Every penny of my uncle’s money was given to the shelter as an anonymous donation. The director and her staff were ecstatic. After spending plenty of time with them and the women they helped, I was confident the money was going to a truly worthy institution.
“Oh, yeah? Who’s the mark?”
“A judge—a very, very dirty judge.”
“Sounds promising.”
“The only thing is, it’s time sensitive. We’d have to leave first thing in the morning.” Technically, we had one more day scheduled before our flight home.
Tamir swiped the laptop off my lap and snapped the lid shut. “Fine, but that still gives us one more night, and I have plans for you.” He swept me into his arms, bridal style, and started jogging toward the placid water. “But first, I believe I owe you one.”
I squirmed and giggled, no match for his strong arms. The moment he was waist-deep, he tossed me into the crystal clear water, then took my hand as I resurfaced and pulled me back toward him. He lowered himself to join me neck-deep in the water, allowing me to slip my legs around his middle.
“Such a bully,” I teased with a smile.
He nipped at my bottom lip. “And you’re the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen.”
My heart skipped a beat. “You’re forgiven,” I whispered.
“I was thinking, after this job, maybe we discuss having a family.”
Between a full day of sun and the shock of his words, my head dipped and spun. “What?” The single breathy word was all I could muster.
“Family means a lot to both of us, and I know you miss Isaac and Averi. I thought maybe it was time we consider starting our own family.”
“What about you and your job?”
“What about it?”
“I guess I assumed since you had gotten this far in life without children, that it wasn’t something you wanted.”
He pressed his forehead to mine. “It had nothing to do with want and everything to do with the right person coming along. I can’t think of anything more fulfilling than raising a child with you.”
I couldn’t believe I could end up so lucky. I had wanted children, but Tamir was older, and I had accepted that being with him might mean not having children of my own. To have him and a child—I couldn’t imagine a more perfect life.
“I’m ready whenever you are.” I grinned.
Tamir’s eyes lit with mischief. “We’d better get practicing, then.” He scooped me from the water, plundering my mouth in a heated kiss. “They say it can take months, and I never was a quitter.”
I threw back my head and laughed as he carried me to the outdoor shower. He made good on his promise three times that night. Two months later, we got confirmation that our rigorous efforts had paid off.
Tamir had given me my life back and then filled that life with immeasurable joy. I wasn’t just lucky; I was the luckiest woman in the world.
* * *
Thank you so much for reading Where Loyalties Lie!
If you enjoyed the book and are interested in reading more of my work, there are a couple places you can go from here. The Five Families is a series of interconnected standalones, and Where Loyalties Lie is a spinoff novel branching out after book 3.
Didn’t catch the beginning of The Five Families series?
Check out book 1, Forever Lies:
Five minutes in a stalled elevator was all it took to turn Alessia Genovese’s world upside down. She was just one among millions of New Yorkers, but now, she’s landed on Luca Romano’s radar, and he isn’t about to let her walk away. Dragging her into his world of lies and deceit, Luca’s secret agenda shatters Alessia’s perfectly crafted life. Sometimes lies are easier than the truth…
**Head to the back of this book to read chapter 1!
Curious about the mysterious Maria?
You’ll want to read Blood Always, book 3 in The Five Families series:
It should have been a simple arranged marriage, but fate had other plans. He saw her untamed independence as a challenge. She saw his alluring authority as a threat. Their lives were altered irrevocably—from enemies allied by a strategic marriage to something dark and consuming.
Something that tasted like obsession.
All caught up?
Up next is Impossible Odds, book 4 in The Five Families series:
Buckle up because Giada’s gotten herself into a world of trouble with a mysterious bad boy. This is one book you won’t want to miss!!
Make sure to join my Facebook reader group and keep in touch!
Jill’s Ravenous Readers
A Note from Jill
I hope you enjoyed this little departure from my Five Families series. I mentioned in the acknowledgements of Forever Lies that my great uncle was associated with the mafia, and that I grew up hearing my father’s stories about my uncle and his adventures. What I didn’t mention is that my dad was also a fan of the Israeli Mossad and its no-nonsense mentality. He loved watching movies involving the Mossad and recounting stories about their publicly known missions. When I started writing, I had no doubt I wanted to include one of their soldiers in my Five Families world and give him his own story. Tamir was reserved, calculating, and absolute in his beliefs, and I loved that Emily was his perfect counterpart.
I’d like to offer a sincere thank you for reading Where Loyalties Lie. If you enjoyed reading the book as much as I enjoyed writing it, please take a moment to leave a review. Leaving a review is the easiest way to say Thank You to an author. Reviews do not need to be long or involved, just a sentence or two that tells people what you liked about the book in order to help readers know why they might like it too.
Acknowledgements
This book requires an extra special thank you to a number of people. As I wrapped up my first draft of this book, the world seemed to fall into yet more chaos than we’d already experienced during our two months in quarantine. Riots and outrage launched a surge of much-needed social reform, adding to the air of uncertainty we were already experiencing. Emotions were high. Patience was low. Many of us were simply doing what we could to process our current realities.
What do I do at that point? Start hitting up people to help edit my book. Talk about low on the list of priorities. I felt horrible asking favors when life had been tough enough on its own and totally understood that not everyone could give their time and energy.
To my alphas, Jason and Sarah. I am truly humbled by how readily you step up to bat for me. Without your frank, in-depth critical input, this book would never have evolved into what it was meant to be. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart.
To Leah and Kristi. How did I get so lucky?! I suppose I did have to weather an Austin flash flood to find you, but it was worth every harrowing minute! Thank you for everything you do for me. I am forever grateful.
Last but not least, I want to give a special thanks to three ladies who helped make sure my cultural references were on point. To Veronica, Erica, and Pnina, your guidance about Mexican American and Israeli cultures was invaluable. Thank you for helping me represent Tamir and Emily as accurately as possible!
This was the most challenging book I’ve written to date, both because of the content and the times in which it was written. I’m thrilled with how it’s turned out, but it never would have made it to this point without so much amazing help. Thank you all!