Total pages in book: 118
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 109674 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 548(@200wpm)___ 439(@250wpm)___ 366(@300wpm)
She swallowed but gave a terse nod. She looked like she would have agreed to anything at that moment. It usually took hours of torture to get people to this point, but I supposed she would have gladly suffered torture to save her son.
“You and your son have a target on your heads, even if you change your name or pretend you’re a bartending single mom. This poses a threat to the Camorra and Amelia’s happiness, which is why I can’t allow it.”
She tilted her head with a puzzled look. “How’s Amelia?”
“You can ask her yourself,” I clipped. “I expect you to move into the house I pick and accept the bodyguards I send you. You won’t work unless it’s something I approve, and you’ll get the money you need to live a luxurious life.”
“I don’t have to move back into the manor?”
“No, it’s Amelia’s and my home.”
She smiled in a way that suggested she wasn’t happy at all. “I doubt Amelia sees it as that. She despises that place as much as I do.”
I gritted my teeth. “Your opinion on the matter is of no importance.”
She pressed her lips together and leaned her head against the window, wrapping her arms around herself. “Just tell me that you made them suffer.”
“Your husband’s chimps ripped them apart,” I said.
Her eyes grew wide, then a small smile played across her face. “Good. Those beasts terrified me. I know these men had horrible last moments. I wish I could have seen it.”
“There’s footage of their ripped-apart bodies on almost every news station. Search the internet,” Niccolo said.
Flavia smiled. “I’d like to see it later.”
Niccolo raised an eyebrow. “I didn’t expect you to take me up on the offer.”
“I was Achille’s wife.”
Flavia and I exchanged a look. She, too, had suffered under Achille Lamorgese’s hand, which was why I didn’t dislike her as much as I should for helping Amelia hide from me.
“You are his wife,” I reminded her. “He’s still alive.”
Her face fell, eyes lighting up with dread.
“He’s as good as dead, and not even a sliver of the man he used to be. I can declare him dead if you want to be free of him officially.”
“Yes, that’s what I’d prefer,” she pressed out. Her eyes searched mine as if she hoped to find an answer in them. “Amelia wants him gone.”
I looked away before my rage could make me lose control. Flavia didn’t say anything else. Maybe she realized the danger she was in.
After we arrived at the mansion, Niccolo and I led Flavia toward the guest bedroom. He probably wanted to make sure she didn’t touch me again.
I knocked, then opened the door. The room was still brightly lit as it had been when I’d left. Amelia lifted her head, her eyes heavy with sleep. The moment she spotted Flavia, her face crumpled, and she started crying. Flavia rushed in and hugged Amelia, then lay down beside her sleeping son and kissed his entire face.
Amelia gave me a quick smile before she looked back at Flavia. She probably wouldn’t join me in bed tonight.
I closed the door.
“That’s the family reunion I would have loved to have,” Niccolo said with a chuckle.
I frowned at my cousin. “When I first saw you, I wasn’t sure if you had betrayed me. Count yourself lucky I didn’t kill you.”
Niccolo sighed. “All right, all right. I guess you not killing me is good enough then. Get some sleep. You look like death warmed over.”
He turned and left.
I leaned against the door. Returning to our empty bedroom didn’t sound enticing at all. There was no way I would find any sleep without Amelia beside me.
Pushing away from the door, I headed into the basement instead. Lamorgese needed to hear the good news of his nephew’s brutal death.
Lamorgese jerked away when I reached his cell. He struggled into a sitting position on his cot and eyed me fearfully. His patchy beard was matted in places, and strands of unwashed hair stuck to his forehead.
“Your pet chimps ripped apart your nephews and his accomplices.”
He didn’t say anything. “I hope the boy died too, so my whorish ex-wife suffers the rest of her life.”
I cocked an eyebrow at his cruel words. Not that I had expected anything less from a man like him. “The boy’s your son too, but I reckon that doesn’t mean much to you. You only love yourself, don’t you?” I leaned one shoulder against the bars and crossed my arms over my bare chest.
“Don’t talk about love as if you know what it is.”
I moved my hand toward the lock, causing Lamorgese to fall silent and wince. Smirking, I dropped my hand. “Your son is fine, and so is your wife. She sleeps upstairs in one of our guest bedrooms and was happy to hear that you are suffering.”