Total pages in book: 51
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 48854 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 244(@200wpm)___ 195(@250wpm)___ 163(@300wpm)
“You always show up early?” I ask as I stop in front of him.
The corner of his mouth twitches, and he throws back, “You always talk first?”
Touché.
He leans against a cracked pillar, arms crossed as he regards me. The man is far older than me, but he’s still fit, strong, and I’m sure he can take anyone down.
He tips his head to the side, curiosity clear in his expression. “So. What’s the plan?”
“You’re assuming I have one.” I know I want to get rid of Ignacio. My father wants all the intel I can garner, but the most important thing to me right now is making sure Lia is safe.
Guillermo sighs and shakes his head. “Listen to me Montesano,” he says, using my family name as if it offends him. “If you don’t have a plan, you’re an idiot. If you do, you’re still insane.”
Shrugging, I say, “I’ll take insane.” I lay it out for him. “I want to take Mosca out. He needs to die, but my father wants information. I’m in here for her, to keep her for myself, even if it means I’ll forever be on the run from my family and hers. But I also owe loyalty to my father. He is the Boss, and I can’t deny him the requests he’s made.”
He listens. Quiet. Sharp-eyed.
“I want to burn the place to the ground. The organization, the compound, everything. And for Lelia to be safe, I have to ensure she’s safely hidden when all this goes down.” When I finish, he lets out a slow breath.
“You really think you can kill Ignacio and not start a war? And do you really think that Lelia is going to sit back and allow you to do this on your own?”
“No. Firstly, I think we’re already in a war, one that wasn’t of our making, and secondly…” I pause for a long moment before I continue, “She will never let me go through this alone. And that’s where I need your help.”
He grins, then chuckles, amused. “You’re crazier than I thought.”
I nod. It’s true, I am. Nobody will see me coming, and that’s why I have an advantage. Nobody knows I’m a Montesano. “But you want in.”
His grin fades. “I’m not here for you.”
“I know.”
This time, Guillermo steps toward me. His finger presses against my chest. There’s a warning in his gaze, one that I know I deserve. “I’m here for her. And if you get her killed—”
I don’t allow him to finish his threat when I say, “You can put a bullet in me yourself.”
We lock eyes. He’s considering killing me right now. Deciding if I’m worth betting her life on.
Finally, he nods. “I’m in.”
Chapter 17
Lelia
The day drags.
I’m seated in the window of my bedroom, trying to read, but my focus is on seeing Nico again. I’ve not been allowed out of the house, which only sets me on edge.
Violence is nothing more than an act of malice against those you hate. And in the modern world, that particular dark emotion runs rife, especially through the world I live in.
I was thirteen when I first came across the reality my family name exudes on this earth. I haven’t traveled far, and I haven’t been close to death myself, but I have seen it with my own eyes.
My life consisted of learning about the darkness that would follow me no matter where I went. Homeschooled, kept safe from the dangers that could befall me, I was nothing more than a pawn in a grown-up chess game.
I didn’t mind it.
I didn’t think anything negative about it.
Because I knew who my father was.
Italy is where the legacy of the mafia started, and I was proud to be the daughter of a Boss. I learned the ins and outs of the world. There were Bosses, Underbosses, soldiers who were so loyal to my father, they would die for him.
As a young girl, I thought it was strange. I mean, I had sleepovers with friends, and we watched The Godfather. I knew what this world was like. Papa never hid it from me. He made sure I knew about all the blood and violence, and he also didn’t keep secrets.
I would go through the motions as I was growing up—brunch with my father’s associates, fake smiles at the garden table with Mother and her friends, nodding at guests who attended every event my parents threw at the house. And distant cousins who only cared about the name I carry.
But underneath the surface, I always knew there was more for me. It was as if I was waiting for the penny to drop.
And then he walked into the party that night.
Suddenly, my bedroom door opens, and I’m met with the man I have been betrothed to. Ignacio Mosca.
“There she is,” he says as he walks deeper into the room. “I wanted to see you before you start all the wedding preparations.”