There was a tremendous boom nearby, and the dog yelped, tumbling off him. Panting on the ground, Ray raised his head to look toward the sound.
Augusta held a gun she must have taken off one of the dead men. Little Stevie was trying to crawl away, as she’d only hit him in the shoulder, but she was advancing on him with the pistol held steady in both hands.
“How is the anticipation, Stevie?” she asked coldly. “Are you enjoying it?”
He yelped and tried to run. He couldn’t use one of his legs because of the shoulder wound, but he tried. Augusta followed him, shooting him again and getting him in the hip. When he yelped and fell, she immediately put a bullet in the back of his head.
A great sigh left her body as her arms fell to her sides. Ray saw her fingers loosen, and the gun dropped to the ground. He shifted back to human without any conscious effort … the injuries had been too much for him.
He tried to get up, but he fell back down again. Augusta turned around and ran to him, throwing her arms around him.
“Are you okay?” she whispered. He nodded.
“Never better.”
“You fucking liar,” she cried, kissing him. “You’re in pieces.”
“Yeah, but I’ve got you. You’re alive,” he said, laughing as he brushed her hair off her cheek.
They looked into each other’s eyes for a moment more before falling into a deep kiss. Ray ached in every single inch of his body, but he didn’t care.
The only thing he cared about was the beautiful woman in his arms and how he was going to make her happy for the rest of their lives.
Chapter26
Augusta
Augusta tried to settle her nerves as she walked with Ray up the thickly carpeted staircase of the exclusive club owned by the Moretti family. Today was the day they met with the Don, and she had never been so nervous in her entire life.
The few days after the big shifter showdown were still a blur to her. Cops had arrived in droves at the scene of the wreck, taking her and Ray to the hospital and trying to clean up the crash site. Every side of the mob had guys in the force, so there were no charges filed, and a ton of evidence mysteriously went missing. Legitimate officers found very few leads, and all of them led to dead ends.
She had only spent a day in the hospital, the majority of her injuries being superficial. Ray stayed with her the whole time, even when the mob bosses demanded he come in to explain the explosive events which had just occurred. Ray said nothing about the mob business to her, but Augusta was worried. She had started all of this, essentially. Wouldn’t the bosses hate her most of all?
She and Ray had spent a few blissful days with each other doing absolutely nothing while she recuperated. It was easy to get better when there was a gorgeous man waiting on her hand and foot. Augusta wouldn’t have been able to stand it if Ray hadn’t enjoyed it so much.
The change in him was incredible. His eyes were bright and seemed to glow. His downturned mouth became fixed in a permanent smile. Every time he looked at her, she felt the connection between them confirmed by his soft, gentle expression.
Augusta sighed, reaching out for the banister of the staircase. Ray had not been back to the mob since that fateful night, and now she was afraid that the Don would blame her for muzzling his top dog.
“Are you all right?” Ray asked, holding her elbow gently.
She nodded. “Just let me catch my breath.”
“You aren’t nervous, are you?”
“No, of course not. I meet violent crime bosses every day of the week.”
Ray smiled. “I know, it is scary. He’s not a nice guy. I can’t lie about that. I’ve always been loyal and obedient, though. I’m sure he won’t refuse me, and this is almost as good as getting married.”
Augusta wasn’t sure she’d heard right. “What?”
Ray laughed softly. “If the Don gives us his approval, the entire family … and, most likely, our rivals … will see you as my wife. No one would ever dare touch you ever again, and you’ll receive all the same benefits I do.”
“Oh,” Augusta whispered, not game enough to ask what those benefits may be.
“Are you sure I look okay?” she asked.
He nodded. “Perfect.”