Total pages in book: 52
Estimated words: 49968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49968 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 250(@200wpm)___ 200(@250wpm)___ 167(@300wpm)
I knew the subject was closed.
“Sure.”
Aldo
I watched Vi, fascinated at her display of bravery. She insisted on going back to the deli. A week of “doing nothing” was enough for her. She donned a new uniform, one with longer sleeves, tied a pretty scarf around her neck, and walked into the restaurant as if it was just another day. Wanda greeted her with open arms, and I felt the wave of pride wash over me as I studied her. I knew Violet was nervous and hiding it. But I was the only one. To everyone else, she was simply Vi. They all thought she’d had the flu—she wanted no one to know about the attack. Wanda suspected something but kept it to herself. That was one reason she’d been such a longtime employee. She kept her thoughts and ideas to herself.
Roman came up behind me, folding his arms over his chest. “How is she?”
“Brilliant.”
He huffed a breath. “Hardly surprising.”
I had to laugh. He was very fond of her, which surprised me since Roman didn’t tend to like many people. But he found her funny and smart. The fact that he visited her during her recovery told me how much he liked her. Roman rarely left the casino unless it was for his nonna or brother. I liked the fact that he approved.
“Everything ready for the wedding?”
“Yes. Judith has it all in hand. Luca and Justine want it over so they can move on with their life together. Her father is a bit of a stickler, to say the least. Her brother is slowly coming to terms with the fact that he can’t control her anymore. He and Luca lock horns almost daily, though. It is rather amusing listening to Luca tell Mason to fuck off.”
“Luca wants her to fly,” I commented, watching Vi smile and slide a plate in front of a woman. She glanced up and saw me looking at her. She shook her head and walked back toward the kitchen, but she was still smiling. She knew I would check in on her frequently. It was a compulsion for me. The man who attacked her was dead and gone, but we both had scars that were still healing from the ordeal.
“Mason is remarkably old-fashioned when it comes to his sister. I wonder what his wife is like,” Roman mused. “I suppose I’ll meet her this weekend.”
I nodded, not speaking. I cast one last glance toward the restaurant and turned to go into the hotel.
“What about you?” he asked as we walked the lobby, checking on everything before heading to the high-roller room.
“What about me?”
“When are you going to admit you love Vi and put a ring on her finger?”
“Leave it alone, Roman. That is between us.”
He shook his head. “Don’t lose the best thing in your life because you’re scared. That isn’t the Aldo I know. He faces his fears head on.”
Then he turned and walked away, leaving me staring after him.
CHAPTER 17
ALDO
The day of the wedding, Vi spent at the hotel. I was making sure everything was running all right, freeing up Roman to have time with his brother. Vi spent a few hours at the spa, the massage and beauty treatments helping her healing, to get ready for the evening. The ceremony was at six, pictures happening before and after. The reception began immediately, followed by dancing.
I headed upstairs for a quick shower, then I would change and we would head down to the wedding. Vi was incredibly relaxed, not bothered at all about having to be early or worrying about what she would do while I was busy helping make sure things went off without a hitch. Roman was worried about some of the people attending. Older members of the syndicate who already frowned at Luca’s ways of doing things. Now marrying outside the larger circle, unlike the old days, where marriages were usually methods of strengthening ties between the larger, more important families. If their father were alive, that was exactly what would have occurred, but as with many of Mr. Costas’s ideas, Luca let them die with their father and created a new path. There was no doubt he was wildly in love with his wife and didn’t care who knew it. She was obviously as smitten as he was, and together they made a stunning couple.
I walked into the hotel suite, smiling at Vi, who was sitting in the chair, wrapped in a fluffy robe. Her makeup was done, and she was already breathtaking. I bent to kiss her, pleased at the clever application of makeup on her throat. The bruising was hardly visible, and I knew her dress had a neckline that would further conceal the injuries.
“I need twenty minutes,” I said.
She laughed. “So unfair. I take all afternoon, and you’ll walk into the bathroom and emerge looking like something out of GQ in less than half an hour.”