Total pages in book: 93
Estimated words: 91238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 91238 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 456(@200wpm)___ 365(@250wpm)___ 304(@300wpm)
“Not until you’re ready, if you ever are.”
“Part of me wishes you’d just be a bastard again. That’d be a lot easier.”
“Too bad. I’m a catch now.” I pull her into my arms and kiss her. “Now, do you want to order?”
“I’m not sure.” She reaches down between my legs and strokes my cock. “Did talking about being together get you hard again?”
“Yes.”
“That’s sick. Monogamy gets you off?”
“I’m definitely broken.”
“Got to admit, that’s the most attractive thing I’ve ever heard.” She kisses me, her eyes narrowing, her smile alluring. “Looks like you just earned another blowjob. Let’s see how long you take to get hard in my mouth.”
“Fuck, I think I already lost.”
But as she’s moving down, my phone starts ringing. The sound is way too loud, and Allegra pauses, frowning at the screen.
“Ignore it,” I command. “Dick. Mouth. Please.”
“Easy there.” Her smile slips. “It’s Renzo. He never calls this late.”
She’s right about that. I glance at the clock—it’s a little past eight. “He’s fine. Back to what you were doing.”
“Take the call, you horny moron. I’ll give you what you want when you’re done.”
I groan but take the offered phone. “What?” I grunt at my brother. I don’t think I’ve ever hated him more than right now.
“Gian. Are you home?”
“No, not yet.”
“Where’s Allegra?”
I hesitate. There’s a panicked tone to his voice. “She’s with me.”
“You two are safe?”
“What the fuck is going on?”
He lets out a breath. “I just got word. The Irish hit one of Don Rinaldo’s clubs forty minutes ago. Three people dead.”
“Shit.” I stare at Allegra. She’s frowning and already pulling a blanket around her body. “That’s not good.”
“It’s worse. He said there’s no chance of our alliance, and he plans on making peace with the Irish and the Russian.”
I let that sink in. My body goes numb. “That stupid motherfucker.”
“I need you to come in. We have to fix this before it gets out of hand.”
“I’m on my way.”
“And bring your wife.” He pauses and his voice is dark. “She’ll be safe here.”
“Understood.” I hang up. Allegra’s back is straight.
“What happened?”
“We got to go, baby. We’ll save the fun stuff for another time.”
“It’s that bad?”
I nod and kiss her. Bliss never lasts for long. That’s why I’ve learned to savor it when I can. “We’ll be okay. But we’ve got to go.”
Chapter 32
Allegra
The Rossi house buzzes with activity. I sit with Maddie and we try to have a normal conversation about anything but the mafia even though that feels impossible. All four brothers are locked in Renzo’s office with a few of the top Capos discussing strategy. They don’t come back out until late at night. Gian looks haggard. “We’ll stay here tonight,” he says, leading me to a guest room.
I don’t get much sleep. The vibe in the house is bad. I knew my father was unhappy about what happened with my marriage, but I kept assuming he’d get over it eventually, or at least his business sense would prevail.
This attack must’ve rattled him.
The city’s been at peace for so long. I don’t know if my dad ever wanted a war, but it found him now, and I think it forced his hand. But I don’t understand what he’s thinking.
Giving in to the Russians and the Irish now will only make the fighting worse. It’ll embolden them and make them think they can hit whoever they want, whenever they want. Dad should get tough, double down, fight right alongside the Rossi Famiglia. That’s the only way to keep the rest of his people safe.
Instead, he’s breaking, and it kills me.
“I really don’t understand,” I tell Gian in the morning. I got a few hours of sleep at best and I’m feeling awful. “Dad taught me that the only way to handle bullies is with strength. But he’s backing down.”
“He got a taste of what our alliance will mean, and he didn’t like it. I’m guessing he assumes that if he walks away before he ever really fought, it won’t look like he’s a coward. He probably thinks it’s clever.”
“But he’s wrong. If that’s what he thinks, he’s totally wrong. Everyone’s going to know what he really is now.” My heart’s breaking for my father. My stupid, selfish father. “What are we going to do?”
“You’re going to do nothing.” Gian pulls me against him. “We’ll deal with it.”
That’s not a satisfying answer. He’s up not long later, leaving me alone in bed. I shower, dress in extra clothes Maddie lent me, and wander around the house looking for her. I find her sitting out back on the porch alone with coffee.
“Morning,” she says and looks about as tired as I feel.
“Renzo okay? You guys holding up in there?”
“He’s fine. Just worried is all. It’s stressful.” She tries to smile at me. “How are you holding up? It’s your family that got attacked.”