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)
“My brother playing his games.”
“I hope that means you have another son.”
“No, bella. I only have the one.”
“Un-fucking-real.” I seethe.
“You handled that well. I’m proud of you. You did good, kid,” he replies and winks at me.
Rico
“Do you know why I’m so hard on you?” Uncle Emilio asks as we ride in the back of his car.
He demanded I ride with him so we could talk. This pissed me off because Juliana rode with Oni and Pop. This motherfucker had Pop offer Juliana the guesthouse on his property.
If he wouldn’t catch me in a lie, I would move back to my place. I’m still tempted to. If I didn’t know this was all part of his game, I would say fuck it and follow my first instinct.
This is the part of all this I hate. I want to be my own man, not someone’s puppet. I’m not marrying Juliana. I don’t give a fuck what he has to say.
“I have no idea. I think outside the box. I do everything you ask me to and then some. Behind my pop, I’m your highest earner,” I answer.
“Yes, this is why. Fredrico could have easily taken my spot if he wanted to. He’s not just feared, he’s loved. My birthright is the only reason I am Don and not him. You are so much like your father, and you will fill my shoes with ease.”
“But? I hear a but.”
“But you have yet to show a weakness, which tells me when you have one, it will be great. I will not hand you my position to hand you your death. I want to make you strong, impenetrable. Not just here.” He taps my head, then points to my chest.
“In here too. I’ve seen many men broken from the inside out. If you can break a man’s heart, you can break his mind.”
“So what are you saying? You want me to marry someone I don’t love so I can’t be broken?”
“This is not what I’m saying. The Abato family offers me an opportunity. A marriage between you and Juliana opens that door. I want their territory and contracts. It has little to do with you.” He shrugs.
“You don’t even trust them. Why would I marry her?”
“She’s a pretty girl. No?”
I frown. “Not to me.”
“Ah, no. You like the little mulignan. You think I don’t have eyes?”
My nostrils flare as I ball my fists. I won’t allow him to get a rise out of me. This is what he wants. I’m not going to play into his hands.
“Oni is one of my soldiers. That’s it. She earns, I collect.”
“Then Juliana shouldn’t be a problem. You will entertain her for the next four weeks. Keep her happy. Make it seem like you are interested,” he says slyly.
“Why should I bother? It’s not like I’m going to agree to marry her. You need to stop calling her my fiancée.”
“I don’t need to do anything. If I wanted you engaged to her, you would be. Do as I say, Rico.
“You might be my first choice, but you are not my only option. You should know by now it’s better to follow my lead than to think you know better than me. You have not gotten there yet,” he says coldly.
I frown and purse my lips. I hear the threat in his words for what it is. For now, I bite my tongue. My time will come.
“Rico, stop thinking about how to outsmart me and clean up your mess in New York. Remember, I have eyes and ears everywhere. If I have to clean this up for you, you will be looking at another two years before I open the books for you.”
I work my jaw. I thought I had my shit under lock. I’ve been dealing with things as they arise. It looks like I’m going to have to get a little more proactive.
“Yeah, I’ve got it,” I say as the car comes to a stop in front of Pop’s house.
I step out of the car and loosen my tie. Shrugging off my jacket, I toss it over my arm and jog into the house. I pull my phone and shoot off a text to Mario.
He needs to do me a favor. I also need to know where the bullshit is coming from. If I can’t handle a little problem, I’ll never be trusted with the shit I’m to move up to.
I’m not even thinking, I find myself walking right into Oni’s bedroom. As I get inside, I can hear the shower running. I sigh and toss my suit jacket over the back of the chair in the room.
Finishing with the buttons on my dress shirt, I then tug it from my pants. I kick off my shoes, then pad over to the bed to sit on the foot of it.