Total pages in book: 83
Estimated words: 82524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 413(@200wpm)___ 330(@250wpm)___ 275(@300wpm)
The flames are massive. I join Kellan on the sidewalk to gaze as the house catches. More burning. Some days it feels like this is all I know.
“We’ll break him,” Kellan promises. “I like that girl, you know. Hattie’s sweet.”
“She’s a good kid. Thanks to her mother.”
“You like that wife of yours too, don’t you?” Kellan nudges me in the arm. “You fucking hid her from us.”
“Can you blame me?”
“Yes! I definitely can!”
“Look at what happened the second she was found. I should have made her my wife sooner.”
“You did what you could for the girl. Hell, she got five good years without your sorry ass dragging her to hell.”
That’s more true than he knows. I squeeze my brother’s shoulder. “We’ll finish this. In the meantime, tell the others what the deal is. Any Capo that was part of Dad’s original crew has to be watched closely.”
“Understood. I’ll handle it.”
I walk away. Ignazio’s home burns behind me. More heat eating away at something I once loved. I lightly touch my knuckles and the word inked there. Ashes.
Ashes in my blood and ashes in my heart.
23
JUNE
Marnie shuffles toward the bed and pauses, one hand against the wall. I hold onto her elbow, but she waves me away. “No, I’m fine. I can do this.”
“Marn—“
She ignores me and closes the gap. Crossing the room is a serious effort. The stairs took it out of her. She collapses into the bed, flopping onto her back and grinning at me.
“How do I look?”
She’s a mess. The bruises are fading, but she’s too thin. She can’t walk too far without getting exhausted and she’s still in pain. Eating is fine, talking is okay, but anything that involves exerting herself seems impossible. She can’t bend, which means she can’t tie her shoes, dress herself all the way, or even shower alone. That’s why we have nurses on twelve-hour shifts to cover any of her needs and to make sure she’s healing right.
I try not to think about the bloodstains downstairs. About the huge cleaning crew still working to get the place in shape.
Marnie didn’t question the men filling bulletholes and painting away the worst of the damage. The attack happened three days earlier, and she hasn’t heard a peep about it.
I still haven’t fully processed what happened. Last night, I woke up sweating and whimpering, only to find Rafe pulling me to his chest. He held me tight in the darkness, kissing my neck, telling me I was safe until I calmed down. I fell back asleep in his arms, because I couldn’t imagine lying there another second without his touch. I’m a mess, and he’s being patient.
But Hattie? She’s acting like it never happened.
There are going to be issues, I know. Little kids rebound and get past stuff easier than adults do. Still, I made sure Rafe reached out to the best child therapist he could find for when Hattie is ready to talk to someone, which should be sooner rather than later.
Only I want to make sure it’s safe first.
“Gotta admit, this place is a lot nicer than I thought.” She looks around and seems a bit better now that she’s off her feet. “Seriously, June, how’d you end up bagging a rich guy?”
I smile to myself and realize I never told her how Rafe and I met. “Remember your bachelorette party?”
“Oh god.” She covers her face with one hand. “I was such a bitch that night. I wish we could erase that entire chapter of my life.”
“Well, if we did that, I wouldn’t have Hattie.”
She peeks at me from between her fingers then lets her hand drop. “Are you serious right now? I thought you were like the den mother that whole weekend.”
I grin devilishly and tell her the full story: mistaking Rafe for the stripper, running into him at the ice machine later, following him to his room. I leave out the graphic sex but she gets the picture.
“June, you dirty slut, I can’t believe it. I knew you had a one-night stand, but you’ve always been shady about where and when.”
“I abandoned you and I felt bad about it.”
“Uh, dude, we were a freaking wreck that night. I’m happy you had some fun.”
“You really were a mess.”
“Poor Beth. I puked in her lap. Twice.”
I burst out laughing. Marnie smiles back. All at once I feel it, how having her here is the biggest stress relief imaginable. I hug her fiercely, which earns a pained groan, and I spend the next few minutes apologizing for being such a clumsy idiot.
“Hello, hello,” the nurse on duty says, an older woman with sleek dark hair. “I’m Bernadette Kelly, you can call me Birdie, all my patients do. How are we feeling, hon?”
“Like I fell down the steps a few weeks ago.”
“Sounds about right. I got pills if you need them.”