Total pages in book: 101
Estimated words: 93425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 93425 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 467(@200wpm)___ 374(@250wpm)___ 311(@300wpm)
I curse myself for falling for their trick. My worries had eclipsed every piece of common sense that I had. I should have called the hospital and seen if my father was there. Should have tried calling him, maybe he still has his cellphone. Instead, I jumped on a plane and rode directly into the mouth of the beast.
If I hadn’t come when they first called, would they have done something more drastic to get me down here?
I grind my teeth together. They have little they can hold over me besides my father. Just because they didn’t severely injure him, doesn’t mean they are above it. If I hadn’t come, they could have sent him to the hospital in critical condition to lure me out here.
Or worst.
They could have easily put him in the morgue if they thought the only way to get me back was to have me come and identify his body.
When I had been trying to learn everything I could about organized crime, the Lombardi family never came up. They weren’t on any public FBI watch list. There were no articles about them. I couldn’t find any arrest records. It was like they didn't exist at all. My first hope had been that my father had been wrong. Maybe something innocent had led him to misconstrue wrongly.
Not every criminal ends up on a watchlist. Some have enough money and enough connections that they can avoid the public eye. Do enough favors for people in power, donate money to the right politicians, and remain completely anonymous.
The large gates at the end of the road come into view. Armed guards stand on either side as they wave us through. I shook my head in disbelief. This house had to be better armed than some maximum security prisons. The visible security is a show of force, and I’m not stupid enough to believe they are the only security on the property. There’s more hidden within the densely packed woods. Cameras probably watch every inch of the property.
“Am I going to be allowed to see my father?” I ask him. I try not to let my voice waver, try to keep it strong. If he realizes how weak I feel, he’ll only use it to his advantage.
Enzo snorts. “I can see your father painted us in a lovely light for you, Emma, but I’m not bringing you here to be my prisoner,” he tells me. “You can see your father. You’ll be able to wander the house as you please. I’ll be more than happy to take you out and around the property.”
“So, I can leave?”
“I didn’t say that.”
“That’s the definition of prisoner.”
“Well, you’ll be the best-treated prisoner in existence. I can’t risk you taking my son from me, not again.”
We pull up to the mansion and it is everything I remember and more. Winters in New York are harsh, but you would never guess it by the state of the grounds. Everything is immaculately well-kept, making the area look like a winter wonderland.
I’ve never been inside the house. Lost my virginity on a damn bench. If the situation wasn’t so dire, I would find it comical. Never did I imagine losing my virginity outside, feet away from a party of people. I also hadn’t imagined the person I would lose it with would have been so skilled. The thought brings a blush to my cheeks. I blame the cold instead of my thoughts.
It’s a towering building. Counting the windows leads me to believe it is four stories high, and would take up at least half of a city block. It’s ostentatious. No family needs this much space. If I play my cards right, I won’t have to see Enzo.
I doubt he’ll allow that.
Eyes are peaking out from the windows near the front entrance. Our arrival is expected. I have no desire to leave the car and meet the people who share the other half of Enzo’s genetics, but I don't have a choice. When I linger too long in the car, Enzo yanks my car door open.
“You can’t hide in here forever.”
His voice is gruff, and there’s a snarl on his face. I wish it marred him, made him less attractive. It’s an unfair world that a man could be so handsome and so cruel at the same time.
I pull Matteo out of his seat in the back, tucking him in close to me to shield him away. I can’t hide him forever, especially not while we’re being held hostage. Everyone is curious about him. Still, it feels like a small piece of control that I can maintain.
Matteo must realize I need the comfort because he doesn’t resist as I pull him in close to me. Typically, he’s such an adventurous child that he wants to explore as soon as possible, but he sinks into my body. This is an unusual situation for both of us. Maybe he needs the comfort just as much as I do.