Total pages in book: 78
Estimated words: 74035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 74035 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 370(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 247(@300wpm)
Jesus.
“Yeah.” I swallow hard and remember who I’m talking to. “Sorry, Rome. Yeah, I do.”
“Good.” He pinches his lips together. “Based on your reaction, I’m gonna hazard a guess that you found Vivia innocent? Yeah?”
I nod. “She’s innocent. She had nothing to do with the attempted assassination on Marialena.”
“Got it. And furthermore, being alone with her, you’ve developed feelings for her.”
Leave it to Romeo to put it all out in the open. I swallow, nod, and answer, “I did.”
“Right.” He runs his fingers through his hair. “It’s best we don’t tell Sergio all these details now, got it? You tell him she’s innocent and we’ll take it from there. I’ll call him in, disarm him, and make sure he remembers that he’s in our home. Got it?”
I nod.
“You do not provoke him. You do not fight him. You remember who you are and who he is. He’s in the right to kill you if he wanted to, it’s only respect for me that will stay his hand. You got that?”
I nod and release a sigh. “I do.”
Romeo jerks his head at Orlando. “Call Sergio.”
Orlando smirks. “No need. He’s right outside the fucking door.”
Romeo rolls his eyes and raises his voice. “Sergio, leave your weapons at the door. You come in here armed, I’ll kick your motherfucking ass personally.” He stands, as if ready to attack. “You get me?”
Sergio curses, and there’s the sound of several weapons being dropped to the floor. Orlando shakes his head. A few seconds later, Sergio enters the room, his eyes on me.
“You,” he says, shaking his head. “You’re the motherfucker that faked your deaths and kept my sister in a cabin for days?”
I nod, sitting up in the bed. I don’t care how much pain I’m in, I’ll stand by what I did.
“Let’s rephrase that,” Romeo says coolly. “He’s the motherfucker who obeyed his Don’s commands to the letter. If you have a problem with any of that, I’m the one who you have an issue with, not him. You got that?”
But no, I’ll take full blame. I stare Sergio right in the eye. Until all of this went down, we were fellow brothers-in-arms.
“I am. And yeah, I obeyed my Don’s orders. I also fully interrogated your sister and would bet my life that she’s innocent of all claims against her.”
Sergio’s gaze softens. I watch as his shoulders sag and he lets out an audible breath. “She is?” he whispers, his voice hoarse.
All this time, I’ve made him into a monster. I knew that he had a role to fulfill, and I knew that he’d kill Vivia if given the chance. But I see it now. He’s as much a victim of his family’s rules and regulations as any of them. He’s so relieved she’s innocent, he looks as if he might cry.
“I’ve got more to tell you, too,” I say. I look to Rome. “You sure he’s unarmed?”
I don’t trust him.
Romeo frowns, stands, and snaps his fingers to Sergio to come to him. Sergio grunts but obeys. He has to on Romeo’s turf. Romeo quickly frisks him, produces a short blade, shakes his head, and pockets it.
“Go on,” he says. He fully expected Sergio to keep at least one on him.
“Your sister was with a guy by the name of Gray Mullet who used her to get at Marialena. We don’t know whose payroll he was on, but she knew nothing about the attempted murder.”
He nods, warily. He knows I have something else to tell him.
“And furthermore,” I continue, holding his gaze. “Once I knew she was innocent… I took further steps to protect her.”
“From who?” he snaps, his eyes flashing at me.
I push myself to sitting on the bed, ready to brace myself for an attack. I’m not going down without a fight.
“From all of you. From the rules she was bound by. I took her in that cabin. I claimed her as my own. I did everything in my power to put a baby in her. Your sister is mine, Sergio Montavio. And if we find her, we’re having a wedding.” I look to Romeo. “Whoever came after Marialena wants to prevent the union of the Rossis and Montavios. Well guess what, assholes. I just did the opposite.”
Sergio blinks in surprise. “You fucked my sister,” he repeats.
“I did,” I reply unapologetically.
Orlando’s low laugh fills the room. Romeo curses in Italian. Sergio stares at me as if he doesn’t know what to do with me.
“You knock her up?” he asks.
“Not sure,” I tell him honestly. “But I sure as hell plan on it if I haven’t yet.”
He looks to Romeo. “Can you believe the balls on this guy?”
Orlando laughs louder. “Why the fuck you think we recruited him?”
“You fucked my sister,” Sergio says.
“No, brother. I fucked my future wife. Now you guys get me out of this goddamn bed so I can find her.”