Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 83248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 83248 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 416(@200wpm)___ 333(@250wpm)___ 277(@300wpm)
Thank God I went with her on the last shopping trip.
I grab a dozen eggs and other ingredients, then get to work.
Sensing Rosie, I glance over my shoulder. “How do you feel?” I ask while she goes straight for the coffee.
“Okay.”
She keeps squinting, and I stop beating the eggs. Walking to the cupboard where she keeps medicine, I open it and search through everything until I find eye drops.
As I check the expiry date, I move closer to her and say, “Tilt your head back.”
“Wait. Tissue.” She grabs one from a nearby box, then turns her face up.
I keep my touch gentle as I hold her eyes open, squeezing two drops into each one.
She blinks several times and wipes the artificial tears away. “Thanks.”
I set the eyedrops down on her kitchen table, and while I continue beating the eggs, Rosie pours two mugs of coffee. She sets one down beside me, then asks, “Where are my electronics?”
“Upstairs. The remote is in the bedroom. I’ve told everyone to leave you alone for two days.”
“That’s too…” I silence her with a shake of my head. “Fine. What are we making for breakfast?”
“You can grill sausages while I take care of the scrambled eggs.”
“And the green stuff?” she asks, eyeing the spinach.
“You will eat everything I put on your plate,” I order, my tone clearly stating I won’t take any shit from her today. “And once the food has settled, we’re running laps in the parking area to get the blood pumping through your body.”
“I can think of other things… oooh, forget I even started that sentence.”
It’s easy to guess what she was going to say.
Silence falls between us while we prepare the food, and once we’re each seated at the table with a plate of scrambled eggs, sautéed spinach and mushrooms, and turkey sausage, I ask, “What kept you so busy the past few days?”
“Someone kept trying to hack my system.” She takes a bite of the sausage. “They were good.”
“Should I be worried?”
She shakes her head. “Nah. They’re not that good.”
Hearing my phone ring, I set my cutlery down, but then Rosie lifts her eyebrows at me. “If I don’t get my phone, neither do you. As soon as you take a call, I’m going back to work.”
“You blackmailing me now?”
A grin spreads over her face. “It’s only fair. You need to rest as well.”
We continue eating, and by the time my phone rings for the sixth time, Rosie mutters, “Jesus!” She gets up from the table and walks away, and a minute later I hear her snap, “Handle the shit yourselves… Enzo is mine until I’m better… I don’t care if you’re the boss, Christiano. Do you want me to spam you with granny nudes?... Yeah, that’s what I thought.” Her tone turns sarcastic as she mutters, “Sure, I’ll tell him that. Bye.”
Rosie comes back and sits down again, and I stare at her while she takes a bite of the scrambled eggs.
When it’s clear she’s not going to say anything, I ask, “Tell me what?”
“Nothing worth repeating.” Picking up her coffee, she finishes it while meeting my stare. “I’ll run two laps.”
“Ten.”
“Hell no.” She sets the empty mug down. “Three.”
Climbing to my feet, I gather the plates. “Nine.”
“Four. That’s my final offer.”
“Five if you tell me what Christiano said.”
“Four.”
Relenting, I nod.
“He said we…” She gestures between us. “…might as well live together. You spend more time here than anywhere else.”
Shaking my head, I load everything into the dishwasher before looking at Rosie again, and noticing the tired lines on her face, I say, “Go lie down on the couch. You need more sleep.”
“I’m too tired to argue,” she sighs while getting up. As she walks to the living room, she asks, “You coming?”
“Yeah.”
We each pick a couch and slump down. I expect Rosie to put on the TV for background noise, but instead, she closes her eyes and whispers, “Thanks for being here.”
“Always.”
While she falls asleep, I stare up at the ceiling, refusing to acknowledge that my brother is right.
Chapter 9
Rosie
Since Enzo made sure I got some rest a few days ago, things have felt off between us.
I can’t place my finger on what’s changed, though.
I’m halfway through checking that all the trackers are active for every single person in the Cosa Nostra when every monitor in the control room suddenly flashes red.
A frown shoots to my forehead as I mutter, “What the hell?”
At first, I think someone is trying to hack into my system again, and my fingers fly over the keyboard, but then the exterior feeds flood my screens.
Ice pours into my veins, and my mind comes to a screeching halt as I stare at every single security camera showing sedans, Jeeps, and SUVs pulling up around my building.
Oh God!
My heart instantly sets off at a terrifying pace as I watch heavily armed men with balaclavas over their heads pour from the vehicles, spreading out with military precision.