto thought Kaz would have been reckless and killed his son without thought, and if he did, there would be an all-out war and no one was safe.
Carmine had been his pawn.
As Kaz’s smile grew at the thought, it appeared as though Carmine was figuring this out as well.
“Seems you have a choice to make there, no?” Kaz asked, holstering his weapon. If he was right, he wouldn’t need it. “One day, you’ll have to make a decision as to whose life matters more—yours or his.”