Total pages in book: 134
Estimated words: 125962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 125962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Greg Harris had been calling relentlessly until I changed my number. Luckily, Cristian hadn’t asked why I did.
I knew the problem was not going to disappear, that I’d have to face up to him, that he wouldn’t go away quietly. But I’d deal with it later. When I was Cristian’s wife.
Or I had planned to, until my ‘visitor’ walked into my office.
I surged out of my chair, racing around my desk to shut the blinds, as if it mattered now. “What the fuck are you doing here?” I hissed. “Cristian could be having the office watched. You could be signing my death sentence.”
Lucia showed me her palms. “The ink is long dried on that, Sienna. It is the date that remains to be seen. Marrying a Catalano will kill you.”
“Thank you for that warning, but I am a big girl. And I’ve made my decision.”
Lucia regarded me in a way that communicated she found me lacking. “You have. And you have to live with that. But be aware, Sienna. Death could come from all sides now. Greg will not take this decision lying down. He no longer has anything left to lose.”
I narrowed my eyes. “Is that a threat?”
Lucia shook her head. “Though I want to see nothing more than the entire Catalano family behind bars, I still remember why I put on the badge. I have a lot left to lose. So consider this a friendly warning. The last one you will ever get from me.”
She gave me one last glare before leaving my office.
It seemed I was not done with surprise visitors when I got home.
Cristian was out. Doing what, I didn’t know. I would ask later. And he would tell me. Such was the nature of our relationship now. He had shared more and more with me over the past month. Sought legal advice from me regarding one of his legitimate holdings. He had given me access to incriminating information. Things that would take the whole family down if I wanted them to.
But I didn’t. Not anymore.
Not even with Lucia’s warning ringing in my ear. Harris was out to get me. I had suspected as such, but now there were ringing bells and warning lights confirming it. I would take care of the situation; I could handle him. But I had to be proactive. I couldn’t wait for him to come and get me. Not when I couldn’t be sure he wouldn’t go to Cristian first. Or worse, Sofia, Marco, or that vile Dominic who I liked less and less the more he was around. And he was around often. As were the rest of the circle of men Cristian surrounded himself with.
Felix was always there, of course. Watching, rarely speaking.
Marco would not shut up. He was always talking, smiling, joking. He got on my nerves, but he was harmless, going out of his way to make me feel comfortable. Vincentius didn’t try so hard, and he succeeded where Marco failed. Dominic skulked in the shadows, staring at me coldly. Something was off there. My instincts told me to stay aware when he was around.
Cristian had mentioned that Dominic had a son he wished to be the future Don. Which would only happen if the current Don died without an heir. If I died without being able to produce an heir.
I’d stopped taking my pill.
Cristian watched my morning routine carefully. We did not speak of it. And I did not know how I felt about it. Not yet. If I fell pregnant, I couldn’t even be sure I would keep it.
My period had come and gone a week ago, so I wasn’t pregnant. Not yet, at least. Cristian made it known that blood did not bother him, dissuade him from his most carnal of needs.
It didn’t dissuade me either.
Not in the slightest.
My mind was on such thoughts and the fact I was getting married tomorrow when I happened upon someone in the kitchen.
My hands immediately found the gun in the holster inside my blazer.
Lorenzo held up his hands. Well, one of them. The other was a hook. Gold. Intricate. Expensive. As insane as it sounded, it suited him somehow.
He looked better than the last time I saw him. Much better. Even better than the first time I saw him. He’d let his hair grow longer. It was tied in a bun at the nape of his neck, stubble shadowing his face. He’d lost weight, looked gaunt, but even that suited him.
“I come in peace.”
“You expect me to believe that?” I scoffed.
Unlike the last time we were alone together, Lorenzo didn’t approach me. “Of course, I don’t. You’re smart. Realistic and well suited to this life. I expect you to point that gun at me. To use it.” He rubbed at the back of his neck with his sole intact hand. “I deserve it. And I accept it if that is the fate you wish for me.”