Total pages in book: 181
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 171979 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 860(@200wpm)___ 688(@250wpm)___ 573(@300wpm)
When she went to protest again, it was Sal who stopped her from arguing by nudging her along.
Knowing she had pressed her luck too far on that subject, she still dared to ask a different question. “Can I at least keep my bat?”
Lucca’s deadly smile continued as he looked over at Sal and said, “Be my guest.”
Wow. This might be better than prison after all—
“Oh, and, Valerie,” Lucca said, stopping them before they left, “you have my full permission to use it on any of my men that you see fit.”
Way better than prison.
But before the door could close, he finally spared one of his men.
“Anyone but Sal.”
Damn, you can’t win ’em all.
TWELVE
CHIN UP
Valerie wasn’t sure what to expect before Sal opened the door to his penthouse. The city lights glowed through the floor-to-ceiling windows and highlighted his decor. While the luxuriousness of the space was over the top, his furniture was understated with warm neutrals and touches of navy-blue hues. It was truly breathtaking and yet somehow felt like home for a space that should feel a bit pretentious.
In disbelief at the sight, she barely could get her words out. “A-And you live here?”
Shutting the door behind him, he nodded. “Yes.”
“This is nice.” Clearly finding her voice, she dropped her bat and made herself right at home by throwing herself down on the lush couch. She felt the luxe material, thinking she could get used to this. The futon she had been sleeping on, she wasn’t sure she could go back to after a night on this bad boy.
Looking back over at Sal, she could see he fit in his surroundings here better. How she hadn’t noticed he didn’t belong on Prairie Drive sooner, she would never understand. It was like witnessing the difference between Clark Kent and Superman in real life. It wasn’t just the glasses that made all the difference; it was the personality—no, the confidence.
Every piece of new information about him made him more enigmatic to her, and she needed to know more. The real question, however, was: Clark Kent hid who he was because of his powers …
So, what is Salvatore hiding?
“Do all the men who work for Lucca get a room at the Casino Hotel, or just you?”
The nonchalant way she tried to play it off didn’t work. Sal could see her curiosity behind her eyes, while behind his, he contemplated what he could or couldn’t reveal.
“Come on.” She gave him a knowing look. “I think it’s safe to say the rumors about the Carusos are true. I’ve seen behind the proverbial curtain, but don’t worry, because we both know it would do me zero favors to ever spill the beans. Plus, I have absolutely no one to tell. I have no friends. Well, that’s not true. I have one friend.”
Sal laughed mockingly. “Who? Your huge boyfriend?”
“Okay, fine, so I lied about having a boyfriend. Sue me.” She shrugged the lie off quickly. “They’re just a friend I’ve been playing games with online for a couple of years now.”
Shaking his head at her, he let the big fat lie slide, considering he’d known it was bullshit, anyway. He found himself taking the chair next to the couch to ask her a question with his curiosity piqued, though he chalked that curiosity up to deciding what he should or shouldn’t reveal to her about the family. “No family?”
“Welp, my mom left to go get a pack of cigarettes, but that was when I was two—”
“Ouch.” Sal couldn’t help but feel that pain for her.
“Then there’s my father.” She adjusted, making herself more comfortable on his sofa as she freely started to overshare. “I have to give him credit for at least trying to stick around for me at that age. But, you know, it was hard for him to raise a kid, and a daughter at that, alone, so he married another woman pretty quickly after my mother left. My stepmother was nice in the beginning, but I noticed the older I got, the more she started to begrudge me for spending more time with my dad as he got me into computers and video games. She made sure to dig a wedge right into us before I turned eighteen and forced him to choose between me or her after I graduated high school. And since I was going off to college, I think he was scared of the thought of being alone again, so he decided I was the one to cut off.”
Double ouch. While Sal couldn’t relate much to that part of her story, he supposed there was the perk of his father never wanting him to begin with. “I’m sorry about your jealous bitch of a stepmother.”
“It’s okay. I guess I should be thankful she at least waited till I could go live in a dorm to do it, so I wouldn’t be homeless.”