Total pages in book: 90
Estimated words: 88182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 88182 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 441(@200wpm)___ 353(@250wpm)___ 294(@300wpm)
“We measure it by weight—“
“Fuck off, Prime, I don’t care what the proper terminology is.” I’m mortified and he’s still making jokes. It’s taking a lot of effort not to knee him in the balls and headbutt him right in that pretty nose.
“This company is real, Deanna. The parking lots are real. The investments are real. All the numbers, all the income, it’s real.”
“Except?”
He hesitates and his expression darkens. “How much do you want to know?”
“Everything. All of it.”
“That’s not happening.”
“Then I’m done. Get the divorce papers ready. You can go to hell.”
“Deanna—“
“I’m not kidding, Prime.” I shove against him but I might as well try to eat the entire copy machine.
“I don’t want to lose you.”
“You mean, you don’t want to lose your convenient business partner.”
“My wife.”
“Don’t do that.” I make a fist and pound it into his chest. “Tell me the truth, damn it. Please, just tell me.”
He seems to wrestle for a moment. His eyes glaze over and he looks down at my mouth. I don’t know what’s going through his head, but mine’s in turmoil, wondering what crimes I’ve accidentally committed, how many moral lines I’ve already crossed, all without knowing. I’ve been making a fool of myself for years. Prime’s probably been laughing behind my back. No wonder he thought I’d be stupid enough to accept his marriage proposal.
He already knew I was a sucker.
I feel used. Plain and simple. Drained dry down to the bone.
“The parking lots are real, but they’re a convenient cash business. Money from the illegal side of my operations flow into the legal side in realistic, steady increments. That’s registered as income, I pay taxes, and it’s nice and squeaky clean. Nobody here knows it’s happening, not unless the accountants are much more competent than I realized, but they aren’t.”
That’s a strange relief.
“You had me thinking Jonathan was a secret gangster.” His frown tells me he has no clue who the hell I’m talking about. “What about the other stuff? What about… the killing…”
“This corporation is a laundering scheme nestled inside a surprisingly profitable business enterprise. If I stopped selling coke, I’d still have a nice income.”
“Why don’t you?”
“Because I like selling coke.”
I twist in his grip. “That’s sick. It’s crazy.”
“Listen to me. The cartels are sick and crazy. They own the politicians and run towns like they’re the real power behind the throne. All I do is provide a product to rich assholes who want to fuck all night and dance all day. I don’t murder people for no reason. I don’t terrorize an entire country. I run a business, that’s all.”
“Why are you bringing the cartels into this?”
“So you understand that’s not what I am. I’m a part of a larger organization. It’s a family.”
I laugh wildly. “Have you lost your mind?”
“The Corsetti Famiglia’s been my home since I was young. Stellan Corsetti found me, became my only friend, and gave me a purpose. I know it’s hard to believe, but the Famiglia is everything. It’s not evil, not the way you think.”
“You’re criminals. This is mafia shit.”
He nods. “Yeah, baby, that’s exactly what it is.”
“No, I can’t, this is too much, I don’t—“
His hand snakes into my hair again. He tugs, pulling back. His mouth finds mine, crushing into me with a bruising kiss. I twist, pushing, whimpering as his taste floods my senses and I hate him for doing this to me, for making me want him while also hating him, for driving a confusing spike straight down into my skull, for leaving me a pathetic, bloody, twisted mess.
I don’t know what I am anymore. I don’t know what he’s made me.
“Nothing changes,” he says softly as he pulls away, breathing hard. I feel him stiffening against me. His thigh slips between my legs. I shudder, gasping. “You are mine, Deanna, and I’m not letting you go until I’ve gotten my fill.”
“When’s that happen? When I’m dead or behind bars?”
“I’ll cut my own throat before either of those things happen.”
“I don’t believe you. I don’t know what to think anymore.”
“Then think this: we have a deal. I’ll take care of you and your parents. I’ll make sure no harm ever comes to you. I’ll give you so much more than you ever dreamed, and all I ask in return is you stay by my side until my job is finished.”
“What job?” I whisper, not sure I want to know.
He shakes his head. “We aren’t going there. Not right now. You’re overwhelmed enough already.”
“Fuck, Prime.” I lean forward, forehead to his chest. “What are you doing to me?”
“Taking care of you. Always, Deanna. I swear it.” He breathes deep, smelling my hair. “I know I should have told you earlier. I won’t keep secrets from you.”
“So you’ll tell me what you want with that Fontana guy? The one you’re looking for?”