Total pages in book: 72
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70716 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 354(@200wpm)___ 283(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
“Then why are you here?” Kendric barks. “Because as far as we’re concerned, anyone in that family is fuckin’ dangerous and this is a fuckin’ bad situation to be in.”
Romeo’s eyes flick to Kendric, then back to mine where he locks with them. “I thought I was the only one left. I thought you were dead until I got word you had returned and someone had seen you. I had to come and see for myself.”
What is happening?
What the fuck is happening?
“I don’t ... I don’t understand.”
I shake my head, swallowing the thick lump in my throat. This man, this man who looks exactly like my brother, is standing before me saying he is Manny’s twin, that we’re related and basically saying I still have family alive and well. This can’t be real. It simply cannot be real.
“I was given away when Manny and I were born,” Romeo begins, his voice silky smooth and incredibly calm. “A deal your father made with the woman who gave birth to us.”
“Excuse me?” I shake my head. “My mother would have never given her babies up.”
“Your mother isn’t my mother,” Romeo goes on. “He was having an affair. Your mother found out and to make the woman go away, that was the deal made. She took one of the babies, our father took the other. He paid her out, and they went on their way.”
“You’re not making any sense,” I say frantically. “My mother would have never stayed around if she knew he was cheating on her. I don’t believe it. Is this some sort of trick so you can take me and take everything I’ve got? Is it?”
I’m screaming now, my voice high pitched and frightened.
Cohen’s hand goes to my shoulder where he squeezes and pulls me back a little, so I’m closer to him. “Calm down,” he murmurs into my ear. “Take a deep breath. We’ll get to the bottom of this.”
“I’d like the chance to talk to you, Aviana. We can help each other out.”
“How?” I whisper.
“Because I have the power to finish what you’re all here for, and you have something I want.”
“No,” Cohen barks. “You are not fuckin’ takin’ the only thing she has left. That money is fuckin’ hers.”
Romeo looks to him, his face stern. “Back down, biker. This doesn’t concern you.”
“It does fuckin’ concern me.”
I shake my head, putting my hands out in front of me. “Can we do this somewhere else?”
“Agreed,” Alarick mutters, never taking his eyes off Romeo.
“Fine with me,” Romeo says calmly. “I have a lot to talk about.”
“There is a quiet restaurant downtown, I saw it earlier,” Briella says. “Maybe we can go there? Get something to eat?”
Romeo steps aside and extends his hand. “Lead the way.”
What the hell is happening right now?
I stare at my “brother” as I walk past, and when his eyes meet mine, I see something that I never saw in any other family members eyes—kindness. He smiles at me, but it’s not cold or cruel, it’s warm.
Is he different?
Or is this a trick?
I don’t know what the hell is going on, but I do know one thing for sure ...
Things just got very fucking complicated.
“TELL ME EVERYTHING you know,” I say, stuffing a hot fry into my mouth.
I barely taste it, even though it’s covered in salt. I’m mindlessly eating, sitting at a large table with my brother sitting across from me, watching me with a certain level of curiosity. One thing is for sure, I sobered up damned quickly. Cohen is sitting to my right, and Alarick is to my left. Everyone else is sort of scattered out across the table, all of them eating.
“As I said earlier, a deal was made with my mother to separate Manny and myself. Your mother found out about the affair, and at first, I am told she didn’t want anything to do with it, but, as you know, our father was an incredibly powerful man. Somehow, he convinced her to take Manny, and raise him as her own. I was left with my mother, and she was paid a lot of money to disappear with me.”
“I don’t understand, why wouldn’t he just keep both of you?”
Romeo gives a bitter laugh. “My mother wasn’t going to just go away without her babies, that was the only way he could get what he wanted. He didn’t want a mistress hanging around, causing chaos for him. She accepted the deal because she had nothing else at the time. She was in love with a man who was using her, pregnant with twins, and she had no money. He had promised her things he simply wasn’t going to deliver on.”
“So, she gave Manny up?” I whisper, horrified at how hard that must have been.
“She knew how powerful our father was, she knew if she didn’t agree he would ... make her disappear in other ways.”