Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 55263 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 276(@200wpm)___ 221(@250wpm)___ 184(@300wpm)
He stirred, brow furrowing, before he relaxed again.
I pressed a kiss to his forehead and lingered there a moment longer than necessary, breathing him in, memorizing the weight of this moment.
When I stood, I didn’t look back. I couldn’t. I’d come back and spend the rest of my life hugging him. I hope.
“This ends tonight,” I told Luca as I made my way to the door where a team of guards waited for my orders.
“I’ll see you when you get back,” was all he said.
No more words were needed. I slid into the car and watched the world pass me by as I drove straight into a trap.
Chapter 27
Serenity
“He’ll be here soon.” David sounded almost giddy as he paced the studio, checking his watch for the third time in as many minutes. The gun never wavered from where it was aimed, straight at my chest. It was such a casual move, despite the deliberate nature of every move he made. He wanted to force Enzo to imagine exactly how I would die the moment he arrived.
“You really think he’ll give you what you want?” I kept my voice steady. Mocking him felt dangerous, but silence felt worse, so I settled for something in the middle.
“He won’t have much of a choice,” David said brightly. “Not if he wants you to live.” That pleased him. I could see it in the way his smile stretched and the flicker of joy in his eyes. This wasn’t about power alone. He wanted to punish Enzo, to make him suffer. All of this was revenge.
I really didn’t want to antagonize him, but I had to distract him. “If Enzo wanted me more than the family business,” I said, “he had seventeen years to prove it. He didn’t.” The words stung me too, but I pushed through it. He needed to doubt himself and his ridiculous plan.
David scoffed. “You don’t know what you’re talking about.”
I laughed a laugh I didn’t feel. “I think I’m the only one here who knows what she’s talking about. This was all a fluke, David. He didn’t know I was here, and he didn’t come here for me. I’m just watching Matteo.”
“Bullshit,” he snarled. “Even if it was just an accident, there’s no fucking way you two are under the same roof and nothing happened.”
He was right. “That’s water under the bridge,” I said, trying for casual.
“I guess we’ll find out.” He crossed his arms, chin lifted high and defiant.
He was determined, I’d give him that. But still, I wanted answers. “Then what happens,” I pressed, “if you’re wrong? If he tells you that he doesn’t care about me at all?”
His jaw clenched and worry flickered, but it was gone quickly. “He won’t.”
“But what if you’re wrong?” I tilted my head. “What then, David?”
For just a moment, his mask slipped, and beneath it, I saw the scared, pathetic man he was. He was sure of his plan, as long as no one questioned it. But the way his lips curled angrily, I knew he wasn’t thinking clearly. “Then I will kill you both.” The anger faded, replaced by an oh-so-pleased smile.
My stomach churned at the ease and the joy on his face. I knew killing was part of life for the mafia or the mob, but I kept my expression impassive, nodding. “So what’s the plan, then?” I asked. “You make Enzo step down, and then what?”
He frowned. “Then everything is mine, obviously.” His frown darkened. “What do you mean?” The spark of interest in his eyes gave me hope.
“Well,” I began slowly, choosing my words carefully. “Removing Enzo is only the first hurdle. He’s the leader. A friend. A foe. The boss. He’s garnered loyalty and respect over all this time. Do you think you’ll just be able to step into that role?”
Fear flickered in his eyes. And worse than that, uncertainty. He recovered fast, but not fast enough. “I have men,” he snapped. “Men who’ll back me.”
That much was true, I was sure. There were plenty of men and women who would help for the right price. “Men like the ones hiding throughout this place?” I asked, each word calm and gentle.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” he said a little too quickly. His words were completely unconvincing, but I let the lie ride.
“Okay.” Weeks of living under constant protection and nonstop surveillance had trained my ear, and I knew I wasn’t wrong.
He’d raised the gun again, making sure I couldn’t take my eyes off it. Alarm flickered in his gaze, but he was too angry to give it much weight. “Don’t worry about any of that. Just sit there and look pretty. Do your fucking part and you might make it out of here alive.”
I wanted to believe that, but this man was an unhinged liar, and nothing he said could be trusted.