Total pages in book: 81
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77359 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 387(@200wpm)___ 309(@250wpm)___ 258(@300wpm)
What must that be like?
I couldn’t even imagine, but it was what I wanted. Would life be like that if I were engaged to an uncomplicated man like Scott? One with no connections to criminal organizations? One who didn’t have to look over his shoulder all the time?
The bartender set the drinks down on napkins in front of us. Mine was fancy, in a martini glass. “Looks good.” The last thing I needed right now was more alcohol to make it harder to think, but it looked like it might cool my dry throat.
Scott was looking at something over my shoulder. “Have you ever played that?”
Looking around, I saw three men and two women playing darts. “No.”
“It’s fun. Would you like to try it?” He gave me a friendly smile.
“Maybe another time. I can’t stay.”
“Sure, but it’s your call.”
My call. I liked that. So many things weren’t my call these days. I thought about the awful way Massimo had spoken to me yesterday. If I were free to choose who I wanted to be with, I’d never pick a man who spoke to me like that.
Scott picked up his drink. “Cheers.”
Automatically, I reached for my glass, but a large hand appeared out of nowhere and covered the top.
“Don’t drink that.”
The angry voice sent chills down my spine as I gaped up at Massimo. What was he doing here?
“She can do whatever she wants, pal,” Scott snapped. Then he yelped as Massimo grabbed him by the collar of his shirt and pulled him off his stool.
“Stop!” I said, suddenly finding my voice. “We were just talking.”
Massimo barely spared me a glance. “You were talking. He was drugging your drink.”
What?
It was like I couldn’t even process Massimo’s words. The shock of the situation was overwhelming me… and the wine I’d had before wasn’t helping.
“The hell I did,” Scott sputtered. “And who the fuck are you?”
“I’m the husband.” His fist plowed into Scott’s face.
I screamed as Scott was slammed against the bar, bounding off it, but he didn’t fall to the floor, because Carmine was there. He held Scott by the shoulders, holding him steady.
Blood poured from his nose. “What are you, some kind of fucking mobster?” Scott snarled, blood spraying everywhere. He was clearly in pain, but still, the venom in his voice shook me. “Going to have your boy take me out back and beat the crap out of me?”
“Right on both counts.” Dismissing the bleeding man, Massimo turned to me. “The car’s out front.”
I stared at him, trying to process what had just happened. No words came out, not even when Carmine manhandled Scott toward the back door that I’d entered not long ago.
Massimo reached in the pocket of his suit coat and threw a wad of bills on the bar. The he took my arm and marched me toward the front door.
“H-How did you find me?” I finally managed.
“Tracker in your purse.”
Seriously? Automatically, I glanced down at my tiny clutch. There was a tracking device in there?
“We’ll talk in the car.”
My shaky legs slowed, but it had no affect… Massimo’s grip on me was too tight.
“Please, wait—”
“I said, we’ll talk in the car.” His voice was clipped and cold.
“But just tell me… did he really drug my drink?”
“Yes.”
Then he propelled me forward, out the door and into the night air.
11
MASSIMO
I was fucking livid as I drove through the streets. Had Carmine not been sitting next to me, silently staring out the front window, I would’ve torn into Allegra. Had Allegra not been there, crying silently in the back seat, I would’ve torn into Carmine.
So maybe it was a good thing that they were both here. I’d sent the driver they’d used earlier home, as well as the men I’d dispatched when Carmine called to tell me the girl was missing.
Shit!
The car in front of me slammed on its brakes for no fucking reason, forcing me to slam on mine—though what I really wanted to do was to plow right through him. The little fucking sedan wouldn’t stand a chance.
When I pulled up in front of the house, Carmine climbed out. Ignoring both of us, he strode inside, passing Stefano who’d apparently heard something was up.
He trotted down the stairs and opened Allegra’s car door. “Are you okay?”
“She’s fine,” I snapped.
“Come on inside, Leila.” I had no clue why Stefano was putting up with that stupid nickname, but now both of my brothers were using it.
Carmine was waiting in the sitting room, drinking a whiskey when we went in. There was another one sitting on the table, but I ignored it.
“What happened?” Stefano asked, first to Allegra and then to me when he didn’t get an answer.
“This doesn’t concern you.”
Pain flashed across my youngest brother’s face, but I had two other people I needed to deal with at the moment.
“She’s my family now, too.”