Total pages in book: 32
Estimated words: 30264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 30264 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 151(@200wpm)___ 121(@250wpm)___ 101(@300wpm)
She opens her eyes as I pull back with the smile still on my lips. The one she’s given me.
Carina clasps her hands together and sighs. “Love!”
Angelica’s cheeks heat. “Let’s not get carried away. I’m only here for the inheritance,” she mumbles.
Maybe, for once, my bratty sister is right. Maybe, despite all odds, this is love.
12
ANGELICA
“So.” Carina chews her gum, blowing a giant bubble until it pops and she sucks it back into her mouth. “How do you plan on killing my brother?”
“I haven’t thought that far ahead. But I’m working on it,” I admit as we lie by the pool. Diablo is stretched out in his own chair, enjoying the sun.
“I mean, maybe you should keep him for protection. Your own family is trying to murder you. I’m not trying to be rude, but those are the facts.”
I puff out a breath. “So messed up,” I mutter more to myself than her. I did everything I was supposed to. But I should’ve known it would never be enough for my father. “Maybe they were only going to kill Antonio?” I throw that suggestion out there, even though I know that’s likely not the case.
“I don’t know. I hear the Larones are terrible people.” She rolls over to her side, propping her head up with her hand. “Again. No offense.”
“Well, I hear you Palermos are psychopaths,” I counter. Carina isn’t wrong, though. My family is terrible, even to our own. There is no loyalty even if you’re blood. I’ve gotten the message loud and clear.
“Is this because of the eyes in the microwave story?” she asks.
“What?” I sit up from the lounge chair. Eyes in a microwave?
“Oh, so it’s not that one.” She looks up like she’s thinking. “Was it the heads on the metal spikes of the fence thing?”
“What are you talking about?” I gape at her, my mouth hanging open that she’s being so nonchalant about their craziness.
“You sure you can kill my brother? Cause this seems to be freaking you out.” She blows another bubble.
“I just heard that you guys are known for some crazy torture.” I lean forward. “You were messing with me, right?” I whisper.
“Nah, that’s Butcher. He can be a bit…”—she smirks—“psycho.” I’ve heard whispers of the Butcher, but honestly I thought it was just a bunch of people making up stories. That they said those things because the Palermo family was known to butcher bodies. Never had I considered it was actually a person.
“Butcher.” I repeat the name.
“Yep, I’m sure you’ll meet him at some point. He’s around.” She waves her hand. “If people think we’re psycho, it’s probably because of him. He can be a bit unorthodox in his ways, but he must be very good at what he does because my brother keeps him around. They say he can get information out of anyone.”
I swallow hard. “I’d rather not test the theory for myself.”
Carina bursts into laughter. I don’t know what to make of Carina, but I know I like her. She’s a bratty smartass with a dark side. But I also like how direct and in your face she is. She doesn’t hold back.
“We might butcher people here, but women aren’t cattle.”
“Your brother married me against my will,” I remind her.
“Did he?” she challenges. “Does he make you do anything against your will? Besides when it comes to safety…” I open my mouth and close it. She’s right. “You’re safe here. Antonio will never make me marry against my will, nor would he ever make any children you two have together.”
“I’m not having kids with him. I’m killing him.” I drop back down in the chair, stretching out my legs. “Not today, obviously. But soon.”
“Right.” Carina giggles. It grows silent for a long moment before she speaks again. “Our father wasn’t always the best when it came to business, but he was good to our mother. He taught us loyalty above all else. The loyalty also extends to your spouse as well.”
“So you’re saying your brother won’t be having a butt load of mistresses?”
“He would never. A man would be very stupid to cheat on his wife and lie next to her each night while he sleeps.”
Now it’s me that laughs.
“True, but who wants a man if the only reason he doesn’t bang another woman is because he’s scared you’re going to murder him in his sleep?”
“Antonio doesn’t fear that you’ll kill him in his sleep. He’ll be loyal because he’s a man of his word but also because of love.” There she goes with that word again. She even does that dreamy sigh to emphasize it.
“This isn’t love.”
“Really? Cause he wouldn’t shut up about you last night when we played chess. Angel this, Angel that.”
“Really?” I peek over at her. She nods her head up and down.
“It’s sweet how openly loving he is with you too. Telling his men not to touch or look at you. Not like some men who pretend you don’t exist.” She spits her gum out angrily all of a sudden.