Total pages in book: 37
Estimated words: 36154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36154 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 145(@250wpm)___ 121(@300wpm)
His father, the desperate bastard, nodded toward him.
The Romano name was one to be feared, but like most men, his father craved power. Uniting the Drago and Romano Families would put them on top. Everyone here knew Philip Drago was the wealthiest, most respected man among the capos. He was the only one close to the Boss, and so was Isabella. Now with her being the only remaining heir, his father had begged him to speak with her father, which he had done.
He liked Philip Drago Sr. Always had. A fierce leader and fair.
Glancing around the room, he spotted Isabella and wasn’t surprised to see Randy there as well. The outcast soldier was like a loyal dog.
Philip had told him everything. Quite shocking for the elderly, dying man to entrust his plan with him, but also his desire to see his daughter married to him. It would seem Philip had been keeping a keen eye on him for the past ten years. When he’d refused to offer his hand in marriage to Isabella, he’d learned the truth about this woman.
Five women had died, two of whom committed suicide rather than be married to him, a monster or a beast. Both nicknames followed him everywhere, and he’d earned those titles. He’d decided against marriage. There were whores out there to satisfy his needs, and well, at the time he didn’t need to worry about an heir.
Of course, all his life, he’d been ordered to pay attention, to consider an heir, a male who would need to be trained. His father’s demands were increasing, day by day, driving him mad with it.
He watched Isabella now, her cold glare sending every single male off who dared try to talk to her. The ice queen. He smiled.
Her father had shown him the tapes of her training, of exactly what she was capable of. The men here had no idea of the killing machine standing in a simple black designer dress and killer heels.
She didn’t have his body count, but her father had put her on his radar. Isabella was a beautiful woman. Long raven hair, soft pale skin, ocean-blue eyes. Her nose wasn’t perfect, from being broken. He’d been made aware she had a nasty fall during training that had snapped it. He believed one of her sparring lessons had gotten out of hand.
Watching her now, those curves… Some might say she was fat, but not him. The black dress didn’t hide those hips, the shape of her ass, or the full tits. He wanted her.
In fact, ever since her father had shown him every little detail, he’d found his obsession with her rivaled everything else going on in his life.
He wanted her. Simple as that.
The only way to have her was to put a ring on her finger. The minutes ticked by, turning into hours. One by one, people left, and he allowed himself to walk through the shadows, going undetected.
Even though he was large and tall, he’d learned the trick of hiding. It had saved his neck so many times, it was like second nature.
With the door finally shut, he watched her shoulders slump. Randy took a step toward her.
“No,” she said. Her voice sounding a little broken.
“Bella … don’t cry, please.”
“I’m not going to cry. I just need some time alone. You know they won’t give me what I need.” She took a deep breath. “I’m going to the gym. I’ll be there if you need me.”
“If you don’t pick a husband, they’ll try to take all of this from you,” Randy said. “Your father warned you.”
She stopped and he watched as she took a deep breath and shook her head. “I will pick a husband when I’m good and ready. No one is taking this from me, and if they think just because I’m a woman, they can, let them try. I’ll show them who they’re really dealing with.”
His cock hardened.
She was a fierce warrior.
Her spine ramrod straight, she made her way down the long hall, going toward the gym. This time, he stepped out of the darkness.
Randy went for his gun and stopped. “It’s you.”
“You need to take more care in protecting her.”
“I do what I can. Why are you still here?”
“You know why.”
“Does this mean you’ve accepted Drago’s offer?”
“I accepted his offer but I wonder if his daughter will agree.”
“Be careful, she’s … she’s hurting and when that happens, she tends to deal more in pain,” Randy said.
“You’re not going to take care of it?”
Randy shook his head. “I’ve caused that woman enough pain in the past ten years. Not tonight.”
Damon watched as Randy left.
Alone in Drago’s house, he could go hunting for all the necessary blackmail material he could use to put the Romano name on top and to keep Isabella down. Instead, he went in search of the woman.