Total pages in book: 112
Estimated words: 106312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 106312 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 532(@200wpm)___ 425(@250wpm)___ 354(@300wpm)
“Beautiful wedding,” Dutton says as he comes up next to me. “It seems to have worked out in the end, I suppose.”
“I’m not going to apologize if that’s what you’re looking for.”
He smirks. “Knowing I left that scar on your cheek is more than satisfying for me.”
I turn to him and pull him in for a hug. My cousin and I might have our differences. We might, at times, be tempted to kill each other because of them. But no matter what, we’ll always have one another’s back.
“But thanks to you, now my parents are asking me when they’re due for a wedding and daughter-in-law.” He pins me with a glare.
“That sounds like a you problem,” I tell him. “But I’m here to tell you it’s not all bad.”
“Wow, you really are pussy whipped, aren’t you.” He grins, bringing his glass to his lips. The mischief leaves his eyes as he notices a man looking in the direction of his sister. The twins are with her, Hawke holding her drink above her head where she can’t reach it, even when she jumps. Ford is looking at me, shaking his head.
Without so much as another word, Dutton is stalking in their direction, quickly intercepting the guest who had his eye on Billie. I’ve never had the heart to tell him that perhaps he should be looking closer at his friends than at other men. If anything has happened between Billie and one of the twins, Dutton will definitely kill them first and ask questions later.
“Your mother is finally speaking to me again,” my father says as he comes to stand by my side.
“Well, that makes one of us.”
I can see his smirk in my periphery. “Don’t be mad that I got one up on you for a final time. I’ll miss it, you know. The mind games.”
I sigh and look at my father. For all his cold calculation, he is the person who taught me almost everything I know about business. Respectfully, I should’ve known he was scheming something.
He pulls out a folded letter and hands it to me. “I pressured Jewels into handing me information regarding the Monti family as her client. I wanted to know what she’d give away and if she was, in fact, someone I could trust. You can keep it.” I take it, and then he pulls me in for a hug. “I’m proud of you, son. With or without marriage. I only wanted the best for you.”
I pat him on the back because my father might be many things, but he’s not a liar. When he spots my mother, he gravitates toward her, and I unfold the letter. I chuckle. It might as well be a personalized love letter to me, even when she tried to make it professional.
Eli Monti is an asshole. Currently, I can’t see a crack in their organization. Rya Monti makes it difficult as an adversary because she can easily get them out of whatever misdeeds might come out in the public eye. Crue Monti is as lethal as they say but has seemingly taken a step back to allow his son to take over the majority of the business.
However, I am not surprised Eli Monti has a hit on him. Though he is versatile and capable in most environments, he doesn’t avoid confrontation, so I would suggest keeping your whereabouts unknown. I would approach cautiously. He should’ve been killed immediately instead of toyed with because he seems to enjoy such games.
Due to not having direct contact with you, I would like to forfeit my involvement with this project and will pay four times the amount in return, as well as offer my sworn secrecy. I am a hitwoman. Gathering intel is not my specialty, and as such, you can find someone else better suited. Please text me details so I can end this contract on peaceful terms.
If you choose to continue to pursue the Monti family, I thoroughly advise caution. There’s a reason why they run the Italian mafia in New York City.
Best,
Jewel Diamond.
I tuck the letter into my pocket. She had, even back then, tried to step out of the situation, and I don’t even know if she realized at that point she was falling for me. Obviously, my father didn’t respond to her and applied pressure by not acknowledging her demand to be released from the contract.
Eli Monti is an asshole. My lips twitch.
I search for Jewel again, and when I find her, I watch as she hugs Craig. They look deep in discussion, and she smiles as he goes to leave. Before he does, he searches the crowd before his gaze lands on me. He gives me one nod before he turns and walks out. I already know the meaning of that nod. He pre-warned me when I sent him the suit that if I did anything to hurt her, he would come out of retirement and hunt me down. I do quite enjoy a challenge. But he should know better than anyone that I’m the one who needs to be protected… from her.