Total pages in book: 97
Estimated words: 92873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 92873 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 464(@200wpm)___ 371(@250wpm)___ 310(@300wpm)
I throw my oath at him. “I’ll never say your name again.”
He lets me go, reeling as if I’ve slapped him. Taking a step back, he stares at me with disbelief etched on his features. “Is this your way of getting back at me? You think you’ll hurt me with your little rebellion, with something so insignificant?”
It’s got nothing to do with a rebellion and everything to do with my pride. My self-preservation. But I don’t tell him that.
He closes the distance again, putting himself in front of me. “Go ahead. Play your game if it makes you feel better. I don’t give a fuck.” Splaying his fingers over my jaw, he brings our mouths together, brushing soft words over mine. “You want to know why?” I feel his smile as his lips curve. I feel its cruelty even before he says, “Because I don’t care.”
Jerking my face away, I step out of his touch.
His smile turns wider. Colder. “Don’t think just because my niece temporarily lives under this roof that you’ll get away with not doing what you’re supposed to be doing, which is greeting me naked on your knees. You’re two punishments behind, and I’ll collect them soon.”
With that promise, he turns and walks away, leaving an ugly hollowness in the air. His goal was inflicting injury, and I’d lie if I said he didn’t succeed.
Chapter
Eighteen
Angelo
* * *
The man I put in charge of watching my cousins enters my study and stands at attention in front of my desk. “You summoned me, sir?”
I close my laptop and give him my full attention. “Your report says nothing transpired at the new house today.”
He watches straight ahead, not looking into my eyes. “Nothing worth mentioning, sir.”
“They never left the house?”
“No, sir. Both your wife and niece stayed inside.”
I’m not reassured. Why, I don’t know. It’s not like Sabella to be so docile. However, she seems sincere about Sophie’s welfare. What she said about sending Sophie to a hostel does bother me. It’s not as if I haven’t had those thoughts myself. I eye the application for the prestigious girls’ school lying on my desk. This is the best way. I’m not going to submit my niece to the treatment my mother suffered her whole life.
“That will be all,” I say, waving him away. “Keep watching the property. Night and day. Set up a rotation schedule with a couple of our best men, but keep the circle small. I don’t want word of this to leak out.”
“Yes, sir.”
Heidi puts her head around the door when he’s gone, looking a little too excited for my liking. “Ready?”
“Yes,” I grunt, taking my jacket from the back of the chair as I stand. The sun is already sinking below the horizon, leaving a red glow in the window.
“I loaded the bags in the car. I’ll meet you outside.”
Heidi peppers me with questions about Sophie all the way to the new house. I only answer her because it’s vital that she understands what to expect and how to handle the girl.
Sabella opens the door when we arrive. She gives Heidi a warm greeting and a hug while ignoring me.
“Angelo!” Sophie exclaims, rushing into the lounge but stopping short when her gaze falls on Heidi.
“Hey,” I say, doing a double take.
She’s dressed in clothes very similar to Sabella’s—a sweatshirt, a pair of skinny jeans, and sneakers—but they’re in her size. If anything, she looks frailer. The properly fitting clothes emphasizes how small she is for her age. Her short hair is neatly trimmed into a modern style, all the uneven bits gone, drawing attention to her pixie-like face.
Not wanting to make too big a deal of the change, I say, “You look nice.”
She hides Beatrice behind her back as she stares at Heidi.
“You remember the lady I told you about?” I say. “This is Heidi.”
“Hello, Sophie,” Heidi says with a big smile. “I’m glad to finally meet you. Mr. Russo told me a lot about you.”
Sophie looks at me. “He did?”
“He sure did,” Heidi replies. “He said you’d help me with some baking this weekend.”
“What kind of baking?” Sophie asks, narrowing her eyes.
“Gingerbread men.” Heidi takes a gingerbread man with a face and buttons drawn in glazed sugar from the bag and shows it to Sophie. “Like this one. What do you think?”
Sophie brings the doll from behind her back and holds it in front of the cookie. Whispering, she asks, “What do you think, Beatrice?”
Heidi, having been briefed on Beatrice, waits patiently. Sabella looks on with a soft smile.
Sophie lifts the doll to her ear. After a few beats, she says, “Beatrice says there needs to be gingerbread women too.”
Heidi’s smile stretches. “You’re right. There will absolutely be gingerbread women.” She hands Sophie the cookie. “Would you like to try it after dinner?”
Sophie studies the cookie. “If I take a bite, he’ll miss an arm or a leg.”