Total pages in book: 53
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 49562 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 248(@200wpm)___ 198(@250wpm)___ 165(@300wpm)
It was obvious the soldier, who had been guarding the door on the outside, was dead, and One-Shot was on the move. They had all been watching the door throughout the night.
“Everyone upstairs,” Lucca began instructing only those he trusted, having an idea it could have only happened moments ago. “Sal, I want you on the computers now.”
The door cracked open from someone inside wondering what was going on in the hallway. “Everything all rig— oh shit.”
Lucca turned cold when he saw Enzo.
Brring.
This time, it wasn’t a text but a call, and when he saw Vincent’s name, the real fear seeped in.
Instinctively knowing nothing good was going to come out of this call, he answered …
It wasn’t until she saw the phone in his hand that she could begin to breathe again.
Maria, on the other hand, hadn’t bothered to look in Vincent’s direction. “Unlike you,” she hissed, pressing the barrel of the gun deeper into the head of the man she could only assume was One-Shot, “Vincent is loyal to the Caruso family.”
Vinny stared at his son as if Vincent had been the one to betray him. “My death will be on your conscience.”
“No,” Vincent spoke slowly, as if he couldn’t believe the words coming out of his mouth. “The only one responsible for your death is you. You knew you were a dead man the moment you touched Chloe … You made your bed. Now fucking lie. In. It.”
Chloe had never seen him like this. She wanted to cry at Vincent’s shattered expression as he spoke into the phone. Like Adalyn, he lived in his own world, the rest of them being “sometimes annoyed” participants, but now her heart ached for him. Vincent was not only a good person but a good friend.
Rubbing her neck, Gia flexed her shoulder as if it was hurting her. “Are you all right, Chloe?”
“Yes.” Chloe dismissed the stinging pain in her arm from Vinny grabbing her, still a bit in shock at seeing how her new friend had reacted like a badass. “Thanks to you.”
Concentrating on keeping her gun pointed at Vinny, Maria sent a questioning glance toward Gia. “Will someone please tell me who the hell she is?”
Good question.
Gia gave a small laugh while she reached at her back to pull out a zip tie from under her loose hoodie. “Allow me to introduce myself.” Bending down, she forced Vinny’s hands behind his back to restrain him with her zip tie handcuffs that had even Maria raising an appreciative brow at her moves. “I’m Gianna, Chloe’s private bodyguard.”
What the—
As if she hadn’t been shocked enough for one night, Chloe’s mouth dropped open. She felt as if Gia had swept her legs out from under her.
Taking a deep breath, Chloe promised herself she wouldn’t overreact until she heard her fiancé’s name out of Gia’s mouth after her question.
“Who hired you?”
Able to put the gun away, Maria had to hold her baby bump from laughing so hard, making it clear it wasn’t just Gia she was impressed with tonight.
Smiling confidently, the real Gianna no longer had to conceal herself …
“Take a lucky guess.”
TWENTY-FOUR
HIS FATHER’S SON AFTER ALL
His soldiers led One-Shot into the Switzerland warehouse filled with both families. With a hard shove, Drago pushed Vinny to his knees in front of him.
Lucca stared down at the man who had eluded him; a man who, since he was a child, he had thought only had the best interests of the Caruso family at heart. Years upon years they had sought his advice, and each time, they had taken it without hesitation. Vinny had betrayed every single person who stood here today who had been brought to witness his punishment …
But Lucca’s current thoughts were consumed by the person he had betrayed the most.
His own son.
Looking over at Nero, he nodded his head toward the door.
Nero placed his hand on a solemn Vincent’s shoulder and nudged him, but he shook his head firmly. Vincent wanted to witness what was about to take place, thought he deserved to more than the rest of them, but there were just some things you didn’t need to see … and his baby blues, more piercing than usual because of the redness and tears he was unable to hide, was one.
Vincent was ready to fight to stay. It wasn’t until a bandaged Amo placed his hand on his other shoulder when Vincent finally agreed to leave.
The warehouse went silent as the three friends left and the door was finally closed.
Over the last twenty-four hours, they had learned how he had done it. As consigliere, he had been allowed in every room. If his presence in places caught on any cameras, it wasn’t unusual, while other times, he went undetected. Vinny had learned how to evade the security cameras by finding out which areas could and could not be seen by memorizing the security screens.