Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 72325 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 362(@200wpm)___ 289(@250wpm)___ 241(@300wpm)
“We knew this was the likely outcome,” Rocco said gently. “Roselli’s put the hit on you for a reason. You’re a threat to him.”
That was almost laughable. How could I be a threat to anyone? But it wasn’t really me, it was my existence. And my parentage.
“Guess it’s official,” Julian said. “We’re at war with the Roselli family.”
A tear slipped down my check. “Doesn’t this mean that I’m part of the Roselli family?”
Slater squeezed my hand once more before pulling his back. “Yes, but a far superior branch of it.”
“And that’s not what he meant,” Rocco said, jerking his head at Julian. “By family, he meant the entire organization.”
“Oh, is that all?” I gave a watery little laugh.
“It is daunting. But the next step is to pick up the documentation of the test and take it to Don Gambini,” Slater said.
“We will,” Rocco said.
As I looked from one man to another, I couldn’t hold back the tears.
“What is it?” Rocco asked gently.
“I can’t believe my mom kept this from me.”
“If you ask me, she wanted to protect you,” Rock said. “That name would have been a burden. Your mom probably wanted you to have a normal life. To be an average nobody. Roselli’s life ain’t what you’d call normal.”
“Rocco’s downplaying it,” Julian commented. “You don’t know what you’d be in for, if your name was ‘Roselli’ instead of ‘Owens.’ In fact, no one can, until they’ve seen it for themselves. I could tell you a thousand stories of people who wound up dead, because at some point, they screwed up. That’s how easy it is for someone to lose their life in the so-called family, Maggie. One mistake is all it takes. So, yeah—I agree. Your mom probably saw what was going down in your dad’s life and decided to keep you out of the loop for your own good.”
“He wasn’t my dad,” I said swiftly. But then I thought of Seth. Seth hadn’t been my dad, either. “Excuse me. I need to be alone.”
The guys exchanged looks but didn’t say anything when I retreated to the back bedroom.
To cry.
Again.
That felt like all I’d been doing lately. Crying and sleeping. But then I remembered sleeping with Rocco—or not sleeping, actually—and those sexy memories made me feel a little better.
An hour later, when the knock at the door came, I hoped it was him, but it wasn’t. It was Julian.
“Can I come in?”
“Sure.”
He ignored the chair with my clothes slung over it and strode right to the bed. I scooted back against the headboard, and he sat on the edge. “You okay?”
“Not really.”
“Fair enough,” he said. He had on a button-down shirt with the sleeves rolled up. The hairs on his forearm caught the light from the window. “It’s a lot to take in.” He sighed. “And I know I haven’t exactly been helping you through it.”
“I thought you were mad at me.”
He raked his fingers through his hair. “I’ve been trying to keep you alive. We all have. It’s not an easy job, especially since we’re also trying to keep ourselves alive.”
“I realize that.”
“I don’t know that you do. You’ve been up here, completely isolated. And yes, bored as hell. But you haven’t seen all the precautions we’re taking. To make sure no one jumps us when we’re in the city. To make sure no one follows us back here. To make sure no one finds you. Organized crime is a huge business, Maggie. Their reach is pretty much endless. They have money and power.”
“So you’re saying it’s hopeless?”
“Of course not. But… maybe instead of thinking of your mother lying to you, it would be easier to focus on that side of things.”
“The power?” I couldn’t imagine ever having that for myself.
“Yeah, and the money. There’s a lot you could do with that kind of money.”
“Like be a crime boss?”
He shrugged. “If you wanted to. It’s a seductive life—the life the three of us chose.” He paused, frowning. “Well, maybe we didn’t choose it, but we ended up here. But you could do good with that money.”
I frowned. “It’s dirty money.”
“Then do something clean with it. A girl I knew in foster care, she now runs a shelter for women on the run from domestic violence. They could always use a cash influx. Or you could fund a no-kill animal shelter. Or buy a hospital wing. Hell, you could go to law school. Become a lawyer, and rob from the rich to give to the poor.”
In spite of myself, I laughed. “That’s Robin Hood, not a lawyer.”
“Whatever.” He waved that away. “I don’t know why Emilio wanted you to have his money any more than I know why he never got to know you. But—if we make it out of this, there’ll be some perks down the road.”
Perks. I nearly snorted. Was that how he referred to millions of dollars? But he was trying to cheer me up, in his own way. His own way just seemed to be grumpier than it used to be.