Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 94124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 94124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 471(@200wpm)___ 376(@250wpm)___ 314(@300wpm)
I have too many unanswered questions and only one person capable of answering them.
Was Valentina’s ashen face that day a result of lingering fear? Or was her visit to the hospital as personal as it gets?
San Giorgio’s is a leader in oncology care, but it can’t give its patients the world-renowned treatment only money can buy. It’s limited in how it can help by the same bureaucratic nonsense my family has strived to remove from these shores for three decades.
As I turn down the boulevard leading to the docks, my focus transitions from personal endeavors to business. Work calls. It always calls. The chain of command expects results, and I deliver them. That’s who I am. Giovanni Caruso doesn’t falter on a promise or lose focus.
At least, that’s what I want my competitors to believe.
If they knew how many hours I’ve wasted chasing a ghost, they’d question everything. They may even try to use it against me.
Good luck with that. I play nice when it benefits me, but if push comes to shove, I won’t hesitate to knife those in the back who have done me wrong.
My phone buzzes in the console of my SUV before it lights up the dashboard. It’s a call from Nico, another brother and my somewhat right-hand man.
I jab the speaker button. “Talk to me.”
“Shipment cleared customs.” His gruff tone does little to hide his boredom. “We’re good for tonight.”
“Any trouble?”
“Nothing I couldn’t handle. Though I’m surprised you missed out. You’re usually always there with bells on for the beatdowns.” His scarred brow being scratched sounds down the line before he asks, “Did you get stuck in traffic again?”
“I’m pulling in now.” Not wanting to out myself as a chump driving aimlessly through the city, hunting for someone who may not want to be found, I keep my reply short. “Should I pop the trunk, or are you dumping this one overboard after gifting him a pair of concrete boots?”
“Matteo’s got it covered.” Nico pauses. It’s a telltale sign he’s about to see straight through the bullshit I’m presenting to him. “Are you okay, Vanni? You seem distracted.”
“I’m fine.” My words snap out moodier than intended, and it doubles the length of Nico’s silence this time around.
“Right,” he finally says. “See you soon.”
When the call clicks dead, I exhale slowly and unclench my jaw. Nico isn’t stupid. He knows something’s off. I’ve been distracted, and in our world, that can get you killed.
I need to bury this manic obsession before I make a mistake I can’t fix.
Family first.
Always.
Sitting in my car, however, peering out at the city my family has controlled for over fifty years, I know it’s easier said than done.
Hours later, the deal is done. A billion dollars in yearly revenue will keep the Caruso name gilded for another generation. I should feel triumphant, but the truth is, I’m restless. My satisfaction tonight is hollow since it’s drowned out by a frustration that refuses to loosen its grip on my senses.
By midnight, I’m behind the wheel again. City lights bleed into a starless sky as I prowl Carlisle’s empty streets. I should go home so I can sleep and reset for tomorrow’s battles. Instead, I steer my car toward San Giorgio’s again, forever a sucker for punishment.
It’s madness. My obsession with Valentina is borderline possessive, but I’m unable to stop. Not until I see her… or better yet, bury the person keeping her hidden.
The streets are quieter now. Shadows pool in every corner, so I slow down to scan the faces of the patients and late-night visitors outside the ER.
A couple smokes near the entrance, and a nurse hurries to her car as though the injured man limping toward the hospital’s emergency entrance might miraculously recover and chase her for her knockoff purse, but there’s no sign of Valentina.
As if I’ve not already reached the limit of insanity, I park across the street with my engine idling and watch the city liveliness slowly taper into a vacuum of nothingness.
Eventually, I kill the motor and lean back to stare up at the glass structure that pierces dark, stormy clouds.
What the fuck am I doing? This isn’t me. I don’t wait or yearn. I take what I want when I want it. That’s the code I live by. So why am I acting like a man who’s never had his dick sucked?
I’m saved from an internal interrogation when my phone buzzes. It’s probably Nico checking in, so I ignore it. I’m not in the mood to talk business. All I want is answers.
All I want is her.
Angered by thoughts that will get me lynched, I whack the steering wheel firm enough to fear the airbags will disengage before I fire up the ignition and speed out of the hospital’s parking lot like my life depends on it.