Bullet ✔️

Chapter 29

In the corner of my eye I saw James walk around the couch and sit down next to Elina, putting his arm around her and pulling her into his embrace. Damian stood behind me, his hand sliding up my body until he started massaging my shoulders lightly. I let out a moan, both from surprise and how good it felt.

I didn't even hear them come back.

"What were you girls laughing about?" James asked. I saw him pick up Elina's book, look at the cover and raise his eyebrows at her with a mischievous grin.

"We were just wondering if you two share your bedroom secrets when you're out all night," Elina said bluntly, taking the book from her husband's hands and smiling widely at him.

"We can't do that anymore," James said, before looking at me and back at his wife with his grin wider than before. "You two would just talk about it and find out we do the same stuff to make you moan."

I moaned again as Damian increased the strength on his massage, before he climbed over the back of the couch and sat down next to me, pulling me in against his chest. "Isabelle would be too embarrassed," Damian said, his eyes on me, before he looked over at the table where an empty bottle stood, and another almost empty one. "Unless she's drunk."

Elina giggled. Damian kissed my forehead gently, and smirked at me. He was in a good mood, which meant whatever they'd done wasn't too bad. I'd learned that much already. Whenever he needed to do something bad, his mood would be equally bad for a while.

So I deemed it safe to ask, "What do you do when you go out at night like this?"

Damian's fingers ran through my hair. I met with his eyes and he smiled, tilting his head to one side with slightly narrowed eyes, as if he were thinking. Then James said, "We took care of a shipment issue for the night club. Some of the wares didn't come, and too much of other things, so we just made sure they knew we wanted it all next time, in the right quantity."

Damian nodded. "Sometimes it's nothing, too, just being present in the back, show our faces here and there," he added, his fingers still running through my hair. "Prevents theft and other crimes."

"Why don't Michael do it?" I asked, not even knowing if he did or not, but something told me he kept mostly to himself and the golf tee I'd spotted behind his house.

"He's this close to retiring," James said, holding his thumb and index finger up to signal a very small space that looked like nothing from where I sat. "He wants to know Damian can keep it all in check on his own before he officially steps down."

I nodded my understanding carefully as it dawned on me that my boyfriend was that close to being an actual mafia boss—yet he was the warmest and kindest man I knew, save for my dad. Elina had told me he used to be grumpy and angry, but I'd seen none of it. Maybe I truly was his light in this dark world. The thought made me smile, and I leaned in closer to breathe in his earthy cologne.

"I bet it's yours by New Years," James said, grinning towards us, as if I was included in his bet.

"I'd say by Christmas," Elina supplied, winking at Damian.

"I'm sure he'll do something way too extravagant to do the hand off," Damian said, shrugging like he didn't care for that idea. "He loves Isabelle, so maybe he'll do a Valentines party for us and surprise everyone by giving me the empire."

He kissed the top of my head, probably noticing the shudder that ran through my body as he talked about it. I knew it, of course, but it seemed suddenly real—like everything before, all our shooting range practice and talks about the hotels and properties, wasn't. I sobered up at the topic, thinking about how I could possibly live with Damian once he'd have that much power, but I reminded myself he practically did everything now and Michael did nothing. Maybe being the boss meant he'd be safer, further away from the actual danger?