LETICIA
THE WILD LIFE OF ROYAL
“So there I was,dragging his body, wrapped in one of those construction drop cloths, down the stairs, when in walks his second-in-command.” Royal sighs. He runs his fingers back through his hair. “Obviously, I hadn’t thought that far ahead, so I reached for my gun when the guy says, ‘That won’t be necessary.’ ”
“I mean, if you hate your boss, and someone else takes care of the problem...” Valor hums, adjusting how he’s sitting next to Antonella on the sofa. He wraps his arm around her, holding her close.
I’m sitting in a chair with a blanket thrown over my lap, Royal sitting next to me on the ottoman he pulled over.
“Exactly. So Emilio, his second-in-command, worked on disposing of the body while I sent Steffano on a virtual world-class vacation, jet-setting around the Caribbean. It’ll look like he fell overboard in a few weeks, and Emilio can take over the organization.” Royal is smiling. “He still wants the guns, and I said I’d throw in a few modifiers to sweeten the deal. Which he was amenable to.”
But I’m still in shock. “You killed Steffano because he insulted me.”
“No, it started with wanting to kill him when he insulted you, but I waited until he threatened my wife to actually do it.” Royal’s smile falters when he sees that I’m upset. He places ahand on my blanketed thigh and gives it a little squeeze as if asking for forgiveness.
“At least one of them has self-control.” Betty sighs, drawing me away from the tender moment. She’s sitting on the arm of Ian’s chair, leaning against his shoulder.
“You call that self-control?” Ian asks, looking up at her with bewilderment.
“Obviously,” Valor huffs. “I would have killed him at the first mention that my wife is a whore.”
Antonella smacks him in the stomach with the back of her hand. “Don’t be cute. You’re still in the doghouse.”
“Are you ever going to let him out?” Betty asks.
“Mmm, maybe when the renovations to the house are done. Not a moment before.” Antonella looks Valor over, but they don’t know her like I do. I see the softness in her gaze and how her eyes aren’t pinched tight. She’s not really mad.
Royal squeezes my leg a little harder. “Forgive me?”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” I place my non-injured hand atop his. “I’m just glad you’re back safe.”
60
ROYAL
THE WHOLE ROOM
Leticia’s familyboxed up her entire room and sent it over with a moving truck. Bed, dresser, nightstands, drapes, and anything else you can imagine. I’m pretty sure if the wallpaper could come off the walls, they would have sent it too.
“This is a nightmare.” Leticia pulls at her hair near the roots, her features pinched together as she looks at the back of the moving truck.
It arrived unannounced this afternoon with a work order signed by Berto.
“So, where do you want it?” the delivery guy harrumphs.
Rightfully so, he’s a little pissed off that we’re not ready to receive a full room of furniture. What we had expected to be a few dozen boxes of clothing, accessories, shoes, and books turned into a bigger dilemma than anticipated.
But my wolf doesn’t like his tone and keeps demanding I step between him and Leticia.
“I’ll back my SUV out. We can put it in the spare garage stall.” I shrug and head to the house for my keys.
Leticia follows me. “I’m so sorry. This is —”
I stop short, and she runs into me. Turning, I put my arm around her and lead her with me into the house. “It’s not a disaster, it’s not a nightmare, it’s a mild inconvenience at best, and truthfully, it’s kinda funny. I’m sure we can find a home for everything theysent. Stop worrying about taking up space. Remember that we’re a family and we’re better together.”
Leticia sighs, her shoulders relaxing, and she shivers with the change in temperature as we step into the warm house.
“Did they send her bed and everything?” Mom calls, probably from the living room where she’s looking out the window.
