Total pages in book: 82
Estimated words: 77998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 77998 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 390(@200wpm)___ 312(@250wpm)___ 260(@300wpm)
“He’s lying,” Tavi says.
“Am I?” I ask him. “You’re a detective now, too?”
“We have evidence that you were with the con artist who tricked Marialena.”
“You keep saying that. I want proof.”
“Wait.”
Marialena’s stopped struggling in my arms. “We can make accusations all day long.” She has a strange look on her face. “Salvatore may be ruthless, but he’s brutally honest. It isn’t like him to lie.”
“It makes sense, though,” Mario says, glaring at me.
“I don’t trust him,” Orlando says.
Romeo takes a step toward me and I brandish my gun.
BOOM
A shot rings out. We all still. Marialena glares at all of us, her gun in hand. “I have not given up everything that ever had meaning to me just to lose it all.” Steel laces her voice, her gorgeous eyes flitting from me to her siblings then back to me.
A knock sounds at the door. Silence reigns for seconds. Another tentative knock.
I steady my voice. “Who is it?”
“Jared, sir.”
I open my mouth to tell him to go away, but before I do, Marialena speaks up. “We can’t talk right now,” she says firmly but gently. “You need to go away.”
“It’s urgent!”
Cursing, I drag her over to the door with me and turn the knob. Wide, terrified eyes look up and meet mine.
“Let me in,” he whispers. “Please. I have to tell you something.” He looks over his shoulder. “If they hear me, they’ll kill me.”
“Talk. It better be fucking important.”
I ignore Marialena’s look of reproach and Romeo’s stance that tells me he’s willing to throw down if I hurt the boy.
When he sees Cristiano unconscious on the ground in front of him, he takes a step back.
“What is it?” I demand.
“If he hears me…”
“Rossi, see if he’s conscious.”
Romeo kicks him. Cristiano doesn’t move.
“Nope.”
Jared speaks in a rush of words, his voice barely above a whisper. “I couldn’t help but overhear,” he says. “I was sent to the storeroom to get extra chairs for the guests. I overheard your mother and cousin talking.”
I draw in a deep breath and release it. “Let’s hear it.”
“Your mother said the message she sent to the Rossis was received. She said they fell for it, you didn’t know, and now they’d wait for everything to play out. I don’t know the details, sir, but when I heard the fighting—” He looks from me to Marialena. “I don’t want you two to hurt each other. I don’t want anyone to get hurt.”
Marialena reaches for him and gives him a huge hug before she turns around and levels her gaze at the rest of us. “Put your guns away and let’s figure this out already before you dumbasses hurt each other.”
CHAPTER
Salvatore
We decide to continue to play along for now. I want to see how my mother and cousin handle things when they believe I’ve fallen for what they did.
So I take Marialena by the arm and make a public display of marching her back to our room. I order her siblings to be brought along with us, restrained by my men. Cristiano’s come to, following us with a scowl. Jared’s been dismissed and kept safely with my guards until I deal with my cousin and mother.
Cristiano has had his weapon taken from him. He has no idea what we discussed or what role he plays in the next part of our plan.
For one brief moment, Marialena’s eyes light up when she sees my mother. I can almost hear her thoughts. Ah. Just the woman I want to see.
That might be a first. But as soon as my mother turns the corner, Marialena’s gone back to angry and resistant.
“Agnesia! Tell your son to let me go. He has no right to manhandle me like this!”
Not surprisingly, my mother looks pleased that my wife’s not on good terms with me right now. “Salvatore, our guests are arriving,” she says, unable to hide the pleasure in her voice. “Surely whatever it is your wife has done to displease you can wait?”
“They betrayed us, Mother.”
I watch her closely and note the way she looks quickly to Cristiano. The quick look confirms my suspicion. I want to toss Marialena behind me and grab my mother and Cristiano instead, but I have to stick to the plan.
Marialena’s words come back to me.
They betray you, Salvatore. And they’re worse than your most mortal enemies, because they earn your trust before they stab you in the back.
“Did they?” With a sigh, my mother shakes her head. “I expect nothing less from the Rossis.”
Marialena tightens in my grip.
“You tend to our guests,” I tell her. “I’ll deal with them privately.”
“People will ask where your new wife is.”
“Tell them she’s not feeling well.”
My mother nods quietly.
“Cristiano, clean yourself up and go with my mother.” They leave as I take Marialena and the Rossis back to my room.
“Let them go.”
Federico hesitates. “Boss…”