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)
“Tell me you didn’t, Fio,” she whispers, grabbing my arm. “Tell me it wasn’t what it looked like.”
“We’ll talk later.”
“Fio—”
“Later. Please.” I glare at her, but I can’t stay mad. Not at my little Elisa. My face softens, and I hold her hand again.
“Okay, okay. I’m just happy you’re safe, that’s all.”
“Safe enough now that we’re getting out of here,” I murmur, though I still have Luca’s taste on my lips, and the feeling of him pulsing between my legs is like a tattoo straight onto my brain. I’m not sure when that’s going to finally fade.
Chapter 4
Luca
Ipark outside the Marino family’s mansion but don’t get out yet. A fountain trickles nearby, and the wind blows through the bushes and the trees. A couple of armed guards stand nearby, ignoring me. I lean my head back and breathe in through my nose.
What the fuck was I thinking?
Fiorella took me by surprise. She was like a storm breaking out of clear blue skies. One moment I’m saving her life, and the next we’re fucking on my desk like desperate animals. I don’t do that sort of shit—I don’t lose control like that—but the moment her lips touched mine, it was like all my carefully built protections exploded into nothing.
She ripped into me like a bomb.
I couldn’t help myself. Not when I tasted her mouth. Definitely not when I stripped off that ugly, baggy shirt to reveal a toned and gorgeous body. Full breasts, tanned skin, pink nipples. Fucking abs like she does sit-ups every day. The girl was hard but also deeply feminine. She was strong and sexy at the same time, and all I could think about was filling her to the brim and fucking her into submission.
To break a woman like that. God, what a fucking miracle.
My phone buzzes. I pick it up, grateful for the distraction. “Yeah?”
“Garage is all clear. Serrano sent his men in to help with the disposal.”
“You take anyone alive?”
Enzo grunts. His voice is strained. “Tried to, but no luck.”
“Fuck.” I close my eyes. “Any guess who did it?”
“I don’t recognize any of these men. Could be the Russians or maybe the Poles, but I doubt it. Something stinks about this.”
“What’d Captain O’Reilly say?”
“The same old shit. Just that he heard what he heard, and he won’t say anything else. You know that crooked fuck.”
“Yeah, I know him.” I blow out a breath. “Alright, keep looking into it.”
“There were a few survivors. If we can track one down, that might help.”
“Make it happen.”
Enzo hangs up. He’s my right-hand man, and I’ve known him since grade school. I trust him with my life. If anyone can untangle this mess, it’s him.
I push open the truck door and get out. The guards nod to me as I walk through the front door. Donatella comes bustling over, smiling warmly, and gives me a quick hug. She’s in her mid-fifties, a little rounder, big with black hair and a bigger smile.
“You’re keeping him waiting,” she says, lightly touching my arm. “But that’s good. Don Marino needs to keep that ego in check.”
“Just been a long day. How are you, Donatella?”
“You know me, always a ray of sunshine.”
“Lucy around today?”
“In the baby wing with Alessia. They’d be happy if you visited.”
I consider it, but I’m beyond exhausted. A gunfight and some vicious sex on my desk. That takes a lot out of a man. “Another time.”
“Adriano’s in his office.”
I thank her and head down the familiar halls. It wasn’t that long ago when I was Adriano’s driver and bodyguard, at least until he turned me into a Capo. That was one of the proudest moments of my life. My little sister Carmie’s always been the powerful one in our family—she married an important member of the Zeitsev Bratva—but now I’m taking on more and more responsibility. My crew runs shipping for the Famiglia, mostly moving products that come in from Canada out across the United States to wherever it needs to go.
I find my cousin behind his desk, hunched over a laptop. He’s typing away and frowns at me as I enter. “When I became Don, I thought it’d be all gunfights and chases.” He taps a key, then slams the lid shut. “Instead, it’s mostly fucking paperwork and emails.”
“That doesn’t sound so bad to me right about now.” I slump down into the chair across from him.
“How’s the Serrano girl?”
“Alive.” I lick my lips at the memory. “Her sister took her home.”
“That’s good.” Adriano leans back, watching me carefully. “We’re lucky your informant tipped you off.”
“O’Reilly knows about your alliance plans. He’s not a stupid man.”
“Still, it’s lucky. If the Serrano girl had gotten hurt—” Adriano frowns slightly, head tilted to the side. “It would’ve caused problems.”
“What kind of problems, exactly?” I sit forward, suddenly on edge. I don’t like the way he’s looking at me now, like he’s got some very bad news to break but doesn’t know how to do it yet. “It’s not like it would’ve stopped your plans.”