Total pages in book: 137
Estimated words: 132791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 132791 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 664(@200wpm)___ 531(@250wpm)___ 443(@300wpm)
His words, calm and deadly, brushed right past me. He plucked two small glasses and a bottle of Amaro del Capo from a mini freezer, returning to his seat and setting the glasses in front of us. His knees gave out, buckling him back into the seat. His fingers trembled against the bottle of liquor. I wasn’t about to offer him help. I wouldn’t piss on a Ferrante if one was on fire. It was a matter of principle.
Vello filled the glasses halfway. I snapped my fingers and motioned upward.
“Keep going. I’ve a feeling I’m going to need it.”
He filled my cup until the liquid sloshed over. I picked it up and downed it in one gulp, slamming it against the table. “Why am I here?”
“Lila is pregnant,” he announced, reaching for an engraved box. He produced a Cuban cigar, ran it under his nose, and bit off the tip with a scowl.
“I see.” I ran my tongue across my teeth, considering the information. “Who the fuck is Lila?”
Whoever she was, I hadn’t done the impregnating. I’d sampled my fair share of Camorra princesses, but never in the traditional, baby-making ways.
“Raffaella. Lila. My daughter.” Vello’s molars ground into dust.
Ah. Raffaella. The youngest. Mentally three, the lads at the poker tables whispered. Which still put her a few dozen IQ points above Enzo.
“Congratulations?” I yawned.
“Che idiota.” Achilles scrubbed his face with his hand.
“That’s a bit harsh.” I tsked. “She’s your sister, after all.”
The taunt made Achilles bulldoze in my direction. Fintan lunged to his feet, blocking his way to me.
“Another move toward my brother and you’ll be God’s problem.”
“Sit your ass down, Fintan. You’re not even a made man.” Luca’s voice dripped in disdain.
I toyed with the ring on my pinky, still annoyed I left a perfectly poured pint of Guinness for this shit.
“Lila was raped during Luca’s wedding,” Vello provided.
Everyone in the room shifted uncomfortably. Mrs. Ferrante let out a strangled sob. Fuck’s sake. Was there a bottom line to all of this?
And then Vello stared at me in a way that indicated the bottom line might be that I did the raping.
“Don’t look at me. I’ve very few red lines, but raping children is one of them.” I tapped my pinky ring. “Besides, I only do blowies and anal. Less chance of giving the woman an orgasm.”
Vello screwed his fingers into his eye sockets. Luca stared at the ceiling. Enzo looked like he was about to hurl his knife straight between my eyes.
“I pray for your soul,” Chiara muttered.
“Don’t have one, but cheers.”
“Actually, the fact most people in the underworld would believe you’re a child rapist is exactly why you’re here,” Achilles said.
“I already told you; you’ve got the wrong guy.”
“You’re not being blamed for anything, son,” Da clarified.
“Doesn’t sound like it.” I thunked my glass Vello’s way, signaling for him to top me up. “Happy to do a paternity test.”
Vello pushed another glassful of alcohol toward me, staring at me shrewdly. “That won’t be necessary.”
“Do you guys think it’s a Camorrista?” my twin sister asked curiously. “A turncoat?”
Luca dragged a hand over his face. “We’re still connecting the dots.”
“And you need someone discreet to find the rapist?” Tierney guessed. “Is that why you called us here?”
It made sense they wouldn’t task one of their own with the job. This was a PR catastrophe for a crime family who made a living being feared.
“I can hunt him down,” I offered. “But I charge up front, and I ain’t cheap.”
Vello chuckled, staring me down like I offered him a hearty bowl of vomit. “If I wanted an assassin, I’d hire Tristan Hale. I only work with the best.”
Hale did make an art of killing people, but I wouldn’t say he was better. We had different execution styles. Mine was more eccentric. I liked to put forth my imaginative nature. Besides, Hale was a masked man. No one knew what he looked like. Technically, I could be him.
“So.” I twirled the liquor in my small glass, staring down at it with boredom. “You gonna tell me why I’m here, or beat around the bush for another hour?”
“We want you to marry Lila,” Vello said.
I ceased the twirling. Stared him down. I knew he was losing the battle to whatever the fuck was killing him. Didn’t realize he also lost his faculties.
“Marry my daughter, Callaghan. Claim the baby as your heir.”
“No,” I said simply.
“Wait!” Tierney lurched forward in her seat. “W—wait. Hear him out.”
I shot a glare at my family. My father shrugged.
“People will believe you’re ruthless enough to take someone like…Miss Ferrante.” He cleared his throat. “You thrive off your merciless reputation. This’ll serve you well. We’ll have Ferrante business, connections, resources. They’ll open up the port for us. We’ll be able to get shipments from Europe. Unchecked.”
The PANYNJ was riding our ass six ways from Sunday, confiscating my drug shipments on a regular basis. The Ferrantes had no such problem. They owned the port, organization, and workers’ union.