Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22626 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 113(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 75(@300wpm)
I'm almost to the first address on the list when my phone buzzes. I snatch it up, answering it without checking the caller ID.
"Did you find her?"
"I did." Lorenzo's voice is calm, but it doesn't comfort me. "Marco's car has been spotted parked down the road from the third warehouse on the list. I've got my crew on the way, and I'm five minutes out."
I curse. "Stay out of sight until I get there. I want to confront this bastard myself."
"On it."
I toss the phone aside without ending the call and gun the engine. Every muscle in my body is coiled tight, ready for action. I reach the address in eight minutes, finding Lorenzo and his crew lurking around the side of the building.
I join them, crouching beside Lorenzo as I stare through a grimy window at the scene inside.
Marco is standing over a chair, holding a gun. In the chair is Emilia, her arms bound behind her back, blood caked on the side of her face. She's gagged, tears streaming down her cheeks, but she holds her chin high. She looks terrified, but I can see the steel in her eyes.
Even now, she's defiant. My brave girl.
Anger burns in my veins. "I'm going to kill him."
Lorenzo doesn’t even question it. "What's the plan?"
I glance over at him. "I'm going in. You stay here, and get ready to move when I give the signal."
Lorenzo nods, signaling to his crew. I wait until they're in position before I make my move.
I slip through the door and into the warehouse. Marco doesn't hear me at first. He's too busy gloating to Emilia, telling her about how he was the one who killed Enzo. How he's the one that sold us out.
"It was so easy. The old man never saw it coming." He laughs, gesturing with his gun. "He was always too trusting. But he just wouldn't die fast enough, and when the Salvatore family contacted me offering one hell of a payday for family secrets, I couldn't pass the opportunity up."
Emilia lets out a muffled scream, thrashing against her bonds.
"I would have just let him live out his last years, you know, until I discovered that he planned to name Alessandro his successor instead of me. I even had to off his old whore when she started running her mouth about me after Enzo was buried. Now we just have to see what Alessandro values more—being the DeLuca Boss or you."
A realization hits me at his words. What would I give up for Emmy? It might make me weak, but I think I'd burn the entire fucking city to the ground to save her. What Marco doesn't know, though, is that I have zero plans to give either up. I'm going to stay the Boss, and I'm going to get my woman.
He has no idea who he's fucked with.
"Why don’t you ask me yourself, Marco?" I growl, stepping forward.
He spins, eyes widening when he sees me. He swings his gun up, but I'm faster. I fire twice, hitting him in the shoulder. He screams, falling back, dropping his gun as he clutches at the wound.
"Fuck! You shot me, you bastard!"
I stalk toward him. "That's the least of what you deserve, you fucking traitor."
"You'll never be a good boss like Enzo was. You're too soft, Alessandro," he spits. "He should have chosen me."
"You betrayed him. You killed him." My voice is cold. I've never felt such fury, but I keep it tightly reined in. "And now you're going to pay the price."
"You won't kill me," Marco sneers. "You don't have the guts. You never did."
"I'm not going to kill you." I reach him, grabbing him by the collar and yanking him close. "I'm going to do something far worse."
His eyes widen, and then I slam my fist into his face, over and over again. I keep hitting him until my knuckles are bloody and he's barely conscious. When I finally release him, he slumps to the floor, groaning.
I turn my attention to Emilia, pulling the gag from her mouth and carefully removing her binds. She falls against me as soon as she's free, clinging to me like I'm her lifeline.
"I thought he was going to kill you," she whispers, voice hoarse.
"Never," I tell her, holding her tight. "I'm never going to let anyone hurt you again, Emilia. I promise."
I kiss her forehead gently, giving the signal for Lorenzo's team to move in. There's no doubt that Marco probably has some lackeys of his own hiding out, and I need my men to take care of them. "Let's get you home."
I carry her out of the warehouse and into the night. Once inside the car, I only hesitate long enough to text Lorenzo.
“Deal with Marco. Finish the job, and make sure he's never found.”
8
EMMY
Ifeel like I've been run over by a train, my head pounding and my wrists sore, but now that I'm in Alessandro's arms, I know that everything will be okay.