Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Geno hadn’t met the man, but he’d read his very impressive résumé. If Amaranthe admired him, he was certain Jason was even better than everything he’d read about him. Geno was very aware that there were several people there looking specifically at him. Two representatives of the American Ballet Theatre were in the audience by special invitation. National Ballet of Canada also had two people representing them watching the performance. The Royal Ballet had also sent a small group to watch the opening-night presentation.
Geno was nervous for all the performers. Those companies were three of the most prestigious in the world for a reason. The demands for a dancer to be the best were always there. He knew Amaranthe had not applied at any of the companies, but Jason had. Geno had issued a special invitation to the two women representing the American Ballet Theatre because he had done a favor for one of them. He’d never mentioned it, of course, nor had his family taken money. There were no ties back to the Ferraro family.
He had carefully worded the invitation making it clear there were no expectations of them hiring anyone. He simply sent her tickets to the event if she was free to attend. If Jason was good enough to qualify for an actual audition, that was up to him. Amaranthe had told Geno sending Jason’s résumé to the companies might not get him looked at when he barely met the height requirement of five foot seven.
Geno wanted to be the one in the shadows guarding Amaranthe when she wasn’t onstage performing, but he had to be in the box making himself a target. The Ferraro family had taken up six luxury boxes, all in one row. His two brothers were in the box with him. Stefano was in the box on his right with Vittorio and Giovanni. Taviano, Nicoletta, Ricco and Mariko were in the box to Geno’s left. On the other side of Stefano’s box, Valentino, Emmanuelle, Elie and Dario were seated in one of the luxury boxes.
Geno made it clear he didn’t want their bodyguards to be in the boxes or even outside of them. Any shadow rider could easily slip up behind them and kill them. He had a feeling the Boutler family was feeling murderously vengeful. The bodyguards didn’t like it, but they understood unusual circumstances were happening and didn’t want to be in the way of the plan—and there was a plan.
To entice the Boutlers further, the LA cousins had arrived to support Amaranthe in her performance as Juliet. Afterward, they were going to Luna D’Argento to celebrate. There were plenty of photographs of Geno’s cousins deplaning from their private jet, being met by a limousine and being driven straight to the theater. What no one saw, as the cameras went off, were the San Francisco cousins, also aboard that same jet, sliding into the shadows and making their way to the theater.
Lorenzo was the oldest, head of the San Francisco family and leader of the shadow riders in the Northern California and Oregon regions. His brothers Franco and Brio were twins, followed by triplets, Santo, Matteo and Lucio. The last twins born were female, Zenita and Zeta. Lorenzo had his hands full with his younger siblings, all reputed to be fast in the shadows as well as quick, independent thinkers. The latter was a trait one wanted in a shadow rider but maybe not so much in a sibling one was responsible for.
The outside luxury box next to Taviano, Nicoletta, Ricco and Mariko held their LA cousins Severino, Veila and Remigio. Santo, from San Francisco, was in the shadows watching over them. Matteo remained unseen in the shadows guarding Taviano and the others in their box. Lorenzo guarded Geno and his brothers. It was up to Franco to ensure no one got into Stefano’s box. Lucio watched over Val and Emme’s box. And in the last luxury box holding Max, Tore, Vico and Marzio from LA, their cousin Brio, from San Francisco, remained in the shadows, guarding them.
Geno knew Zenita and Zeta were excellent, skilled riders. He was certain they could protect anyone—just not his Amaranthe. He couldn’t shake the idea that he was failing her by not being with her every moment. It made sense that the two women would shadow her. They could be in her dressing room and would be able to stay close. He was uneasy, and it took discipline to stay in his seat rather than pace up and down in the hallway as he would like.
Brielle had checked on the survivors in the Boutler family and any known associates. She had sent her findings to the family and continued to track them, sending updates if anything changed, such as she could tell they were on the move.