Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 97371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 97371 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 487(@200wpm)___ 389(@250wpm)___ 325(@300wpm)
I shrug the feeling off. “Did you see the way he looked at Lizzy?”
“Yeah, but we’re not here to talk about that.” I sigh. I figured that. “Nonno will be here in a few days,” Gio says.
I inhale deeply. “What? He thinks I won’t show up. He’s coming to get me himself?”
Gio frowns at me. “You underestimate our grandfather. You might want to check that.”
For once in my life, I hold my words in. I know Gio isn’t my enemy, nor is Nonno. If anything, Gio has always been the one to help me balance this world and Nonno has always been there to encourage my normal life.
“He’s doing this to make things easier for you. You won’t be walking into all of this blindly. He’s coming to be in your corner.”
“Yeah, I know. Do you think that’s why Papa Esposito keeps blowing up my phone?”
“He’s been calling you?” Gio seethes.
“Yeah, four or five times a day. I haven’t been answering. Shit’s getting annoying though.”
Gio works his jaw. The amount of rage I see in his eyes nags at me. Papa Esposito pulled me in right after my mother disappeared. I craved the attention I lost from Ma. She was patient with my questions and curiosity. My grandfather filled that void.
I get Dante hates the man for trying to have him placed in a straitjacket. However, Gio’s anger is because of something else. My thoughts go to the things I overheard the day my mother left.
“Dario, I need you to trust me. In the end, you will understand everything and why it was necessary. Let him call. What you’re doing is none of his business,” Gio says, pulling me from my thoughts before I can get too lost in them.
He stands and walks over to the hidden bar in his office. His words leave me with an eerie feeling. My curiosity kicks in and my lips move before I can trap the words in.
“Do you believe she left us? Something else had to happen. Is that why you hate Papa Esposito so much?”
“More questions,” he replies and walks over with a tumbler to hand me. I take the glass, but only stare down into it. “This is why Nonno wants you on the other side. To lead the future, you have to understand the past. Play your part, Dario and all your questions will find answers. Be who you are.”
He places a hand on my shoulder and gives it a squeeze. My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and find a text from Carleen. She’s left.
Gio grunts at his phone, grabbing my attention. “Jace will get her home safe.”
“I’m leaving her. I’ve never not been there for her.”
Gio smiles at me. It’s that knowing smile of his that says he’s looking into that crystal ball again.
“I’ll finish what was started,” he says and drains his glass.
I narrow my eyes at him. His phone rings and he holds up a finger. I nod and turn my attention back to my phone. Something about the text makes me furrow my brows.
Car: I left. Don’t want to be in the way.
Chapter 6
Secrets and Wishes
Carleen
“Come on, I’ve got you,” Jace says as he helps me into the apartment.
Those drinks packed a silent punch. They didn’t taste as if they had that much alcohol in them. Now, my face is rocked, and I don’t think I would have made it on my own. I’m grateful to Jace.
I would have been so embarrassed if Dario came home to find me sitting in front of the door trying to figure out how to get inside and probably in tears because I couldn’t. I breathe a sigh of relief when Jace sets me on my bed after I point out which room I’m staying in.
He kneels before me and unfastens my shoes to pull them off my feet. I take him in. Jace is a gorgeous man. I’ve always been curious about him. His strong, handsome features are alluring and he’s a huge guy.
“You’re the only one who didn’t wear a costume. Not your thing?” I slur as he gets my first shoe off.
He looks up at me and smiles. Using a tie that seems to come from nowhere, he pulls his long blond hair up into a man bun. I burst into laughter as the two bite marks and dripping blood come into view.
“So what? You were supposed to be Gio’s blood slave?”
He shrugs. Jace has never been one for many words. I’ve mostly seen him whispering to Gio or murmuring to the twins. I’ve never had the privileged to hear his voice more than I have tonight. It’s a nice, deep, almost gravelly voice.
I reach to twirl a loose strand of his hair around my finger. He looks up through his lashes to grin at me. His eyes are a light green at the moment, but I’ve seen them a few different colors before—gray and light brown, I believe.