Total pages in book: 161
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 151410 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 757(@200wpm)___ 606(@250wpm)___ 505(@300wpm)
“Like father like son. They both like blondes,” Matteo said.
I blushed. “We’re not—”
“Did he do something? Is he threatening you?” Aria asked in a motherly tone as she crossed the room and gently touched my shoulder. I appreciated her support, but at the same time, it made me feel even guiltier for having brought trouble to their doorstep. “We can protect you from everything, and Fabiano would stop at nothing to protect you too. He was willing to break with the Camorra for your mother.”
That was exactly what I feared. If Dad found out, his bond with the Falcones would suffer or even break.
Nevio had hurt me. I wasn’t even that concerned about the physical aspect, even if I hated how I’d lost my virginity to him, how he didn’t even remember. But Nevio hadn’t intended to hurt me, not physically at least, because he hadn’t realized it was me.
I still hated him for that night and for everything that came after. But I wouldn’t try to get revenge on him through my dad or Luca. I wouldn’t risk everyone’s safety because I had been stupid enough to fall for someone like Nevio.
I knew what kind of person he was.
“I don’t need protection,” I said firmly, and it wasn’t even a lie. Nevio wasn’t out to hurt me, only everyone else.
Valerio or Flavio and, on a few occasions, even Luca played my bodyguard since the latter’s presence was a bit disconcerting. It wasn’t that I wasn’t used to the intensity of a Capo—I’d grown up around Remo, after all—but I had never been alone with him. It felt awkward and also nerve-wracking because I knew why the Capo himself had decided to keep me safe. Though I wasn’t even sure this was about my safety. None of them could believe that Nevio was a danger to me. They wanted to capture him in their territory, and I was the bait.
I really hoped Nevio wasn’t cocky enough to risk contacting me again while I was under close watch. Maybe I was worrying for nothing, and he’d actually returned to Vegas. Greta had assured me she’d sent him a message, but she wasn’t sure if he’d followed her advice. She’d also mentioned that her dad, Remo, was seething since Luca had told him about the strange events in New York. Maybe he’d find a way to stop his son.
“Listen, Nevio, I have no clue what’s going on in your head, but your father is ready to explode. Luca called to ask about you and your dad lied that you were here. You need to return,” Alessio muttered.
“I’ll be back tomorrow,” I said, then hung up. After a week in New York, my job here was done. Aurora understood that I was dead serious. I wouldn’t let some random asshole flirt with her without consequences.
Not to mention that Luca had upped his protection for Aurora. Tomorrow the whole Vitiello clan would go to the Hamptons for a few weeks.
Returning home would definitely lead to a big conflict with Dad. I’d ignored all of his messages, and the same went for the messages from pretty much everyone else.
When I left the airport the next day, Dad was already waiting for me. His expression made it clear he was ready to kill me. It wasn’t the first time, but I had a feeling he was closer to the end of his patience than ever before.
I got into his car without a word. Evading his explosion would only make it worse, though I had a feeling this would be pretty bad. Did I care? Not really.
“What the fuck is wrong with you?” Dad snarled the second my door was closed.
“We both know the list is long.”
Dad gripped the steering wheel in a death grip, his knuckles turning whiter than the cocaine the junkies ripped out of our hands. “You were in New York?”
I nodded because Dad knew and only wanted to test me further.
“I lied to Luca and told him you were here. Fuck, the second you went missing, I immediately had a feeling it was because of this nonsense. What the fuck is wrong with you?”
The answer was still the same, but I didn’t bother pointing that out. I also didn’t mention that he had been notorious for his crazy moves when he was younger, kidnapping a bride, for example, and had only calmed slightly since he had family.
“Did you kill that outsider? Because Luca thinks that was you, and I have to agree with his instinct.”
“He picked the wrong girl.”
“Aurora left Las Vegas because she wanted to get away from you. What about this message didn’t you get?”
“You kidnapped Mom. It’s not like you are a shining example of how to treat a woman.”
Dad gripped my throat. I was surprised it had taken this long for him to get violent because his anger must have accumulated over the past few days. Hell, the past few weeks. “This isn’t about your mother and me. She doesn’t know about your mess up, by the way. I lied to her, told her I had sent you away on a special mission, so she doesn’t worry. Fuck, and I had to lie to Fabiano too. I’m stacking up too many lies because of your bullshit.”