Total pages in book: 25
Estimated words: 22760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 22760 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 114(@200wpm)___ 91(@250wpm)___ 76(@300wpm)
“You’re including me with this assessment?” I glance over at her, and she bites her bottom lip in thought.
“I don’t know yet. I guess I’ll have to see for myself.”
“You will,” I say with conviction. “Tell me about his second in command, Marco.”
“Are you saying you don’t know where he sleeps every night of the week?” She’s relaxed a little and I get the feeling she’s teasing me.
“I didn’t say that. I’m curious what your perspective is. You obviously see things that others don’t, and that’s what I can’t find on a computer.”
She thinks it over and then shrugs. “He brings women to the house. I don’t know if anyone realizes it, but I work on the outskirts of the house. I’m in the gardens and around the fences all day, so I know the exits, even the ones they think are secret.”
“Good to know.” I like that she knows a way out in case things go south.
“Marco is the one in charge of security, so he’s got access to the cameras. If I could have gotten Pru out another way, I would have, but he would have seen it. When he wants to bring in someone to warm his bed, he can control the feed or erase time on the recordings. I’ve heard other people talking about missing time at the exact moment I saw him sneaking someone in.”
“Anything else?”
She swallows hard, and then I feel her eyes on me. “The women he brings over don’t always leave. If you know what I mean.”
I nod once because I can imagine. I’ve known of men like that in this organization, and I’ve taken out a few of them on my own.
“I want you to have this,” I say as I reach in my pocket and take out a pen.
“What for?” She takes it from me and looks it over like it’s going to sprout legs.
“Click the top,” I tell her.
When she does, my phone vibrates, and the screen flashes once. It’s subtle enough that if someone saw my phone do it, they might think they imagined it.
“Anytime you need me, you click the pen and I’ll be there,” I say and then make the last turn for Renzo Benecci’s estate.
I’m pleased when she holds it close to her chest. “How long do you think this will take?”
I pull up to the iron gates, and up ahead I see two guards walking toward us.
“As long as it takes to keep you safe,” I say and then slide my hand over the space between us and grab her thigh. The bare skin below her shorts is warm and soft. “I’m not going to let anything happen to you.”
Chapter Two
NOLIA
It takes a lot to get me panicked. That was pretty clear when I went barging into a dinner party filled with some of the most dangerous men in the country. My only thought was to get to my best friend. She called me, and I rushed to her.
I have always been more reactive, and I think it’s because I work better off the cuff. When you’re mixed into this world, living at the fringes of it, I believe that works best. You never know what might happen at any given moment.
I’m quick to come up with a reason for doing something I might be caught in the middle of. This time, however, it’s different. I’ve had way too much time to think things out, and anxiety is trying to eat its way through me.
“Breathe.” Luca's fingers caress the inside of my thigh.
The sensation somehow soothes me. I normally loathe being touched. Men around the Benecci estate are handsy, and it’s given me a distaste for men.
I don’t know this man, but Luca puts me at ease. I’m going to trust him because I’m not the worst at reading people. It’s the reason why I let my best friend run off to Vitaly. I sensed that he would save her and that he wasn’t going to let her be married off to some old psycho. I knew he would end up claiming her for himself. If I didn’t know it for sure, I never would have agreed to her plan.
Vitaly is a feared man. There are so many stories of things he’s done, but while he might be feared, I’ve never heard of him being cruel. At least without reason.
I let myself relax into the seat, trying not to show my fear. I know the two men walking toward us, and they know me. When they are almost to the door of the car, Luca removes his hand from my leg. I have to fight myself to keep from reaching out and pulling it back. But I wouldn't have been quick enough even if I had tried.
In one smooth move, Luca pulls a gun out and presses it to the side of the door as he rolls down the window. The second Bruno sees who is behind the wheel, he pulls out his own gun, aiming it at Luca’s head.