Total pages in book: 73
Estimated words: 69746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69746 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 349(@200wpm)___ 279(@250wpm)___ 232(@300wpm)
Vanessa’s hand moved to mine, and she gently stroked her fingers over my knuckles. “I know, Griffin. That’s why you need to trust her, to trust her instincts. She’s a smart woman. She believed in you, and now you need to believe in her.”
That was easier said than done. The Barsettis had become my family, and now I cared about all of them. I would lay down my life for any of them.
“Let’s not worry until we actually have something to worry about.” She rubbed my arm then kissed my shoulder. “You aren’t going to tell my father and uncle, right?”
That was the worst part, keeping it from them. I worked with them every single day, had become a son to both of them. “What’s gonna happen when they find out I knew the whole time?”
“They aren’t gonna find out.”
“And if they do?”
She sighed. “Carmen made you promise.”
“That’s not gonna be good enough, and you know it.”
“Tell them you would have intervened if she was in real danger, but she obviously wasn’t.”
I still felt like shit for keeping this from the two men I respected most. “If they ask me point-blank, I can’t lie. I’ll never lie, and if that happens, then so be it.”
“Why would they ask you that?”
“If they ask me if I know if Carmen’s dating someone, I’ll have to tell them.”
“They aren’t going to ask you that.”
Probably not. But it was possible. “They might.”
“Well, cross that bridge when you come to it. But I suspect you never will.”
2
Carmen
I was at the shop when Vanessa texted me.
Let’s get lunch. We need to talk.
There was no doubt in my mind that Griffin and Vanessa had officially shared everything. I couldn’t ignore her, so I agreed. Alright. See you soon. I locked up the shop then met her at our favorite place, a little bistro that had the best ravioli ever made.
Vanessa was already sitting when I walked inside, her chair farther away from the table to accommodate her round stomach. She didn’t get up to hug me, and the horrified look on her face told me she noticed the black eye. “If that fucking piece of shit—”
“Wasn’t him.” I glanced around at the other tables, seeing the concerned looks on everyone’s faces as they listened to a pregnant woman scream her head off. I fell into the chair across from her, embarrassed the thought even crossed her mind. “Chill.”
“Then what happened? Your eyes are practically swollen shut, Carmen. If Griffin sees that, he’s gonna hunt down Bosco with a knife.”
“And that would be a mistake because it wasn’t him. Bosco would never hurt me.” Emotion entered my voice because I shouldn’t even have to say that. Bosco put his life on the line to protect me. He wasn’t afraid to make any sacrifice when it came to me.
“Then who did it?”
“I was in line at the bank when it got robbed.”
“Oh my god. I saw that in the paper. You were there?”
I nodded. “Some guy tried to take the necklace my father got me, so I fought him. He punched me in the face, and then Bosco and his men came in. Bosco stabbed him to death and took care of the other men. If it weren’t for Bosco and his security team, I would be dead right now.” I had to set the record straight because Bosco wasn’t the villain. He was the hero.
“Jesus, are you okay, Carmen?”
“I’m fine. It’s a little painful, but the swelling has gone down.”
“I’m so sorry.” She placed her hand on mine. “That must have been terrifying.”
“Not as terrifying as what happened in the alleyway. I knew Bosco was coming for me, so I was calm.”
“Yeah…good thing he was there.” She said the words with only partial sincerity.
“So you and Griffin finally talked about it.”
She pulled her hand away and nodded. “Yes. He’s not happy about it, Carmen.”
“I know.”
“And he cares about you so much. He says you’re his favorite Barsetti and wants to make sure you have what you deserve. His heart is in the right place. I know he comes off as a caveman sometimes…but he adores you.”
I already knew that. “He’s a good man.”
“He said he’ll stay quiet about it. But he won’t lie, so if our fathers come right out and ask him about it, he’ll tell the truth.”
His commitment to transparency was annoying. “Pain in the ass…”
“I know he is,” she said with a slight smile. “He’s willing to keep your secret, but he’s not willing to sacrifice his reputation to do it. You’ve put him in a difficult position because he sees your father every day. If they ever find out about this and discover that Griffin knew…there will be trouble.”
“Why does our family need to be so involved in every aspect of our lives?” I asked incredulously. “Other families aren’t like this.”