Putting a hit on Josef Weber was risky, but I knew there was no way I was ever going to be able to put my head on a pillow knowing that he was responsible for Wyatt’s death without knowing his was impending. After we got back to our house and went through all of the evidence Lizzy collected, we had no doubt that Weber was behind it. It was no longer a delusion—I knew it in my gut. I had no idea how long it would take for the police to locate Hannah, but I had no problem doing the same thing to her—even if she was b
lood. She chose her fate the moment she aligned herself with Josef Weber—and aligned herself against her family. Wyatt’s blood was on her hands too, even if she wasn’t the one who put him in the car and left him to die.
“What are we going to do with Lizzy?” Mauro lifted his glass and took a sip.
“What do you mean?” I tilted my head to the side.
“Well—she obviously doesn’t want to go anywhere. Are you ready for that kind of commitment?” Mauro leaned back in his chair.
“You mean.” I reached over and turned on the monitor. “Do I want to see this every day for the rest of my life?”
“Yes.” Mauro nodded.
“There was a time when I would have never been able to see myself settling down, but there’s no way in the world I can resist that woman.” I exhaled sharply. “She’s absolutely perfect.”
“Honestly?” Mauro chuckled. “I’d be kind of afraid to cross her at this point—she took down Josef Weber—she saved us from hell. She’s pretty fucking dangerous when she wants something.”
“Then I guess we better keep her.” I lifted my drink to Mauro and smiled. “For our own safety as well as hers.”
Lizzy was the first woman I had met that had been able to handle me at my worst—and she did more than handle it. She begged for it. Even my own brand of cruelty wasn’t enough for her. She brought my beast to the surface and then she begged Mauro for his. A woman like that wasn’t just remarkable—she was insatiable.
And there was no fucking way I was going to let her go.
She was mine as long as I drew breath.
Even if I had to share her.
Smoke And Fire Sneak Peek
Kayla
“You’re done drinking tonight, Anna.” I shook my head and waved off the bartender as my friend tried to get her empty glass refilled.
“You never let me have any fun!” She folded her arms across her chest and started to pout.
“I let you have a lot of fun tonight. I’m trying to find the delicate balance between having fun and dragging you to our Uber by your ankles.” I leaned against the bar and grimaced.
“I haven’t fallen down in weeks.” She glared at me and then turned back to the bartender. “Just one more, Mike.”
“Mike’s trying to help other people.” I waved him off again.
“He’s a fucking jerk. You hear me—you’re a fucking jerk!” Anna tried to flip him off, but it looked more like a broken finger gun.
“Ugh, seriously?” I sat down on the stool and sighed. “I’m the one you should be mad at, not him. Fine, get another drink.”
“You’re the best!” Her anger was gone in an instant and her face lit up with a smile.
Anna and I had a difficult friendship at times. I often felt like a babysitter instead of her friend. It was fun to go out together when we first met, but the glamour had definitely worn off. She started her downward spiral shortly after she caught the man she was going to marry in bed with another girl, but I didn’t think the spiral had many more spins before she hit rock bottom. I missed the weekends when we just went out and had fun—mutual fun. I liked to have a few drinks, dance like a fool, and sleep it off the next morning. Those days were on pause as long as Anna nursed her broken heart, and it seemed like I was doomed to be her caretaker until she figured out how to numb the pain with something besides alcohol. Mike handed her another drink, and she took a large gulp that didn’t put much of a dent in it.
“Come on, bottoms up. Let’s go home.” I tapped the edge of her glass and tried to wait patiently.
“Hold on, I want to dance.” She sloshed her drink and didn’t even seem to notice when it spilled on her dress.
“No, you’ve got a good streak going. If you try to dance, you’ll end up making a fool of yourself and you’ll probably end up on YouTube.” I held her arm when she tried to stand.
“You used to be so much fun.” She finished what was left of her drink and pouted.
Anna was always apologetic when the alcohol wore off and the hangover began, but I was tired of regret filled morning apologies that prefaced another night of drunken disasters. I just wanted to go home, have a couple of drinks in peace, and go to bed. I never imagined that I would look forward to drinking alone but going drink-for-drink with Anna was out of the question. I liked a nice buzz. She liked to drink until she kissed the floor. I finally guided Anna towards the door, kept her from falling over her heels, and by some miracle, we made it outside. It felt like my own personal version of victory. I pulled out my phone to request an Uber through the app and held onto Anna’s arm like a mother trying to keep a child from wandering off.