Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 28268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 28268 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 141(@200wpm)___ 113(@250wpm)___ 94(@300wpm)
“No, but I don’t have a way out of the estate.”
“Your father is willing to forgive you if you give him the money back.”
“What do you mean? I didn’t take his money, and I can’t believe that you’d even think that.”
“I don’t believe that, but I just had to tell you, especially if you want to come home.”
“I don’t want to come home. I just wanted your help, but never mind.”
I end the call and power it off, tucking it back in the hiding spot, then washing my face. Checking my reflection, I can see what the past twenty-four hours has done to me. It feels like I’ve aged years.
I pull out the ponytail and brush my hair to redo it into a braid. It’s time I take a walk around the estate and learn the property.
The second I open the door, I’m caught off guard by Matteo. “You may think you’re slick, Mrs. Barone, but you’re not. Where is it?”
“Where’s what?”
“Look, I’m being polite because we are family now, but I assure you that my loyalty lies to my wife. Your betrayal will not win you any favors. Where is it?”
“Where is what?”
“The motherfucking phone.”
I open the drawer and pull it out. “How did you know she gave it to me?”
“She who?” He narrows his gaze, glaring with a dangerous expression.
“Your wife.”
“I assure you my wife didn’t give you a phone.”
“Yes, she did. It was in my bag of clothes that the guard brought up.”
“The one that was staring too long.”
“You know?”
“Yes, he was dealt with.”
“What?”
“Every man in here knows that you’re Gio’s wife, and they know that it was inappropriate to have behaved so vulgarly. It was obvious that we should have questioned him further. The ties to Moreno run deeper in my home than I originally believed. Did you recognize the man?”
“No, I’ve never seen him before. However, I didn’t see most of my father’s associates. It was against the rules unless it was at parties and I was to be the hostess.”
“Oh. Who did you call?”
“No one.”
“Again with the lies. I will verify it myself.”
“I called my chef.”
“Why? You didn’t want to eat here. Did you think he’d bring you food?”
“Funny. No. I wanted him to get me out of here. I thought I made it clear to Mr. Barone that I want nothing to do with him.”
“Could have fooled everyone at the wedding.”
“Yeah, well, he sure did.”
“Listen, Mrs. Barone. You found yourself a good husband. If I were you, I’d learn to adjust to your situation. I will have food brought up to you. From now on, you will be monitored because you can’t be trusted. I’ll be speaking to my wife about the phone privileges. Until then, remember that you’re here by my good graces. Your father tried to kill my family, including the love of my life, and I’ll do anything and everything to keep her safe.”
He takes the phone and walks out of the room, slamming the door shut.
“Damn it.” I open the window and think about the jump. Shit, that is too high for sure. There’s no way I’m risking that mess.
I plop down on the bed and wonder what the hell I’m going to do, but it looks like my first plan is blown. For about five minutes, I dwell on my miserable existence. When I first saw Gio, my heart felt like it would burst out of my chest. Now, it just ached.
Knock, knock. “Come in. It’s not like I have a choice anyway,” I call out.
A deep chuckle rumbles as the door opens, and my so-called husband enters with a tray in his hands. “Patricia, I’ve brought your meal.” He sets it down on the small table near the bed. “You will eat now, and if you don’t, I’ll force it down your pretty little throat.”
“You’re a beast.”
“You haven’t seen anything yet.”
I eat the food, but I refuse to look or speak to Gio. He grumbles and then his phone rings, and he quickly ends the call. “It seems it’s your lucky break—you can hate me from a distance. Eat.”
I set the fork down and grumble at his imaginary figure. “Asshole.” I don’t understand him at all. Hate him? He has the nerve to act offended, as if I’m the villain in all of this. I’m the one who was used and taken away, forced into a marriage. I’m the injured party.
Chapter Eleven
Gio
We strip Rio down to his boxers and pull all his belongings from his vehicle before he could leave the mansion. “Where did you get this phone, and who sent you to plant it in my wife’s bags?” I ask Rio, who is tied up and hanging by his hands.
Since the attack, there was a chance that we still had enemies working on the inside, but we are slowly flushing them out. With the change of command, it’s clear that many don’t have as much faith in Matteo as they had in Dario. The problem is our brides. They feel the Conti Family is weakened by the love for our wives. What they don’t understand is that it makes us stronger.