Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 96808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96808 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
“Come in,” Mr. Gallo calls from the other side of the door.
I open the door and poke my head inside. He’s standing facing the window, looking out into the backyard. I move inside and close the door behind me.
He turns to face me, and his mouth falls open. I reach to touch my hair and then smooth my hands down the front of my dress. A little frown comes to my lips as I wonder if I look bad. Maybe I picked the wrong dress for the night.
He clears his throat. “How you doing, Oni?”
“I’m fine, just a little nervous.”
“You look gorgeous, sweetheart. I wanted to talk to you before we head out.”
“Thank you. What can I do for you?”
“It’s what I can do for you. You don’t have to do this tonight. We can go with our plan B.”
“No, I want to do this.”
“Why?”
I sigh and think of my talk with Emilia just moments ago. It all revolves around the same thing. My mom.
“If I only did one job, that would be enough to pay my own way to boarding school. My mom doesn’t want me to come back to New York. Not to stay.
“But the schools she wants me to go to are so expensive. I don’t want her to have that burden. I know she’s going to do everything she can for me to have better, but that’s not right. She shouldn’t work herself like that.
“If I can do this, if I can earn the money, I can go to one of those schools and put distance between me and all the things that haven’t been steering me in the right direction,” I reply.
Fredrico stares at me for a moment. I stand trying not to fidget under his gaze. I appreciate him wanting to give me an out. However, I’m going to follow through for my future.
He opens his mouth to speak, but a knock comes at the door. I turn as the door opens. Rico steps into the room and we both freeze as we look at each other.
Man, he’s killing that suit. The blowout his hair is in looks sharp, as if he has a fresh cut. Which he could because I haven’t seen him since this morning.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” Rico breathes as he pulls a hand down his face.
Rico
I can’t breathe. I mean, damn. My brain stops working for a moment.
“Are you fucking kidding me?” I manage to say as I find some air.
I instantly regret the words. Oni drops her head and looks away from me. Feeling like a dick, I move into the room and stand in front of her. I reach beneath her hair to grasp her neck.
She lifts her gaze to mine, and I lean in to take her lips. I can’t help myself. I kiss her like it’s the first and last time I ever will.
It isn’t until she whimpers into my mouth that I release her and allow us both to catch our breath. I look down at her, searching her face. She’s so beautiful and has no idea how gorgeous she truly is.
“I didn’t think you could get more beautiful than you already were. It’s going to kill me not to be by your side tonight. Promise me, when this is all over, you’ll spend some time hanging out with me. Just me and you,” I say as I gather my thoughts.
We spend a lot of time together, but not enough time alone. My cousins or Pop are always around. I don’t think there’s been a time when we haven’t been surrounded. She hasn’t spent the night with me again since being totally embarrassed by my dad.
I want to change that. Some time just for us. A moment for her to get to know how much I’ve fallen for her in such a short time.
“Promise.”
“That’s enough, youse two. Oni, I want to finish our talk later. Remember, you have options.”
I look up at my father and give him a curious look. I had come in here to let him know the team is ready to go. I hadn’t expected to find Oni in here with him.
“Everyone is in place. Ed is going to ride with Oni. He has a cape for you to cover your dress and the burner phone. I’ll text when our targets arrive. You get the cars, get them into the truck, and Al will bring you to the party after. Any questions?”
“No, I think I’ve got it.”
“Good. If anything feels off or you’re not sure you can make a move without a problem, you walk. Don’t try to be a hero, baby. You are more important to me.”
“I’ll be fine. I’ll see you at the party.”
I lean in and kiss her cheek. I’m regretting this more and more. I’m almost tempted to call it all off. When I pull away, she looks up at me and laughs.