Total pages in book: 74
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 70928 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 355(@200wpm)___ 284(@250wpm)___ 236(@300wpm)
Only Adriano, Remo’s older brother, and I know Remo once had a crush on my sister. Unfortunately, she was already married to Will, her high school boyfriend, whom I don’t like at all.
When she told me she was marrying the spineless weasel, who knows nothing about the workings of the Cosa Nostra, we had such a big fight we almost stopped talking to each other. Dad had to play mediator between us.
I still think she could’ve done so much better, and Remo certainly would’ve been my first choice for her.
I raise an eyebrow at my friend. “Yeah?”
“I popped into the mall to upgrade my phone when I saw her walking with Asher and Talia. She looked exhausted, and when I grabbed her arm to get her attention, she almost had a heart attack.”
“So, you scared her.” I shrug to indicate I’m not following.
“She startled badly. The kids as well.” He leans forward, resting his forearms on his thighs. “My gut tells me something is wrong.”
“I’ll check in on her and the kids,” I say to set his mind at ease.
Silence falls between us for a few minutes, then he lets out a chuckle while shaking his head. “Look at us, Christiano. Pining after women who don’t want us.”
“Mine wants me. Sienna is just fighting it for some reason,” I set him straight.
“Yeah-yeah.” He climbs to his feet. “Come on. Let’s spar. I need to get rid of some energy.”
Drinking the last of the bourbon, I set the tumbler down on the glass coffee table, which is situated between the couches, and get up.
I follow Remo to his home gym, and removing my gun, I set it down on the nearest bench. We move to the mat and circle each other. Remo cracks his knuckles and flashes me a cocky grin.
“Ready?” he asks, before taunting me. “Or should I give you a minute to stretch? I don’t want you straining a muscle.”
I roll my neck and lift my fists. “Shut up and fight.”
When he lunges at me, I block his first strike, barely deflect the second, then eat the third as he gets in a punch. Pain scatters through my jaw, and I let out a chuckle.
We circle each other, our eyes locked. Suddenly, Remo feints right, but goes left, trying to catch me off guard. I duck and deliver a blow to his ribs, which has him grunting, then he retaliates with a kick to my side of my left leg.
“Asshole,” he says, hopping back to put some distance between us while he rubs the side of his chest.
“Aww…did I hurt the baby?” I taunt him with a shit-eating grin on my face.
He rushes at me again, and this time we collide hard. We struggle for control, our breathing rough and teeth bared. He sweeps my feet from under me, but I quickly twist my body, dragging him down to the floor. We roll across the mat, wrestling like we are trying to kill each other instead of burning off stress.
Remo slams his fist into my left kidney, and I shove him off of me while hissing, “Fucker. You always aim there.”
Grinning like he just won the fight, he says, “Because you hate it.”
We climb back to our feet, and as he throws another punch at me, I headbutt him.
Remo staggers two steps backward. “Ohhh, you’re so fucking dead.”
“Give it your best shot.”
He comes at me again, tackling me off my feet, and as my back plows into the mat, I laugh. I buck hard, and when Remo loses balance, I wrestle him until I’m on top. Just to fuck with him, I pat his cheek. “You were saying?”
I push to my feet, a smile tugging at my mouth. “Have you had enough?”
“Not by a long shot,” he mutters before lunging at me and delivering two blows to my left side.
I retaliate by slamming my forearm into his throat, and as he gags, I take his feet out from under him, dropping him on his ass.
Even though he’s trained well, he’s not as good as me so I take it easy on him. The last thing I want to do is seriously hurt my best friend. After we spend an hour working up a sweat, I call it a night.
While I pick up my gun from the bench, Remo catches his breath before asking, “You’ll check in on Valentina?”
“I said I would.” Knowing what his next question is going to be, I add, “And I’ll let you know if anything is wrong. Chill.”
“Chill? That’s rich coming from you.”
With a smirk, I walk out of the gym and head toward the front door. “See you next week.”
Remo and Adriano both live in cottages situated on their parents' property. The grounds are teeming with guards, and as I make my way down the path that leads to the driveway, Nico joins me.