Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
“I think X warned him you weren’t…outgoing.”
“He told him I’m a scarred, reclusive old bastard who would prefer he not be in my home?”
Lucien hummed. “Something like that.”
“This is going to be really fucking fun.”
“You’ll manage. You’ve done things that are much harder.”
I wasn’t sure I had. “Let’s see if I can make it to the end of the week without killing him myself.”
“You can and you will.”
I could do anything I had to. I’d already proven that many times over, but I shouldn’t have to do this. “As long as you promise to find someone else to take him on. This is a temporary situation.”
“That’s not going to happen.”
“Lucien—”
“There’s something you need to know about the person behind the drug scam Corey has to testify about.”
My pulse sped up. Lucien was hesitant, and he was a man who never held back. Despite being my nephew, he was very comfortable with his authority as head of the family.
“Who is it?” I asked, knowing I was going to hate the answer.
“It’s Lisa.”
Lisa was my ex-wife, and she’d nearly, literally, been the death of me. “No.”
“Yes.”
“And you and X waited until now to tell me?”
“I didn’t want to tell you at all.”
“How dare you—” The doorbell rang. “Fuck. He’s here.”
“Go answer the door. We’ll talk more later.”
“Damn right we will.”
I ended the call, wishing I was on an old-fashioned phone I could slam down on its cradle. I threw back my drink, took a deep breath, and headed to the front door, leaving my cane leaning against my desk. I rarely used it in front of anyone unless I absolutely had to.
Not only was this man I was stuck with reportedly nice, but he also had to be young. He hadn’t been out of law school for long, which meant he was probably close to my younger son’s age. Would he see me as an old man not worth listening to? If so, he’d learn to respect me or—fuck. There was no “or”, not now that I knew Lisa was involved.
You knew she’d be back eventually.
I should have killed her when I had the chance. Now she’d hurt more people, and it was my fault. No matter how much I hated having anyone in my home, I would take care of Corey. Lisa wasn’t getting near him or anyone else. As soon as he was settled, I would contact X and make a plan to put an end to Lisa and her evil once and for all. It’s what I should have done a long time ago.
Each step I took sent stinging pain through my scarred leg, but I ignored it, forcing myself to walk with full strides. No way in hell would I let Corey think I was weak. My injuries wouldn’t stop me from being a deadly weapon. I’d only pretended that was the reason I didn’t want this assignment. I was a hell of a lot more capable than I let anyone know, because if they realized how much I could still do, they would never leave me alone.
That was all I wanted—to be left alone. I didn’t want to “get back out there.” I didn’t want a relationship. I rarely even wanted sex, and when I did, I was happy to pay to keep it professional. But even years of protest hadn’t made my family stop insisting that my reclusive existence was a problem.
Didn’t they know that only made me retreat further?
Vito and Valentino have made some headway with you.
Just because I’m willing to go to a wedding or step in when their lives are on the line doesn’t mean I want to start socializing again.
I paused by the door, flexed my scarred hand, and used it to turn the doorknob.
When I opened the door, a gorgeous man looked back at me. He was several inches shorter than me and dwarfed by Lucien’s guards, Six and Muffin. He had blue eyes and shiny dark blond hair I knew would feel like silk.
What the fuck? Why was I even thinking about his hair? He looked up at me and fucking smiled. No one smiles when they see me. Most people freeze or recoil, not only because of the scars marring the left side of my face, but because they instinctively know I won’t hesitate to kill them if they piss me off.
“Hi, I’m Corey.”
I nodded.
“This is Mr. Marchesi,” Six said. “He’s in charge of keeping you safe.” The guard set down a large, bright blue suitcase that nicely matched Corey’s eyes. Why the fuck had I noticed that? I didn’t care what he chose to coordinate with his appearance.
Muffin handed Corey a black backpack and tilted his head toward me. “Do whatever he tells you. He’s the best at what he does.”
Corey nodded absently. His eyes widened as he looked around the foyer. “This is really where I’m staying? I thought I’d be in some boring box-like safe house in the middle of nowhere.”