Total pages in book: 84
Estimated words: 79524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 79524 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 398(@200wpm)___ 318(@250wpm)___ 265(@300wpm)
“She was promised to me. And when she’s ready, I will tell her everything she doesn’t know. But until then, I need you to stay out of it. I need you to trust me. I won’t hurt her anymore. I won’t kill her. And I damn sure won’t let her run. Gianna is mine, and my queen has a lot to learn. I won’t let her slip through my fingers. Not again.”
I stumble backwards, gaping.
“What the hell are you doing out here?” I spin around rapidly and meet Patanza’s eyes. Hers are narrowed, her arched eyebrows pinned together.
“I was in the other room,” I state quickly, pointing at the guest bedroom I was in. “There was something I forgot.”
She looks me over with her narrowed gaze, but doesn’t speak.
I return to Draco’s bedroom and push the door open, but not before looking back at Patanza. She walks forward and shoos me in, and then shuts the door behind me.
I slump down on the edge of the bed, staring down at my red toenails. I don’t know what the hell I just heard. I was promised to him? Why would Daddy promise me to a man like him?
He knew I loved Toni. Is that why Draco killed him? Because I was in love with another man but was promised to him?
Is he really that fucking insane? Toni couldn’t help it, and neither could I. Daddy wasn’t a fan of us at first either, but I told him I loved Toni, and he eased up on the idea of us as a couple. He grew to respect it . . . or so I thought.
But now that I think about it, Daddy never really liked being around us. He accepted it, but he didn’t like it. Whenever Toni came over, he would pull him to the side or put him on a quick run with one of his people, just to keep him away from me for as long as possible.
And of course Toni had to listen. Daddy was pretty much his boss. Toni ran his own side jobs, but he worked mainly for Daddy. Most of his money came from the almighty Lion.
I hear footsteps outside my door and then I hear Draco speaking.
“Have you checked on her?” he asks.
“No, Jefe,” Patanza says, and relief washes over me. I don’t know why she’s protecting me so much lately. I’m surprised she’s not snitching on me like Bain or the maids.
“Go take a break if you need it,” he tells her. “Eat. Wash. Do whatever you need to do. I’ve got her covered for the rest of the night.”
“Yes, sir.”
I hear Patanza stroll off, and it doesn’t take long at all for the door to open and for him to step inside. He looks me right in the eyes while shutting the door behind him, and his lips press together as he walks to the middle of the room, looking me over.
“I’m not taking you to the cells tomorrow,” he declares.
I frown, sitting up straight. “What? Why not?”
“Because you’re not ready.”
“Yes, I am!”
He blinks slowly. “No, you’re not, and I won’t argue with you about it.” He turns and walks to the bathroom, unbuttoning his shirt along the way.
I hop off the bed and follow him inside. “Draco, I’m ready. I swear!”
“You want to speak to your friend. I’m not stupid.” He looks at me, eyes hard like steel. “One of my men watches the tapes from the camera we have down there. He informed me not too long ago that you two got along really well in there. Lots of whispering, but never loud enough for them to be able to hear you. I thought nothing of it, until we heard him call you by your full name last night.”
I swallow the bile in my throat, backing away.
“For the record, his name is not Ronaldo,” he informs me.
“Then what is it?”
He gives me a thorough sideways glance before responding. “Henry Ricci.”
“Ricci?” I gasp.
“Blood of your ex-husband’s. His second cousin, actually.”
“Why do you have him?” I ask.
He slides out of his shirt and places it on top of the counter. He then turns and walks to the shower to turn it on. “He was spying on me. I caught him.”
“And you cut off his arms for that?”
“Can’t hold cameras anymore, can he?”
I shake my head, walking forward. “Did Toni tell him to watch you?”
“No, actually. Your father gave the order a few months before he passed away.”
“How do you know this?” I fold my arms, wary of his next answer.
“He told me—Lion did. About a week before he died, when he realized Henry wasn’t answering his phone. Claimed he was checking up on me to make sure I wasn’t causing too much trouble. Wanted to make sure I wasn’t doing anything too stupid down here.”