Total pages in book: 99
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96170 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 481(@200wpm)___ 385(@250wpm)___ 321(@300wpm)
I choose to ignore that last dig and focus on the important bit. “What’s he going to say, exactly?”
He shakes his head. “Better if it comes from Dad. Just trust me, okay, Fio? He wouldn’t ask if it weren’t important. You know how bad things are right now, right?”
“I’ve heard rumors.”
“Most of them are true.” He turns away, shaking his head. “But I’ll let Dad tell you.”
Nerves jangle in my stomach. Raf seems almost rattled, which isn’t like him. I have a terrible feeling as we reach the French doors that lead into Dad’s corner office.
I’ve tried hard to stay out of family politics and business. It’s not always easy since I’m the daughter of the Don. But Elisa swims in those waters like a fish, and Raf treats the whole crime family thing like he’s a general moving around his troops. Politics never worked for me.
I know how easy it is for this life to rip us to shreds. It nearly happened to us once, a long time ago. You drink it, Elisa. Go ahead, I’m fine. And it nearly happened again earlier today.
Which is why I’ve always fantasized about escape.
“There you are, Fio.” Dad’s sitting behind his desk. He looks gaunt and tired. His eyes are sunken pits, and the skin around his jaws is flabby and soft. His hair’s whiter than it was even a few months ago. At this point, it’s basically bleached to bone. “I hear you had quite the day.”
“It’s been interesting,” I say, shrugging a little.
Dad’s smile eases me a bit. He’s the only person in this whole family that gets me. Even if he doesn’t approve of the way I live, he thinks I’m funny at least.
“Come here and sit down. We have to talk.”
I hesitate and glance at Raf. Once again, his face gives me nothing at all, like the conversation in the hall never happened. I drift to a chair and sink into it with a sigh, leaning back and crossing my legs.
“Are you trying to debrief me? I remember a few faces, but—”
He waves that away. “Later, little Fio, later. I’ll traumatize you all over again with my questions later.”
Another jangle of nerves. He hasn’t called me little Fio in a long time. “What’s going on then?”
“It’s about you. And it’s about the family.” He clears his throat. It’s an ugly sound and ends with him hacking until he spits something yellowish-brown into a tissue. He sighs, leaning back, catching his breath.
“You okay?” I ask gently.
“Fine. Just fine.” He lowers his gaze to mine. “You know I’m dying.”
The words hit me like a stab wound in the heart. Sometimes I wish Dad weren’t so damn brusque about it.
Stage four lung cancer. He was diagnosed six months ago, and he’s been rapidly deteriorating ever since.
“You’re still going through with treatment, right? Maybe that—”
He cuts me off. “No, little Fio, it won’t. The doctors made it clear a few days ago. I’m dying, darling. I have months left, if I keep up the therapies, but that’s only to give me more time.”
My hands turn into fists. Tears clog my throat. “Papa,” I say, croaking the word. I knew this was a possibility. We all knew when he went in for his first scan and it came back with the worst possible news. But hearing him say it so plainly—
It breaks my heart.
“Don’t give me your pity yet, little Fio. I told you that to soften you up for what I’m about to ask. You must understand, I don’t have long left to put the family back together. You’re aware of our debts. You know the state of our business. Two more cars were stolen from our garages last week, and we’re falling even further behind. That’s why I’ve been negotiating with Don Marino to bring our organization underneath their family’s protection.” I think of Luca Marino’s mouth on mine, his growls of bliss in my ears, his cock buried between my legs as I unraveled on him. I have to pinch my thigh to get rid of the memory.
Papa keeps talking. “They’ll infuse new life into our business. They’ll keep us financially afloat until we can straighten everything out. Or until your brother can.” He glances at Raf and back to me. “But with an alliance like this, with the stakes as high as they are, Don Marino and I both want more than just a signature and a handshake.”
Fear rattles through me. I lean toward him, my heart racing. “What are you asking me, Papa?”
“You are going to marry an important member of the Marino Famiglia. I believe you met him already, as a matter of fact. His name is Luca Marino. Don Marino’s blood cousin and an important Capo. Now, I know this is a shock—”
I can barely hear him. The blood’s rushing into my ears. Marriage. Luca. Me and him. Getting married. This has to be some kind of joke. Papa’s got to be messing with me. But he keeps droning on about doing my duty to the family, and I can’t handle this.