Page 64 of His Kingdom

“Don’t hurt her,” I warn him. The last thing I need is to have to explain to Charlotte why her friend is missing. There’s also the thought of her being upset that doesn’t sit well with me. “I need to buy a ring.”

“What?”

“I need to buy Charlotte a ring. She doesn’t have one and I don’t want her walking around here looking single,” I tell Emmanuel.

“It doesn’t matter if she has a ring. Your wife is a ten, Louie. Assholes are still gonna try to hit on her. And this desert ain’t big enough to bury them all.” He laughs.

“I’ll burn them then,” I groan. “Oh, and Carlo has a kid.”

Emmanuel stops dead in his tracks. “What? Since when?”

“Since this morning. Someone dumped a little girl at reception. Came with a letter telling him she’s his,” I explain.

“Who’s the mother?”

“No idea. There was no name,” I say.

At least she cared enough about the kid to leave her with people, and not in a dark alley between two dumpsters.That thought, I keep to myself.

ChapterThirty

Imanage to shower, dress, put on a bit of makeup, and blow dry my hair before Evie wakes up. I’m kinda glad, because I feel like I needed some alone time to wrap my head around the fact that I just got married. And not just to anyone. To Louie. The man looks like he’s just stepped off a runway all the damn time. When he came out of the room this morning dressed in a three-piece suit, I thought I was dreaming.

How is that man my husband?

Then there’s the whole “I’ll kill anyone who hurts you” thing I am working through on my own. Mostly, I’m just trying to accept that it’s okay for me toaccepthim for who he is. There’s a part of me that says I need to object to his less than law-abiding way of life. When it comes down to it, I don’t, though. I really am falling in love with him, despite his morally gray nature. Or is it because of it?

I’m not sure. But when I’m with Louie, I feel like I’m myself for the first time in a long time. He’s not trying to make me into the version of me he wants me to be. Which is exactly what it was like with Owen. Who I really can’t think about right now. If I do, guilt overwhelms me. He’s dead because of me. There is no getting around that.

I wonder how my sister is handling it? Is she heartbroken? Do I care?Yes, I would never want my sister to feel heartbreak.

“Hey, you look nice,” Evie says as she sleepily makes her way into the living room.

“I’ve been waiting for you to wake up,” I tell her.

“Let me get coffee first,” she groans and walks into the small kitchen area.

I stand and throw my phone onto the table. I was contemplating reaching out to my sister. Or maybe my mom. But they can wait. I need to talk Evie into getting on a flight home. Although I think once she finds out Emmanuel spent the night watching her sleep, or at least I think he did, she’s going to run anyway.

“Hey, I think you should get an early flight back home,” I tell her.

Evie pours the coffee from the pot into a mug before turning around to face me. “Why?”

“Remember that guy from last night? The one you were flirting with?”

“Emmanuel, kinda hard to forget.” She smiles.

“Yeah, well, I don’t think he was kidding around about being a cartel boss, hon. When I woke up, he was holding a gun to Louie’s head.”

“What?” Evie shrieks, coffee spilling from her mouth.

“He wanted to wake me up and Louie wouldn’t do it,” I try to explain.

“You mean, the guy you just met had a gun to his head and still wouldn’t wake you up?” she asks me. “That man is a keeper, Charlotte.”

“Yeah, well, I did marry him. But that’s not the point. Emmanuel wanted to know what happened.”

“What happened when?” Evie questions.

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