Total pages in book: 39
Estimated words: 36109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 36109 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 181(@200wpm)___ 144(@250wpm)___ 120(@300wpm)
Having my brother’s best friend waiting in his SUV outside the café where I was breaking up with my boyfriend “in name only” wasn’t my idea of a good time, but I didn’t have much choice. Domenico had taken my brother’s order about sticking close to me so seriously that I was lucky he hadn’t insisted on sitting right next to us.
Although my relationship with George amounted to maybe a dozen or so dates and nothing else, I was still nervous about possibly hurting him. He really was a nice guy, albeit a super boring one.
My guilt deepened over the fact that he arrived first and bought my favorite latte. I took a few sips before I gathered my courage. “I’m sorry, but I don’t think this is working. You’re a really great guy, but—”
George interrupted the flow of my words by asking, “You’re breaking up with me?”
My eyes narrowed as I gawked at him. There was no missing the relief in his voice. “Yes.”
“Okay.” He chugged the rest of his coffee and set his mug on the table between us. “You want me to grab one of those chocolate chip muffins you like so much before I go?”
This had to be the oddest breakup ever, but at least there wasn’t any drama to deal with. “No, I’m good.”
He flashed me a slight smile, got to his feet, and practically ran from the café. I followed a few minutes later, so focused on how weird that had been that I didn’t notice the guys who rushed from the alley to try to grab me. They took hold of my arms while I was still twenty feet from Domenico’s SUV, but he somehow managed to get out of the vehicle and cross the distance before they had tugged me more than a few inches. Then he made quick work of the would-be kidnappers, leaving them unconscious and bloody on the ground before he dragged me to the SUV.
“I need to get you somewhere safe while I deal with this shit,” he muttered.
“My apartment is only five minutes away, and the security system is top of the line,” I suggested.
He gripped the steering wheel so hard that his knuckles turned white. “I know. I’m the one who put it in.”
That surprised me since he could’ve ordered any of the enforcers who reported to him to do the manual labor instead. “Then I’m sure it’s the best of the best.”
“Damn straight,” he grunted.
I peeked at the odometer and squeezed my eyes shut when I realized he was going twice the speed limit. My nerves were already shot from nearly being kidnapped. I wasn’t sure that I could handle a car accident on top of that. But I didn’t complain. Not after Domenico had saved me.
We pulled up in front of my apartment building in no time at all. But things went from bad to worse as soon as we made it upstairs and could see my door…which was wide open.
“Figlio di puttana!” he hissed, pulling his Beretta from the holster on his hip. “Stay behind me but keep close.”
He cautiously entered my apartment and did a quick sweep of the living room and kitchen. Once he confirmed they were empty, he pulled a backup gun from his ankle holster and handed it to me. “You remember how to shoot?”
Normally, I’d give him a sassy retort, but I didn’t have it in me at the moment. “Yes.”
He jerked his chin toward my pantry. “Get in there and empty the magazine into anyone who comes through the door unless I’ve given you the all clear.”
“Okay.”
My pulse thumped in my ears as I crouched in the darkened space while he searched the rest of my apartment. Time moved slowly, but only a few minutes later, he called, “You’re good to come out, Gabriella.”
I scrambled to my feet and found him leaning against my counter with his cell phone to his ear. “Got bad news. Those motherfuckers tried to move against your sister. Broke into her place, and then they were waiting for her outside the café. I stopped their kidnapping attempt, but I didn’t wait around to check their identification. Getting Gabriella to safety was my priority, and I figured Marco could pull up all the security footage from that block. Tracking them down shouldn’t be hard, but it won’t keep your sister safe if he decides to send another crew after her.”
I narrowed my eyes at Domenico while my brother told him something I couldn’t hear, wondering who the heck they were talking about.
His gaze shot to me. “Are you sure you want to do that?”
Rafa must’ve said yes because Domenico moved the phone away from his ear and stabbed his finger against the screen to put it into speaker mode. “You okay, sorellina?”
“I’m confused about what’s going on and giving serious thought to shooting your best friend with his own gun, but other than that, I’m fine.”