Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54522 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 273(@200wpm)___ 218(@250wpm)___ 182(@300wpm)
Marco reaches to grab his arm and escort him out, but Detective Monroe is already out the door. “What was that all about?” I ask once he’s gone.
“Nothing,” Alonzo snaps at me before following them out the door. “The dirty bastard just wanted to set eyes on you, is all. He’s always looking for an angle to leverage against Vincent. He’ll learn to stop poking his nose into things when someone bites it off.”
That imagery isn’t something that I wanted to picture in my head.
When Marco returns to check on me, he seems annoyed but unworried now that the cop is gone. “You alright?” he asks. His protective affection for me is sweet. I think even Zara finds it endearing.
“Yeah, I’m fine. It’s not like he did anything egregious.”
“But you could have gone with him, Isla,” he says with confusion. “Why didn’t you say anything about being kept prisoner here?”
“I don’t really know,” I shrug. “It just didn’t feel like a good idea to go with that guy.”
“You’re a good judge of character,” Marco says. “Hal isn’t the kind of cop who prioritizes helping people. He’s the kind that seeks to enrich himself and further his own goals. You were right not to go with him, and don’t worry—I’ll keep you safe here.”
“Thank you, Marco,” I smile at him. “You’re one of the good ones.”
I can see the same sort of complicated expression on his face that Zara sometimes gets. It must be a difficult position for them both to be in—torn between befriending me and staying loyal to Vincent.
“I’m not so sure about that, Ms. Hart,” he chuckles as he shakes his head. A hint of regret shows in his eyes. “I protect people who don’t always deserve it. But you—you deserve better than this.”
I reach out my hand to his shoulder and give him a gentle smile. “It’s just Isla, remember?”
Marco returns my smile before going back to watch the door.
“Are you leaving now, too?” I ask when I see Zara follow him out.
“Yeah, I need to work on some other business matters.”
It strikes me that I don’t really know what Vincent and his entourage actually do, aside from being part of this city’s powerful, underground mafia syndicate.
“Zara, can I ask you a question before you go? I realize you might not be able to answer me, but what are Vincent’s business dealings?”
“Casinos,” she answers, as a student might dutifully provide the correct answer the teacher instructed them to give. “He owns a whole slew of them, not just the grand one downstairs.”
“Yes, I know that part,” I say with a knowing look. “But what other business does he engage in? I assume it’s something like drug dealing and protection rackets. Isn’t that what the mafia is infamously known for?”
She looks a bit stunned that I’ve said that out loud. But it works to get her to answer me at least a little bit.
“The family businesses are all rooted in a niche market,” she says quietly. “Take the Barones, for example, they’re empire is mostly built on drug and arms trafficking. And the Conti family has a foothold in stolen art and antiquities, along with some channels in the trafficking of rare jewels. It’s common for families in this line of work to have their hands tainted with blood from hits and protection schemes.”
She thinks before continuing. Her voice fills with an audible respect for the man she works for. “You know, Vincent has helped me more than anyone else in my life. The empire that he built, although it might have been built on violence and questionable character, is an admirable accomplishment that has lifted many of us alongside him.”
“I understand,” I say. “I can see the devotion that people around Vincent seem to have for him. But the idea that he’s hurting innocent people—”
“Vincent hurts people who cross him,” Zara interrupts. “He kills people who betray him or threaten what’s his. But he doesn’t just kill unscrupulously. He could have killed you, and he didn’t.” She smiles as if to drive her point across. “And his casino businesses are used as a cover for illegal gambling operations, loan sharking, and extortion. Vincent might not have much of a moral code left, but he draws the line at engaging in business that would put deadly drugs or guns into the hands of kids.”
Despite Vincent’s questionable activities, Zara’s account suggests a potential for goodness within him. Like he’s more of a broken boy beneath all of his violence instead of merely a monster.
“Thank you for telling me all of that,” I say gratefully.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about,” she replies as she feigns ignorance to wipe away the conversation that we just had.
Zara and I exchange a mutual glance before she leaves. I go back to spending the day thinking about what I really want.