Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94720 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 474(@200wpm)___ 379(@250wpm)___ 316(@300wpm)
“It looks nice,” my brother said as he looked around.
“Thanks.”
“Really nice,” he added.
“You sound like you didn’t think it would,” I said.
“I didn’t.” Mikey grinned.
I shook my head. “Thanks for coming. Dom had a bet going with Loren that you’d back out and not show up.”
“When have I ever not shown up to any of your friends and family things?” he asked.
I nodded and gulped my drink to relieve the sudden discomfort in my throat. Because my mother died when I was fifteen and my father wasn’t around much afterward, Michael took the role of my parent. That meant parent-teacher conferences and calls from the school. He’d been overseas for some time, which made it tricky, but he always pulled through. Because of him, I could live alone from the age of sixteen without being put in the system.
“These days, you hide the fact that you’re my brother,” I said, lowering my glass.
“Only from the authorities.” He brought his glass of tequila to his lips.
“You are the authorities.”
“Not quite.” He chuckled. “How is the membership going so far?”
“We’re fully booked through the end of next year.”
“Holy shit. Really?” His eyes widened. “You’re still charging ten grand a month?”
“Yep.”
“Damn. That’s a lot of money.”
“Money you could be lining your pockets with.” I winked, taking another sip of my drink.
“Nah.” He grinned. “I have enough on my plate without worrying about the DEA or the IRS or any fucking government department on my back.”
“This is one hundred percent legit.” I set my glass down on the table between us.
“I don’t want to hear it, Rocco.”
“Okay, Michael,” I said, mimicking his stern voice. “How’s the separation coming along?”
“As expected. Elizabeth is trying everything in her power to get me to stay, not because she wants me, but because she doesn’t want to explain things to our social circle.”
“Is she using the dog as an excuse?”I asked, shaking my head when he nodded. “I told you not to get a fucking dog.”
“She can keep the damn dog. I just want out. She’s suffocating.”
“Yeah, but you knew this, and you still moved in with her!”
“Her father’s the Chief of Police.”
“Even more reason to run the other way.”
“Easy for you to say. You haven’t had a serious relationship since. . .” He frowned. “Do you count Crystal as serious?”
I shot him a look. “Until she tried to stab me in the middle of the night.”
“To be fair, you did cheat on her.”
“I did NOT cheat on her. Why would I lie to you about that?” I asked. “I went to Oui to interview girls since Dominic couldn’t, and suddenly I’m a big cheater.”
“You let one of the women give you a lap dance.” His brow raised.
“She accosted me.”
“Right.” He snorted.
“I was sitting behind the desk reviewing her file, and suddenly she was on my lap, showing me what she could do. I pushed her off, and Crystal only found out because I was trying to do the right thing and told her about it.” I looked at him. “This is why you have to lie. Honest people are prone to be attacked in the middle of the night.”
He laughed, shaking his head. He can’t argue there. I may be many things, but I’m not a cheater. Cheating takes too much energy and time that I don’t have. I explained that to Crystal, but she chose not to believe me. She became so obsessed with catching me in the act that she started following me. That was when I ended things. No pussy was worth my peace of mind. Well, maybe Lenora’s, since I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about it since I saw her, even though I knew it would bring me hell. If not from Dominic, definitely from her father. If not from the two of them, Adriano would find a way to punish me for sullying his wife. He had some of Giuseppe’s men doing his dirty work and hid behind his title and wealth. It wasn’t surprising that Lenora didn’t know the kind of man she was marrying.
“I met someone,” he said after a moment.
“You met someone?” My eyes snapped to his. “Is that why you finally decided to grow some balls and leave Elizabeth?”
“No. Maybe. I don't know.” He exhaled.
“And you’re sitting there calling me a cheater?”
He laughed lightly. “I haven’t cheated. Not physically, but I can’t stop thinking about her, and it’s unfair to Elizabeth.”
“Tell her. She’ll yell at you, throw out your clothes, or let you peacefully walk away. My money’s on the second option. She doesn’t like messy things.”
“I’m pretty sure she’s the one who’s been cheating. For months, I’ve heard her talk on the phone late at night.”
“You’ve been sleeping in separate rooms for months,” I pointed out.
“True.” He took another sip of his whiskey. “Ray died.”
“What?” The change of subject nearly gave me whiplash. “When? How?”