Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 84219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 84219 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 421(@200wpm)___ 337(@250wpm)___ 281(@300wpm)
When everyone’s ready, we pile into the G-Wagon, and with Milo behind the steering wheel, we head to the truckyard.
The drive is tense, and we all keep our eyes peeled for anything suspicious.
“Are you changing the routes?” Renzo asks.
“Yeah. Marcello already took care of it,” I answer while turning my attention to my friend.
“Good.” His eyes meet mine. “I’ve arranged a small army to guard you and your men at the funeral. Just let us know when it is.”
“Thanks, brother.”
Milo’s voice is somber as he says, “It’s Monday at eleven a.m.”
Renzo nods before glancing out the window again. Before silence can settle around us, he asks, “So, what’s going on between you and your PA.”
“We’re dating…kind of,” I mutter. When Renzo’s eyes flick to me, I add, “I wear my uniform from Paradiso, so she doesn’t know who I am.”
“What the fuck?” A frown forms on his forehead. “It feels like you’re leaving out a huge fucking chunk of the story.”
I let out a sigh and mutter, “She came to the club because she’s trying to deal with something that happened to her. One of the men she was paired up with fucked up, and I took over. It’s been a month, and we’ve grown close since.”
“So she thinks her boss and her partner at Paradiso are two different men?” He chuckles while shaking his head. “Brother, that’s some fucked up shit.”
I let out a sigh. “Trust me, I know.”
“How the hell are you going to explain this to her? I’m pretty sure the woman hates you.” He glances at Marcello and Milo. “Right, guys?”
“Yep,” Milo mumbles.
“I’m hoping she’ll fall in love with me and forgive me for deceiving her.”
Renzo lets out a bark of laughter and almost wets himself next to me. When he catches his breath, he says, “Good luck with that.”
Milo stops the G-Wagon near the warehouse, and as I climb out, my eyes scan over the fleet of trucks.
Everything seems to be in order, and heading into the warehouse, it’s to find my men hard at work. They’re filling mattresses with counterfeit banknotes before wrapping the mattresses so they look brand new.
I walk over to the piles of counterfeit notes and check a couple while Marcello talks to the drivers, making sure they know which routes to take.
“The new printers are better than the old ones,” Renzo comments.
“Yeah,” I agree. “It’s almost impossible to tell the difference between these notes and the real thing.”
When the men start to load the shipment into the trucks, I head outside, and crossing my arms over my chest, I watch as they fill the trailers with mattresses.
Renzo takes up position next to me and asks, “What are you going to do if Samantha freaks out when she learns you’re both men?”
“I’ll kidnap her and keep her until she forgives me,” I mutter.
I feel Renzo’s eyes on me. “I can’t tell if you're joking.”
I meet his gaze. “I’m serious.”
His eyebrows lift. “I can’t see how that will help your case. If anything, it will terrify the shit out of her.”
I know he’s right, but what else can I do, besides letting her go?
I take a deep breath and exhale slowly. “That’s why I’m hoping she’ll fall in love with me.”
We’re quiet for a while, just watching the men work, then Renzo says, “Hold up. Do you wear the balaclava when you see her?”
I nod, and when he bursts out laughing, I level him with a scowl.
His voice is thick with laughter as he says, “So you’re her masked man?”
Before I can nod, he bends over at the waist, and his laughter echoes over the yard.
“Fucker,” I mumble while a smile tugs at the corner of my mouth.
He tries to straighten up and grabs hold of my shoulder. With watering eyes, he says, “Okay, so seriously, what does she call you?”
Knowing he’ll get a kick out of it, I mutter, “Mystery man.”
When Renzo drops to the ground, he can barely say, “I’m calling you that from now on.”
“Try, and I’ll shoot you.”
“It’s worth a bullet.”
Shaking my head at my friend, I walk away to check with Marcello whether everything is on track.
Chapter 23
Samantha
Watching Ms. Jameson (who’s made it abundantly clear she’s keeping her last name) load a very disgruntled Mr. Parker’s plate with potato salad, a snort escapes me.
He keeps trying to stop her, saying he doesn’t want so much.
“You will eat every vegetable on your plate before you’re allowed to have meat,” she orders sternly.
“You’re going to kill me with all these vegetables,” he argues.
“At least you’ll die healthy,” she mutters.
“How does one die healthy?” Mr. Parker asks his wife. “Seriously, Matilda, do you hear yourself when you speak?”
She points the spoon at him, and the potato salad falls off, dropping to the grass between them.
“Why are you sitting all alone?” Mom says as she takes a seat beside me. “Go mingle with the neighbors and have some fun.”