Total pages in book: 47
Estimated words: 46899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 46899 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 234(@200wpm)___ 188(@250wpm)___ 156(@300wpm)
“Is that why you’re always sad then? Rebellious? Getting into trouble?” I asked. “Because you’re constantly looking for a place to belong?”
“Careful, Louis, we aren’t that close, and you did have your tongue down my sister’s throat last year.”
I shrugged. “She’s married. Moved on. Everyone else has a place, a thing. I wonder…in this giant game, what’s yours? What’s your story, Tempest? Don’t you think you owe me more than vials of poison and favors?”
She turned to me, the leather made a stretching noise as she moved. “This, from the man who was only so willing to drink when told, who bent over backwards without as much as a blink, a trained assassin who’s really an innocent little lamb? I don’t buy it. We both know you need my name just as much as I need your body.”
“To infiltrate,” I said again.
“The Vescovi Family.” She finally said it. “They don’t take any made man, and they won’t take women.”
I nodded slowly. “They wouldn’t take you?”
“Not even me, not even if I promised to destroy my entire bloodline. Apparently women have no place in their ranks.”
Bastards. If anything, they should be more terrified of women—at least in my experience. I kept silent.
“Anyway, that’s where you come in, husband. Drink your poison well, sip every last drop because I’ve been told they’ll test your loyalty and if you don’t have a mild tolerance to what I’m giving you, you could die. I’ve been told every single present I give you has just enough of their fun viruses for you to learn to fight them off so that when they do finally inject you and expect you to fight, you don’t just shit your pants and cry.”
“I would never.”
“Oh, many do.”
“And once I’m in?”
“That’s if you make it.”
“I’ll make it. I don’t fail.”
The statement hung heavy between us, because I did, I had. I failed her sister, and I failed my brother all those years ago. It drove my twin insane and it drove me to vengeance, to this very seat in this car driving a mafia princess into dangerous war games she wasn’t ready to play.
You have to be ready to die for your revenge the way you’re willing to survive until you know the truth, and that’s a very complicated thing for a selfish person to do.
“So?” She crossed her arms. “Any crazy aches or pains, or are we good to walk into dangerous territory?”
“Wow and just like that, back at the original question?” I clenched the steering wheel. “Alarmingly, no warm fuzzies just exploded in my stomach. Weren’t they supposed to just hours after getting married? I signed up for at least one warm fuzzy. I could have sworn it was in the contract. Then again, no sex, arranged marriage, lots of threats, violence, and having to infiltrate a sketchy as fuck crime family might do that to someone. Just strip the warm fuzzies right away.”
She smiled over at me. “We have antacids at Dad’s house if your tummy’s upset and it needs to feel warm.”
I licked my lips and tried to appear calm even though everything within me was fighting to ask her what else was going on, what wasn’t I seeing and what the hell did Cassian have on her? Furthermore, what did he have on her family? The guy hated getting his hands dirty, he preferred to nominate volunteers by gunpoint.
Lucky me.
I was forced into becoming one because he had one thing on me—my need for the truth, my thirst for revenge. Two very dangerous combinations. I pulled to a stop in front of the massive three-story brick house. SUVs were parked around the circular driveway and a handful of armed men walked around the perimeter. Some of them were clearly part of a government security detail, which meant that Senator Abandonato was probably lurking somewhere on property. It also meant that, for now, we were safe, protected from the inside out. And nobody would be stupid enough to snoop around—not counting me. I was stupid enough to take my chances especially considering we were at Dante Alfero’s house.
Powerful. Untouchable. The GOAT? We’d see, wouldn’t we?
“We should probably go in,” Tempest finally muttered, toying with the clasp of her bracelet, a gift from one of her many admirers before she said I do? Maybe. “They’ll be expecting us to be on time, you know how the family feels about punctuality, mainly my dad. Plus, he’ll be ready to pick a fight with you.”
“Ah, yes,” I drawled out. God forbid we show up late and show the middle finger to their plethora of rules. “We don’t want to be disobedient to Daddy.”
She cut me a sideways glance of complete annoyance. “Says the man playing the doting husband so Daddy doesn’t murder you in your sleep.”
"He would never touch someone you love,” I pointed out. “Which begs the question why you’re suddenly so sure he actually might do something to us or suspect me. Must be some secrets you’ve stumbled upon, hmm Tempest? Anything you want to dump into my lap?” I finally turned to face her. “Don’t worry, I’ll give you just enough attention to make Daddy think I’m in love with you.” I released humorless chuckle. “I might even hold your hand, graze your boob… the day is young.”