Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 126060 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 630(@200wpm)___ 504(@250wpm)___ 420(@300wpm)
A shiver of trepidation crept down her spine. Geno Ferraro would make a bitter, relentless enemy.
“It’s best that you never tell anyone else this, Geno.”
“Who else would I tell?”
“Elie Archambault comes to mind. You should never have sent a report to the council. They’re going to be looking at you now. You never want their attention on you.”
“I didn’t want their attention on you.” He covered his eyes once more against the glare of the sun.
She sighed. It was just one more reason to fall for him, and she didn’t need any more reasons. She was trying to find excuses not to get her heart involved. “I’m used to dealing with them, Geno. Your parents never returned to being parents?”
He shook his head. “It was as if, whatever happened the night they told me I was to take over, they considered themselves dead as both riders and our parents. They interacted, but distantly. They showed no interest in us. I honestly wondered if they were the same people. If others had come back pretending to be them.”
“Is that possible? Someone dressing up as them? Wearing masks? There are amazing reproductions of faces now.”
“I studied them very carefully, their movements. Their voices. It was them. Something happened to them. Whatever it was killed their love for us. They couldn’t even see us. Only each other.”
There was no bitterness in him. He had accepted his fate, Amaranthe could tell, at least for himself. She didn’t think he felt that way for his brothers.
“Do you really believe the murders now are connected to what happened all those years ago? How long has it been?”
“Eighteen years. It’s been eighteen years. And I have this strong gut feeling that they are. They would never speak of it, but I think they did something wrong. Committed a crime along with other riders.”
“Why would you think it was a crime?” Although that would make sense. Her mind began to race with the possibilities.
“The other riders hid in the shadows to keep their identities secret. They brought a wounded rider through the shadows, risking more damage to him and even risking his life. They lied about what happened and even manufactured evidence to back up their lies. They stepped down from shadow riding and refused to tell the Archambaults the truth. What other conclusion is there?”
Amaranthe had to agree it was a logical one. “Eighteen years is a long time to wait for revenge.”
“It is, but if the grievance was big enough, I would wait, Amara. I’m a patient man when I have to be. When it counts.”
He was silent for a long moment, and she didn’t make the mistake of speaking. She waited, listening to the wind and the sound of her heartbeat. She knew whatever he was about to tell her was going to be huge and would reveal so much of him.
“Stefano isn’t like Valentino Saldi or Dario Bosco, Amaranthe. I am. I would never forget if someone committed a crime against my famiglia, and I would wait a lifetime to retaliate. Stefano would do so through proper channels; I wouldn’t. I wouldn’t target innocents as these people seem to be doing, but I would take down anyone who harmed a loved one under my protection.”
It was interesting to her that he aligned himself with Saldi and Bosco when it was clear that Stefano was the Ferraro closer to the two men. She could see that now, that well of darkness in him and where it had come from.
“Again, Geno, something better left unsaid.”
“You need to know these things about me.”
“Where do Valentino Saldi and Dario Bosco fit? I’m not comfortable discussing shadow rider business in front of them.”
Geno studied her for several long minutes. “You aren’t going to comment on the fact that I just confessed something pretty vile about myself?”
“No. You let me into your mind, Geno. Maybe not all the way in, but I see glimpses of you. The real you. You’re quite different than you think you are. I really would like to know about Saldi and Bosco and how they fit into your world. Clearly, they have a place because you, your cousin and even Elie were far too comfortable talking in front of them.”
“We consider them family. Both sides are respectful of a line we don’t cross. Stefano was careful to word things in such a way that Val and Dario had to swear allegiance to the family.”
“You know outsiders can’t know about shadow riders, Geno. Even within families, few know about the shadow riders.”
“Val and Dario were already aware of the riders just from watching over the years. Val had been interested in Emmanuelle, and his family and our family were considered enemies. He has his own gifts. He watched us closely and observed us disappearing into the shadows. He never said a word to anyone, not even his father.”