Total pages in book: 71
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 69945 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 350(@200wpm)___ 280(@250wpm)___ 233(@300wpm)
So I left him, making sure his phone was on the nightstand in case he needed anything.
Once I left his room, I went to look for Beatrice. I’d promised him I wouldn’t call Val and Vito, but I knew it was wrong not to let them know. I’d have to make sure he didn’t know I was the one who alerted them.
It was for his own good, and I never would have promised not to if he hadn’t basically forced me. I only gave in because he was in so much pain, and he was fighting it. Surely it wasn’t really the wrong thing.
I found Beatrice in the living room talking to a man I didn’t know.
She smiled when she saw me and motioned me over. “Corey, this is Vinnie. He’s going to be here for the afternoon since Mr. Marchesi is needed elsewhere.”
Did she know what was actually going on with Dom? Surely she did, but I knew better than to contradict her. Dom clearly didn’t want anyone else to know he was incapacitated.
I held out my hand. “I’m Corey.”
Vinnie shook my hand. “I’ve heard a bit about you from Vito.”
“Good things, I hope.”
“Quite good. I’m going to be out in the courtyard for a while, but let me know if you need anything.”
Once he’d left, I turned to Beatrice. “Did Lucien send him over?”
“Yes.”
“And Dominic is—”
“In bed with a migraine, as you well know.”
“I do, but I had to make sure I could talk about his condition with you.”
She sighed. “He had to give in and let me help him a few times, but I’ve kept his secret.”
“Even from his sons?”
“He’s my employer. If he doesn’t want them to know….”
“But surely it would be better if they did. He’s so stubborn, but he does need help. He was in terrible pain when I saw him and helped him to his room.”
“You’re right, but all I can do is make sure he has his medicine and gets some rest. He won’t allow anything else. Would you like something to drink? Maybe a coffee? I just made some cookies.”
I knew she was changing the subject on purpose, but coffee and cookies sounded perfect, so I followed her to the kitchen.
I pulled out my phone and fiddled with it for a moment as she poured my coffee. “I don’t have Valentino’s number. What is it?” I tried to keep my voice casual, but I knew immediately that I wasn’t fooling her.
She raised her brows as she studied me. “Why do you need Mr. Valentino’s number?”
I couldn’t tell her I was going to call him and let him know his father needed his help. She wouldn’t agree to that if I said it outright. “I want to do something nice for Mr. Marchesi, and I need Valentino’s help.”
Her eyes narrowed. “Is that so?”
I took a sip of my coffee to avoid her gaze. “He’s done a lot for me.”
“He has, but I know him as well as his sons do. I’m happy to help you.”
“Oh. Well, I thought it should involve his sons.”
“Uh-huh.” Damn, I sucked at lying.
“Please. I need to be able to contact them if….”
“If he’s too stubborn to ask for backup and he’s in trouble?”
I was done with lying. “Yes.”
She shook her head. “He might kill me for this.”
I sucked in my breath as I felt the color drain from my face. “I don’t think… He wouldn’t—”
Beatrice shook her head. “Oh, no. I don’t mean that literally.”
I exhaled sharply, relieved she didn’t think he was that cruel. “You can’t say things like that after what you’ve told me about him.”
“He would never hurt me physically, but he might fire me.”
I sighed. “I don’t want to get you fired, but I’m worried about him.”
“I know, and that’s why I’m going to give you the number. It’s been a long time since anyone outside the family—and few enough of them—saw through Mr. Marchesi’s hard shell. Very few people truly care about him.”
“That’s sad.” But I didn’t doubt it was true.
She nodded. “It is, but to an extent, he has brought it on himself. Though his ex-wife is far more to blame.”
She sure as hell was. I’d never felt as violent toward anyone as I did toward her.
After Beatrice told me Val’s number, she said, “He clearly cares about you too.”
It wasn’t a good idea for me to get my hopes up. “He cares about his mission to protect me.”
“I think it’s a lot more than that.”
Val and Vito did too, but even if they were right, he was too closed off, too stubborn to admit it. And what could we have beyond hooking up while I was here? I was the age of his youngest son, and he saw me as innocent, naive, not made for his world.
Not to mention he’s straight.