Total pages in book: 68
Estimated words: 66962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 66962 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 335(@200wpm)___ 268(@250wpm)___ 223(@300wpm)
“Did someone hurt him?” I asked.
“No, but they want to. He messed around with the wrong man. Apparently, he had an affair with a high-ranking member of a rival family, then blackmailed him.”
I tensed. Carlo really was in deep trouble. What the hell was he thinking running away? He might be good at talking his way out of the shit he got into, but this sounded like it would take way more than talking.
“Carlo’s brother Biagio is head of their branch of the family now. He tried to negotiate, but this family doesn’t respect him the way they did Carlo’s father, so the best thing to do was get Carlo out of Italy, but even in Boston, he wasn’t safe. His enemies knew how to locate that branch of the Marchesi family, and they knew to expect him to be there. The Marchesis had to get him somewhere far away, where no one would expect him to be.”
“Like this ranch.”
“Exactly.”
“And he actually thought he could handle his problems on his own?”
“I’m guessing he thought things weren’t as serious as they really were. Maybe he thought it would all blow over, but there’s a debt to be paid.”
“Can’t his brother pay back the money?”
“The money isn’t the issue. It’s a debt of honor. He tricked this man and humiliated him, and the family wants revenge.”
“How could he not see the trouble he was in?”
“That’s where I think there’s more to the story than I know. Carlo sounds impetuous, spoiled, and stubborn, but he’s not stupid.”
I had the same impression. Carlo was calculating. He clearly had no experience in the wilderness, but even after he realized his error, he’d kept going, using the skills he had. He’d planned to sleep in a random cabin when I was sure he was used to only the finest sheets. He wasn’t stupid, and he wasn’t afraid to work for what he wanted; he just didn’t do it in the traditional way. “So how are they going to put the situation right so we can send him back to Boston?”
“That’s a great question.”
“Surely there’s some way they could pay these assholes off, some amount of money or a favor owed.”
“I’m sure there is, but Carlo’s brother may not have the money or the power to arrange it.”
“And Lucien might not want to get that deeply involved.”
“Right. I’m guessing about that, but Lucien is probably buying himself time and trying to figure out how to get out of this owing the least possible in money or favors.”
“So we may be stuck with Carlo for a long time?”
“Possibly. Maybe we’ll make a ranch hand out of him like TJ.”
I snorted.
“Would you ever have thought TJ would stay?”
“I didn’t know TJ when he first came here.”
“A Chicago mafia assassin who had never been around horses.”
“So similar to Carlo but probably with less need for skincare and hair products.”
Rogue laughed. “Don’t knock a beauty routine. Us rodeo stars had to keep up our appearances as best we could.”
“Don’t tell me you wore makeup when riding bulls.”
“I sure as hell did, though it was usually to cover up bruises and look like I was ready to go when I should have been in bed, letting myself heal.”
“That’s a luxury we don’t always have.”
“Damn right.” Rogue paused, and I knew I wasn’t going to like what he had to say next. “I guess this might not work, considering what happened last night, but I was wondering if Carlo could come and hang out here. It helped me when my life was turned upside down.”
I scowled at him. “I’m not a fucking therapist.”
“No, you’re not, but the way you’re comfortable with silence and the way you can just sit… I thought that might be good for him. He might eventually talk himself out and just relax.”
“No!”
Rogue’s eyes widened, and I knew my reaction was way too vehement.
“I’m sorry. It’s just… I can’t be around him.”
“Right. It’s okay. I get it.”
I hoped he didn’t.
“Are you sure there’s not more to tell, Papa Bear?”
I snarled at him. “Do not call me that.”
He held up his hands in surrender. “I won’t, but I can’t say the same for Grant and TJ.”
“Jesus, why would he call me that in front of them?”
“Why would he call you that at all?”
I rolled my eyes. “He made a stupid joke about how he was Goldilocks thinking he’d found an abandoned cabin.”
“He could have called you Baby Bear.”
I gave him a glare that would have had most men backing away slowly, but Rogue just laughed. “So Goldilocks isn’t invited back?”
“No. I don’t want him anywhere close to this cabin.”
“All right. Hopefully, we’ll be able to keep him pinned down.”
“I hope to hell so.”
Rogue sighed dramatically. “We do have several new horses we’re training.”
“You have plenty of people to run the ranch and watch one not very dangerous mobster. Why are you pushing this?”