Total pages in book: 66
Estimated words: 62266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 62266 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 311(@200wpm)___ 249(@250wpm)___ 208(@300wpm)
"I have him handling an issue for me," War says, and I know he's full of shit.
I don't think he knows where Ronan is. It has me wondering what Marks might be up to. I bet she might know where he is. Which I need to clue Ronan into. I'm not really sure how to handle that. I don't think she means harm, but you can never be too sure. I also know Ronan is a hard man to kill. The shit that man has done and lived to talk about is impressive. I'd almost call it superhuman.
"Come, Aldo is interested in the shore."
"It's not a topic I'm open to," War responds.
"Aldo has sold off any liquid asset he has," I inform them both. "And he did it quickly last year."
"Really." Dario ponders this.
"His accounts."
"The legit ones don’t have much in them. I'm not really sure about his offshore ones. I never felt the need to dig around to find them. He hasn't been on the radar for any reason."
"Did he push for an invite here?" War asks, already thinking what I am. Marrying Cosima would be a quick way to sink your hooks into this family. All kinds of opportunities would open up for him and his sons.
I fucking hate it. I'd give everything I own to have Cosima. These men see her as an asset.
"We've always been friends. I wish he would have told me he was having issues." Dario adds.
"Desperate people do desperate things," I remind everyone.
That clears out the other two men Dario invited to meet his daughter, leaving Sal as the only one with any potential. Not that it would ever happen.
"I'll speak with him," Dario says. "Come, make nice." He nods for us to follow. War and I flick each other a glance before we do.
I don't make it past the threshold of the parlor before I notice one person missing: Sal.
"War—"
"Go." I turn, not in search of Sal, not yet at least. First, I want eyes on Cosima, then I'll go find him. The asshat better be using the bathroom. When I step into the kitchen, I only see Tova and Rochelle along with a few staff members.
An avalanche of rage hits me, pumping through my system. Darkness is descending on everything in my path.
Chapter Twenty-One
COSIMA
Oh noes is my only thought when I step out of the bathroom and see Sal standing there. “Do you need to use it?” I ask, moving out of the way.
“I was actually trying to find you.” Sal gives me a smile that pulls up one side of his lips.
He’s not a bad-looking man. I’m sure many girls would swoon over this little smirk of his, but not me. Sal is too polished for me. His style is impeccable; it could rival mine, and therein lies part of the problem.
Sal has that pretty boy thing going on, and, well, boys have never been my thing. Then again, Z has only ever been my thing, but I know what is and isn’t attractive to me, and Sal isn’t it, even if he could easily grace the cover of a magazine.
I have no doubt he has graced many women's beds. Ladies talk, and I have heard his name come up more than once. While most women in the lifestyle wouldn’t care about such things, all of that is off-putting to me.
Sal rides the coattails of his dad, which is fine but isn’t respectable to me. Even my Z, who spends a lot of time behind a computer screen, still has a roughness to his hands, a small scar that runs along his jaw. A few marks on his body. He gets his hands dirty; he doesn’t send men in to do the work.
I don't think Sal could say the same. If you asked me, that is part of why his family has stayed at the level they are at. They could never face off with the men in my family, so it's best to come for me. I would be a quick way in. I know that's what Sal is truly after. I'm sure it helps that I'm conventionally pretty.
I am also a bit of a rarity with my background, having blond hair, blue eyes and a softer complexion. It often makes me stand out in a room at a lot of these parties, except for the bigger ones when some of the men bring their mistresses instead of wives.
"Sal, I'm not searching for a husband." I’m upfront and honest, not wanting to drag this out or let Sal think he even stands a chance. It takes everything in me not to say that I already have one. That would surely end this.
"You haven't even given this a shot. Take a chance to get to know me." He steps closer, making me do the same but in the other direction. My back is almost to the wall now. "We make sense."