Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 131455 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 657(@200wpm)___ 526(@250wpm)___ 438(@300wpm)
I can barely hear over the heavy thud of my heart by the time we stop in the circle of light thrown off by the overhead bulb. “I told you to come alone, but I figure you two are joined at the hip, so it doesn’t matter.” Sebastian looks Romero up and down, smirking.
“What’s this about?” I demand. “Tell me he’s waiting for me in there.”
He’s still smirking when he jerks his head toward the door. “See for yourself.”
“Wait.” Romero throws out an arm, blocking me. “I’d like an explanation. There’s a lot of cars out there for only a few people to be here.”
“They won’t be driving home. They won’t be driving anywhere. There are two people from Moroni’s side still breathing: Jack, and his oldest daughter.” His eyes gleam while a satisfied smile stretches his lips. “Congratulations are in order. I’m getting married.”
“He agreed to your deal?”
“Big time. He was so desperate to end you after Dominic, he would have agreed to anything. He gave me his daughter, and I was supposed to give him the men and the money to get to you.” He lifts a shoulder. “Whoops. I guess I lied.”
I can’t stand waiting any longer. “I’m going in.”
“One second.” Sebastian’s jovial smile slips, revealing the cunning animal underneath. The sight makes my hackles rise. “I’m going to need a little more than we first discussed when we made this deal.”
“Why am I not surprised?” Romero mutters, shaking his head.
“Out with it,” I urge, ignoring the comment. “What do you want?”
“Everything. I want all of Moroni’s holdings.”
Romero barely stifles a laugh, but I find no humor in this. My impulse is to agree, to give him everything and anything he wants so long as it means putting an end to this. Instead, I think back on the information we compiled on Jack’s finances, his holdings, the properties scattered over the East Coast. Compared to my empire, it’s nothing. An anthill in the shadow of an armed fortress.
But there was a reason I didn’t want the kid to get his hands on everything all at once. The fear of him becoming too powerful, too fast. Thinking back on the sum of Jack’s meager little portfolio, I feel better about the prospect. “It’s yours.”
Romero’s head swings my way. It’s either wisdom or shock that keeps his mouth closed. Not that I need to hear what he’s thinking. This is my call. This is my family. My well-deserved vengeance. “Now. Can we proceed?”
“Be my guest.” He steps aside, wearing a victorious smile, and I move forward into the brightly lit space. Instead of a massacre involving my men and my ex-wife, it’s the sight of a prone Jack Moroni that catches my eye. He’s curled on his side, hands bound behind his back, ankles bound, and a gag in his mouth. Sweat coats his skin and soaks through his suit. The blood spattered on his jacket most likely came from the dead man lying a few feet away. He’s not the only one, either, which explains the metallic tang hanging in the air. I count four dead bodies in all.
“Please… let him go…” The soft, pitiful whimpers catch my attention, drawing my gaze to a girl whose red face is swollen and slick with tears. A pair of men flank her, one hand wrapped around each arm. “Just let us go, please!!” I recognize one of the men as Damien, Sebastian’s brother.
“What do you want us to do with her?” he asks, appearing almost annoyed.
“Shhhh, we'll be leaving as soon as we finish here,” Sebastian assures her in an offhanded way. She flinches before a broken sob tears its way out of her. “Just keep ahold of her while I help our guests out.”
I turn my attention to Jack. He’s the reason I’m here after all. “Hello, Jack,” I murmur, coming to a stop in front of him. “It’s been too long. How’s the family?”
His eyes are bloodshot, making their already icy color stand out in sharp contrast as he glares at me with pure, seething hatred. Good. Let him hate me. Let him reflect on the pain he’s endured so far. I crouch slowly, my gaze locked with his. “There’s something I want you to remember for the rest of your increasingly short life: everything that’s happened to you so far is your doing. You chose to turn this into a war. You hijacked my shipments and attacked my business. You partnered up with Amanda. You kidnapped Bianca and my daughter. You set all of this into motion. There is no one to blame but yourself for what is about to happen.”
I break eye contact only long enough to look over my shoulder at the weeping girl who will soon become a Costello. “You lost your only son as a result, and you were desperate enough to hand your daughter over to a man who double-crossed you. Look at all you’ve lost. All you threw away.”