Page 32 of His Kingdom

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After spending an hour in the shower—yes, an hour—I decided I needed to go shopping if I’m going to stay in Vegas a bit longer. I need clothes and supplies.

Shit, I’m actually staying.

I pull my phone out of my pocket and send a message to the girls, ignoring the missed calls and texts from everyone else.

Me:

I’m going to stay in Vegas for a bit. Am I crazy? I’m crazy, right?

Rachel:

Not crazy. You deserve to choose you for once.

Evie:

What she said. Also, I’m booking a flight. You’re not having all the fun without us.

Me:

I’m okay. Honestly, you don’t need to come here.

I turn my phone back off. It’s the only way I can cope with all the messages and calls. By ignoring them.

I’m not surprised to find Sammie still in the living room when I walk out. “I need to go shopping. You want to come?” I ask him. If I pretend that he’s just here to hang out and be a new friend—and not mybabysitter—I can handle his presence a whole lot better.

“Sure. What are we shopping for?”

“Clothes,” I tell him. “I came here with nothing. And if I’m staying, I need more than, well, what I have.” I have a little bit of savings in my account. I was planning on using it for baby stuff when Owen and I did start a family. I shudder, thinking about the bullet I literally dodged.

The thought of being married to Owen, of having his kids, being stuck… Yeah, I know I was making the right decision when I went to his room that night. Doesn’t mean what he and my sister did hurts any less, though.

ChapterSeventeen

I’ve nevernotloved what I do. I thrive on the deals made in the shadows, the danger, the power. Not once have I shied away from it or wanted anything different. This is what I’ve spent my entire life working towards. I don’t need to keep going. I have enough money to retire now and never work again. But what the fuck would I do then?

Standing on a dirt airfield about a three hours’ drive away from the city, I’m waiting for the plane to land. I’m here to pick up Emmanuel Lopez. The current leader of the De La Sangre Cartel and my contact for the billions of dollars’ worth of cocaine I distribute throughout my city.

“You look like you’d rather be doing anything else right now,” Carlo says. “You need to keep your head in the game, boss.”

“My head is in the fucking game,” I grunt at him.

“Jeez, don’t shoot the messenger.” He holds up his hands. “What’s going on with you? You seem distracted lately. And you know what happens when the boss is distracted?”

“I’m not distracted.” I’m lying. I am distracted. I know it, and he knows it. But, fuck, if you had an angel fall into your handsand bed, you’d be distracted too.

“They get killed. That’s what happens, but you know that.”

“I’m not getting myself killed, Carlo.”

“Not on purpose, you’re not. But you will if you don’t get your head straight. You know what else happens? When the boss gets killed, what do you think they do to his loved ones?”

“I don’t have any loved ones.”

“Ouch, I’ll try not to take that personally. Fine, what do you think happens to his girlfriend?” he asks. “I’ll tell you what. They either end up dead with him, after being assaulted and used in ways you don’t want to imagine, or they move on with another guy.”

I turn and glare at him through the lenses of my sunglasses. Is he looking to get his ass shot right now? “No one other than you and Sammi even knows she exists,” I remind him. If I end up dead, I know Sammie will look out for her.

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