Total pages in book: 124
Estimated words: 117574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 117574 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 588(@200wpm)___ 470(@250wpm)___ 392(@300wpm)
“Paolo. Yes, I know.” He leans back and smirks. “If you think there’s a goddamned thing that happens in my organization that I don’t know about, think again.”
My chest heaves. “Paolo told us he was working with Carlo.”
Mr. DiMarco shakes his head. “Because that’s what we let him think. And now, the dumbfuck thinks he got away with double-crossing Carlo.”
I process that for a beat. “Wait. So, you and Carlo set a trap for Paolo?”
He nods. “And letting him know Charlotte took that money was the bait. I told Carlo to let Paolo overhear some of his supposed phone calls—times when he supposedly confirmed plans with you two. I wanted to see what he’d do with that information. Well, now we know. He went to Carlo with that information first, in order to blackmail him. Not to me. He said to Carlo, ‘What’s in it for me to keep quiet about what you did?’ And after making that supposed side deal, he then flew to Seattle and got himself an easy chunk of change for himself.” His dark eyes flash with rage. “In the CCTV footage, Paolo was watching Charlotte like a hawk the whole time she picked up that bag. The whole fucking time. But was it Paolo who came to me to report what he’d seen, so I could decide how to deal with it? No. It was Carlo, who by all rights shouldn’t have even seen her do it, because he was busy talking to me at the time. But that’s Carlo for you. Best in the biz. I swear, the man’s got eyes in the back of his head. Thankfully, he's also as loyal as the day is long. He told me, without hesitation, even though, under any other circumstance, he’d take a bullet for Charlotte. And because he did that, when he asked me, as a personal favor to him, to go easy on Charlotte, I granted his request. ‘Let her stew and shit her pants and lose some sleep,’ I said. And then, after you entered the picture, Auggie, we let Charlotte worry about you being made to pay for her sins, on top of everything else.” He chuckles. “That was Carlo’s genius idea. He knew Charlotte is a caregiver type—which means worrying about you getting hurt would be even worse for her than worrying about herself. So, Carlo added that little bonus element into her punishment when he paid Charlotte a visit and happened to meet you.” He leans back. “Have you been shitting a brick, son?”
“Very much, sir. Night and day, basically. And so has Charlotte.”
“Good. I think the punishment fit the crime, then. Don’t you? I mean, the money itself isn’t the issue. I blow more than sixty grand on shopping sprees for my girlfriend or on a night at the strip club. And like you said, the money fell into Charlotte’s lap when she was out of her head about losing her job.” He shrugs. “The kid seized an opportunity. Can’t say I blame her for that. She’s a single girl, making her way in the world. Honestly, I kind of admire her moxie for going through with it. It was a ballsy thing to do. Stupid, but ballsy.”
I take a deep breath. “Do I have your solemn word you’re not going to hurt her?” He’s wearing a gold chain with a cross around his neck, so I add, “Do you swear to God?”
He chuckles. “I just told you we’re all good, Auggie. I never say anything I don’t mean.” He winks. “Okay, yes. I’ll swear to God, just for you.” He pats my arm. “Don’t worry, okay? I like Charlotte. She’s a good kid. So fucking funny. That girl made me laugh harder than anyone on every flight she worked for me. Plus, I’ve got Bella to consider. That kid’s got enough to worry about without also worrying about her Auntie Charlotte.” He leans back. “You can tell your fiancée all is forgiven. We’ll consider it my engagement present to you both.”
I exhale with relief. Maybe I’m naïve, but I actually believe this man. “Thank you, sir. Thank you so, so much.”
He frowns. “Speaking of your engagement, though, we need to talk about that embarrassing excuse for an engagement ring you’ve put on Charlotte’s finger. For fuck’s sake, Auggie, please tell me that’s a placeholder and you’re gonna get the girl a big, fat diamond, as soon as humanly possible.”
I can’t believe he noticed my grandmother’s ring. Charlotte’s wearing it today, because we knew we needed something, and it’s pretty and better than nothing. We figured nobody would even notice it, but if they did, we figured, they wouldn’t think twice about the smallness of the diamond because I’m a student and therefore understandably on a limited budget. Apparently, we figured dead-wrong, though, because the look on this man’s face tells me he’s deeply displeased with me.