Total pages in book: 59
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 54092 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 270(@200wpm)___ 216(@250wpm)___ 180(@300wpm)
Nothing, Amalia, I tell myself. And don't you dare forget it. Stick to the plan.
The plan. Right.
If I make it out of this alive, I'm killing Diego. We should have run when we had the chance. There's no way I'm going to get close enough to Rafael to get my hands on the information Diego wants. As soon as I get anywhere close to his office, he's going to kill me and hide my body where no one will ever find it. There will be no proving any of the Valentinos' crimes.
Just like there was never any proving their father had my parents killed. Lawyers like Diego aren't the only reason charges don't stick to men like Rafael. There is no justice when those meant to mete it out are just as guilty as those on trial. God works hard, but no one works harder than a pillar of society with a penchant for bad behavior and a reputation to protect. They hand out favors like lollipops to keep their misdeeds hidden.
"If you think Diego is going to come for me, you're wrong," I tell Rafael.
"We'll see."
"You'll see," I say. "I already know he isn't coming. We aren't that close." We are that close, but I made him swear not to come, no matter what. If he does, Rafael will kill him, and then all of this will have been for nothing.
"And yet you're here now. You're putting yourself through a lot of trouble for someone you aren't that close with, tesoro."
"It was your charming personality," I say, rolling my eyes. My stomach threatens to flutter at the term of endearment rolling from his lips. It's far more sensual than it should be. I like it far more than I should. "I just couldn't resist spending days on end being held captive by you. It seemed like such a good use of my time."
"She's going to be a problem," the man beside Rafael says suddenly. It's the first time he's spoken since Rafael escorted me to the fancy SUV ten minutes ago.
I shift my gaze from Rafael to him. He's sitting in the shadows, almost like he's trying to hide in them. Like Rafael, he's a wickedly handsome dark prince—olive skin, black hair, and chocolate eyes. He's familiar too, though I've never seen him before either. I think he's one of the younger brothers, but I'm not sure which one. Luca? Gabe? I don't know.
Even after Lorenzo and Alvise died, the hiding never really ended. Diego always worried Rafael would find out about me and come for me, just like Alvise always worried Lorenzo would.
He was right. Rafael did come. Only…we wanted him to come.
And I'm wildly out of my depth. I know nothing about his world. Nothing about the people in it. Aside from the whispers that reach me, these men are strangers to me, complete unknowns. Diego rarely spoke of them after Alvise died, refusing to let this part of his life touch me.
The other man's lips quirk into an amused smirk when he sees me glaring at him.
It looks natural on him, which surprises me. When Rafael smiled, it looked sinister and unused, as if it's not something he does often. I don't get the same impression from this man. He seems less…rigid, but no less intense.
"I know she is," Rafael says.
"She has a name," I say, my voice saccharine. "And she is going to be a huge problem." I give them a blinding smile, showing my teeth. I hope Rafael takes it for the warning it is. I may have let him take me, but I'm not a complete idiot. I don't trust him. I'm not safe with him. I don't believe for one minute that Rafael won't slit my throat while I sleep if he finds out that we planned for him to take me.
My only chance here is to fight him at every available opportunity. I have to make him believe I don't want to be here…which shouldn't be hard since I don't actually want to be here. Lying might not come easy, but being a brat? Well, if he wants to call me a little tiger, I'll show him my claws. God knows, something about him makes me want to show them. Every time he looks at me, I want to misbehave just to throw his neat little world into chaos.
I don't know what that's about and I don't want to know.
"Jesus Christ," the other man says, and then exhales a sharp laugh, looking from me to his brother. "Rather you than me, brother."
"Fuck off, Luca."
"You're Luca?" I turn curious eyes on him, expecting him to look…different now that I know who he is, but he doesn't. He's second in command in the Valentino family, nearly as powerful as his brother. Yet darkness doesn't cling to him the way it does to Rafael. His amused grin still seems easy, as if he wears one often.