Total pages in book: 46
Estimated words: 45702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 45702 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 229(@200wpm)___ 183(@250wpm)___ 152(@300wpm)
Holy moly…he’s a freaking god.
Some water drips from his wide brow, which he ignores once he’s inside. His wet clothes don’t seem to bother him at all either.
And gleaming with rain, his outfit matches the intense steely gaze in his eyes once he surveys the room.
Those three guys who had their hands in their jackets when I walked in?
They’re doing it again.
“You should go,” the old man tells me gently, and turning my head to face him instead of the man who’s just walked in, it’s pretty clear my job interview is over.
“Come tomorrow, early. And don’t worry about your landlord. You work for me now. You work for Don Portello,” he reminds me casually.
I swallow hard again.
I feel frozen to the spot, numb. But I know I have to get moving.
And even though the hottest man alive has just walked in, I think I should get out while the going’s good.
And never come back.
I watch the room shift as I stand, but I don’t feel my body anymore.
Turning to leave, I can’t look anywhere but at the new stranger.
Every set of eyes on him already, he’s spoiled for choice when it comes to where to look, but once his eyes meet mine, I’m done.
CHAPTER TWO
Rocky
“I’d go myself, Rocky…But –.”
His voice echoes in my mind. The look he gave me still hangs in front of me as I walk through the rain.
Rocky…Shit, I fucking hate that name.
I hate the man they’ve tried to make me become by calling me that.
That thing.
To turn out just like them.
The Martinelli Family.
My Family.
My father, Miguel Martinelli, is the most powerful crime boss in the city. Until last night that is.
He’s the one who’s sent me on this errand.
It's an errand that’ll most likely see me dead if I don’t play it safe.
Long-standing rivals and sworn enemies, the Portello Family, have done the unthinkable.
Moving into our territory, setting up shop overnight, and actively taking over our major distribution point.
It also happened to be my father’s favorite family restaurant. Sure it’s a dusty relic of a place, but Papa likes it.
Reminds him of better times.
We lost more than money last night too.
Good men, friends, and family. All gone now. And all without a trace, knowing Portello’s reputation for making things disappear forever.
If Portello wants to kill himself, he only has to lift a gun to his own head, but declaring war without saying a word is the same thing in my family’s books.
And it’s my job to be the messenger. Tell him he’s crossed a line that can’t be negotiated.
I’m Rocco, ‘Rocky’ Martinelli.
The guy they call when things get rocky. I’m the rock that crashes down on those who don’t watch where they’re throwing their own stones.
But today, I’m only sent out with words, one word for Don Portello.
Why?
At least, that’s what I’ve been told to do.
Papa would come himself. But he’s too weak today.
Too sick with grief and rage that all of us feel in our souls.
Too tired to confront the devil that he knows he couldn’t beat on his own anyway.
Don Portello.
I don’t know if our rival has finally lost his mind, but we all thought the days of payback shootings and cement shoes were over long ago.
Looks like the Portello’s wanna bring all that back.
I decide to walk instead of drive, which finds me caught in the rain.
It gives me plenty of time to think things over as well as drenching me through, but I guess it’s better to feel something for a change.
Truth is, I’ve been dead inside for a while now.
Being in the Family is one thing, and it sure has its perks. But a family of my own, a real family, keeps pressing on my mind.
Not the life.
Not the ‘Family’ that’s following orders and looking over your shoulder every step of the way.
The kind of family I dream about would never know the one I’ve come from. Never know anything but positive thoughts and good times.
The kind of family that I can keep safe and actually be happy with for once.
That’s what I daydream about.
To feel everything I haven’t so far in this world.
But that’s just a fantasy for me, and it keeps me warm against the chilly wind that blasts me from each alleyway as I make my way to the restaurant that used to be ours.
And it will be again if I know anything about my father. If I know my own flesh and blood well enough, we won’t stop until we regain it.
Portello’s won a battle, but he’s at risk of starting a war I’m not sure either side can win.
I’m sure I want no part in a war, but like today, if my papa says jump, I don’t even ask how high.
He’ll let me know when it’s enough. And from my experience in this life, it’s never been enough for the past twenty years.