Page 125 of Snaring Emberly
Benito and I stand shoulder to shoulder, watching the last of the betrayers disappear behind the flames. My ears ring with their shrieks, and I can almost imagine what it sounds like when they join ranks with the likes of Capello, Cain, Brutus, Judas Iscariot, and all the other betrayers in the inferno’s ninth circle.
This is oddly satisfying.
A little voice in the back of my head whispers that I should join the backstabbers. Aren’t I betraying Emberly? I worked so hard to earn her trust, yet I’m doing to her what Capello did to Dad. My shoulders tighten, and I tell the voice to back the fuck off.
This situation is different.
When the screams subside from within the cremator, I wrap an arm around my little brother’s shoulders and smile. “Are you ready to take control of the casino?”
I turn to my men. “Let’s go.”
* * *
Less than an hour later, Benito and I pull into the casino’s front entrance. Exposing ourselves is a risk with the Moirai still under contract to secure our deaths, but they’ve agreed to putting the hit on hold… At least until we return their operatives.
Construction staff are already removing Capello’s ostentatious neon sign and replacing it with one that resembles the original. My breaths slow, and my chest expands with pride.
“Did you arrange that?” I sit forward in my seat, unable to take my gaze off our family name in lights.
“I commissioned the new sign the moment Leroi confirmed the date he was going to kill Capello,” Benito replies. “What do you think?”
“It’s perfect,” I reply, my voice thick.
After half a decade, the casino is finally back in our hands.
Gil opens the car door, and we step out onto the pavement. Tiny droplets of water rain down on us from the fountains on the courtyard, transforming my dreams into a vivid reality.
“Welcome back, boss,” Gil says.
I turn to him and smirk, unable to utter the words in case my voice cracks. This was Dad’s pride and joy—the first thing I wanted to take back.
During my darkest days when I lay in my cell, I imagined all three of us brothers walking through the casino with AK-47s, gunning down our betrayers. This version of events is cleaner, far more dignified, and leaves no incriminating evidence.
Benito and I walk side by side through the grand entrance, where hundreds of employees stand in a line, applauding our return.
When we reach a podium in the middle, I place a hand on my brother’s shoulder and step back. This is his moment. I promised him the casino and now it’s time for him to take charge.
Gil and I stand at Benito’s back as he delivers a well-practiced speech, informing the employees that the casino is under new management.
I zone out, making a mental note of what else we need to take back from Emberly. The stocks, loan company, the real estate portfolio, the contents of the safety deposit boxes. Four more paintings in exchange for four more contracts.
I promised to put a bullet through her head after taking back our assets, but the thought of hurting Emberly makes me want to put a bullet through my heart. But with the end in sight, I’m still no closer to working out how the hell I’m going to stop our relationship from turning to shit.
FORTY-TWO
EMBERLY
Last night, when Roman returned, he seemed troubled. He slid into bed and hugged me so tightly that I rose from my slumber. That urgent knock on the door yesterday morning must have been for some terrible emergency. I’m almost too afraid to ask.
It’s morning now, and I hope his troubles have faded. I hold him around the middle with my head resting on his shoulder. When he’s peaceful and asleep, I don’t see our ten-year age difference. He doesn’t look thirty-four.
All the worry lines are gone, replaced by a serenity that leaves me breathless. I can’t bring myself to awaken this sleeping beauty.
“See something you like?” he murmurs.
“Actually, I do.” I trail my hand across his chest.
Roman’s deep groan resounds across his entire torso as I pepper his neck with kisses. I slide my hand down the curve of his pec toward his abs, but he grabs my wrist.