Total pages in book: 86
Estimated words: 82847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 82847 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 414(@200wpm)___ 331(@250wpm)___ 276(@300wpm)
“Who the fuck is Frankie?” Had his face been mauled by a spray of bullets?
“His daughter,” he said. “And she’s quite the looker. But if you stare for a second too long, you’ll absolutely get shot. Don Mancini is a pretty reasonable guy, but Frankie is one of his triggers, so don’t fuck with it.”
Beautiful women were as common in Sicily as wine, so I wasn’t easily impressed. “I’ll try,” I said with a voice full of sarcasm.
Salvatore stared at me for a second longer, like he wanted me to take him seriously, but decided not to waste his time. “Come on. Let’s go.” He took the lead and approached the front of the villa while I trailed behind.
It was a beautiful property, a palace in the middle of endless vineyards and olive trees, a slice of paradise in a sea of heaven. Terra-cotta pots held olive trees and colorful flowers, and there was beautiful Sicilian tile up the stairs and around the patio. I started up the stairs, and the large patio with strings of lights came into sight, an infinity pool behind it with a prime view of the vineyards in the distance.
Salvatore stopped in front of the doors and talked to some of the men stationed there. “Let Don Mancini know we’re here to see him.”
One of the guys nodded and headed inside.
I leaned against the rail and continued to look over the patio, my eye catching on a woman who left the back door and crossed the patio to one of the men who stood there with a cigar in his mouth. She held a white envelope in her hand, and when she reached him, she tapped it against his chest.
He took the envelope, peeked inside, and then slid it inside his jacket pocket.
“Wolfe.”
The woman had thick, dark hair like a traditional Italian woman. There was so much of it around her shoulders and down her back, straight and shiny, and it looked like it would feel like silk against my fingertips. She was in a Sicilian blue dress that was cinched tightly around her waist below her tits, having a petite waistline and a grown woman’s rack. A gold bracelet sat on her slender wrist, and she wore flat sandals. Even though she skipped the heels, it was obvious she had long and slender legs. She was petite but also tall, at least for a woman. I hadn’t seen her face yet, but she had this presence to her, as if she could command a room just like a man.
She continued to speak to the guy, who had to be decades older than her, but the sun seemed to bother her eyes because she pivoted her body in my direction to avoid the brightness.
A slender neckline led to a distinct but soft jawline and full lips. Really full lips, the kind that were perfect for all sorts of fun things…like kissing and sucking and fucking. Beautiful cheeks and tanned skin led to eyes that literally sparkled, even with the sun behind her. Emerald green with the quality of a flawless gemstone, they were dark with the mascara she wore, but they possessed authority…and intelligence…and a hint of sass.
“Wolfe.”
My eyes flicked to Salvatore when I noticed him walking down the stairs toward me.
He got in my face, one hand on the rail. “What the fuck did I just say?” He lowered his voice so only I could hear.
My eyes flicked to her and then back to him. “That’s her?”
“Yes.”
I gave a quiet chuckle and tried not to look at her. “Christ, you weren’t exaggerating for once.” I was tempted to look at her again, but if I stared too long, my dick would get hard, and that was the last thing I wanted right now. “At least she won’t be in the meeting. That’d be one hell of a distraction.”
“She probably will be there.”
“What? Why?”
“She’s part of the crew.”
An instantaneous attraction turned into an obsession with the snap of a finger. I hadn’t been within five feet of her, hadn’t heard a single word out of her mouth, but damn, I was hooked. I looked at her again, seeing her standing with confidence, like a woman who knew exactly how powerful she was, and then a slow grin stretched across my mouth. “Is she seeing anyone?”
Salvatore turned red in the face like he wanted to put a bullet between my eyes. Then he turned and walked back up the stairs, huffing and puffing. “You’re fucking unbelievable, you know that?”
5
FRANCESCA
I stepped through the double doors that led to the office.
“You pay Alphons?” my father barked as he leaned over the desk, searching for something in the sea of papers.
“Yes, I handled it,” I said as I moved to take a seat in the corner of the couch and crossed my legs. Leo stood against the wall, arms crossed over his chest, wearing dark gray chinos and a black t-shirt.