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Deluxe: The Mafia King's Most Prized Possession.
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The Deal With The Devil 2
VeronicaAfter lunch, Robyn started to unpack the ornaments while I went up to my bedroom to change clothes. They'd still made us wear our uniforms this morning, even though most of us were just going home for the holiday. I felt sorry for the few students who spent the holiday at school.I was at the top of the stairs when I realized I'd forgotten my purse in the foyer. I went back down to grab it, mostly wanting to check my phone for messages, when I heard a low, deep male voice I didn't recognize."It's done, old man."I froze at the bottom of the stairs. Old man?"You cannot do this."My grandfather's voice was stern, his tone angry, rattled. I'd never heard him like that before. He always spoke quietly, never raised his voice, didn't need to. In his late sixties, he was still a formidable man.My mother had been his only surviving child, and I remembered well the night I'd met my grandfather. Our parents had never brought us here, and Robyn had been a baby when he'd come to our h
The Deal With The Devil 3
VeronicaJune twenty-third. Just one week to graduation."That's all, ladies and gentlemen. Well done. We'll run through it again tomorrow."Sister Lorelai excused us, and ninety kids, this year's graduating class, broke out into chatter, our shoes loud on the wooden platform erected in the east garden of the property."There's a party at the pool later," Cathy whispered to our group of five. "Invitees are handpicked. We're all on the guest list, of course." She winked, locking arms with Mary."Swimsuit optional?" Mary asked."Absolutely!" Cathy said, leaning her head in close.They broke out in giggles. I didn't feel much like laughing myself."Veronica, come on. You've missed the last three parties! You can't not go tonight," Cathy said. "Exams are over, you have no excuse."I smiled at her, my mind elsewhere. "Sorry, tonight?"She raised her eyebrows. "Party? Boys?""Um...""I just got a new bikini in the mail yesterday!" Mary said. "I'll show you.""I'm going to run to my room fir
The Deal With The Devil 4
Veronica"Veronica."His deep, low voice made a command out of my name. I stepped into the room and closed the door behind me, keeping my hands on the doorknob at my back.He walked over to my desk and picked up the small snow globe. It was a Christmas motif. A family around a tree: mother, father and two little girls, all holding hands, forming a complete circle."Late in the year for this, isn't it?"I went to him to take it from his hands. When my fingers brushed against his, a spark of electricity jolted through me. I gasped, for a moment frozen. Blinking a few times, I finally found my voice. "That's not yours." I took the globe and set it down.He smiled, moving a little to the side, blocking me between himself and the desk. He stood too close, his body too big. He used up too much of the oxygen, so all I could do was suck in gulps of air."But you are."His gaze searched my face, settled on my mouth."Mine, I mean."My skin prickled, every nerve ending alive, my body at attenti
The Deal With The Devil 5
StefanThey think I'm the monster. The beast who would steal the innocent girl, when all along, they're the animals. He's the beast who would sell her to save his decrepit neck.I gave Sister Amelia a wink as I left. Outside, I climbed onto my bike, glancing up as I started the engine. Two faces peered out of Veronica's window, but neither belonged to her. Shifting into gear, I sped off the grounds and toward the city, needing the long ride. The freedom of speed. The danger.The last was one of the few things that cleared my head.Veronica had lost weight since last I saw her. Her face looked thinner, her uniform looser. It was expected, though. I imagined she was more than a little anxious about her future.At least I wasn't a liar, though. At least I was up front about who I was. She wasn't going anywhere worse than her home. Maybe even a little better. With me, she'd always know the truth. Life with me would not be easy, but it would be honest.Another week to wait. Then I would le
The Deal With The Devil 6
StefanThe ceremony commenced, and the hum of conversation quieted, leaving me to observe. I didn't bother to take a seat, choosing to lean against a tree behind the last row of chairs instead. Speeches were made, people applauding at the appropriate time. All very dull, quite frankly. Veronica shifted in her seat, uncomfortable, or more likely, nervous. The students stood one row at a time as names were called.Veronica's turn approached, and I straightened once she stood and glanced back. This time, her gaze met mine. Even from this distance, I saw the strange, pale caramel-colored eyes widen, the delicate skin around them puffy and pink. She'd been crying.She stumbled when the girl behind her moved faster than she did, but righted herself, looking straight ahead as she made her way to the platform. At the stairs, she stole one more glance. When they called her name, she slowly made her way across the stage, her legs seeming heavy as she took those last steps in freedom to shake th
The Deal With The Devil 7
VeronicaInside the envelope Stefan had given me were three sheets of paper, pieces taken from a larger document. When I'd asked him what it was, he'd said one word—truth. But it couldn't be that. There was no way. Grandfather wasn't that hateful. No matter what, we were his family, his only remaining family.The night I'd first met my grandfather as a child had also been the night we'd celebrated my mother's twenty-first birthday. The timing of his visit made perfect sense, now that I knew the details of my own inheritance. For as all-powerful as I'd always believed my grandfather to be, this one thing he could not control. At least not wholly. Because on my mother's twenty-first birthday, she received majority control of Kingston Winery. My grandfather was merely given an allowance that she dictated.One thing I hadn't known was that my grandfather had taken my grandmother's last name. She was Veronica Kingston, my namesake. He had never been head of the family. Not really. Even if
The Deal With The Devil 8
VeronicaThose last words he spoke so quietly, they made me stop. Made me study him, his face, his eyes, which he kept on the menu rather than looking at me. Part of me understood. I understood why he felt he had to do this. It didn't make it right, not by a long shot. And I'd still be the one punished for sins I'd not committed. I'd be the one—He cut off my thoughts when he turned to me suddenly."It doesn't have to be terrible for you. Three years, then you're free. A marriage in name only. I'll even make sure you're not out on the street afterward, if you're a good girl."The blue of his eyes shone. So much emotion swirled like a deadly twister behind them."What if I say no?" I asked.It took him a moment to answer, and he only did so after studying my face, my eyes."You already said yes.""I can change my mind.""This conversation is a waste of time. You won't change your mind, because if you do, I will destroy your family. Even if you don't care that your grandfather will rot
The Deal With The Devil 9
VeronicaBy the time we landed in Florence, we'd been traveling for over thirteen hours. The drive to the Armando property took another hour and fifteen minutes. Located outside of Florence near a town called San Gimignano, the house—or rather estate—came into view only a few minutes after we'd driven off the country road and through a large entrance, where tall iron gates stood open and stone walls separated the property from the road.We sat in the back of a dark sedan with tinted windows. As the driver took us through, I looked back at the dragons on top of the two pillars. Each was posed differently, one perched on its haunches, the other ready to take flight with its wings wide. Both had eyes that seemed to follow me.I shuddered and glanced at Stefan, who had a strange look on his face as he surveyed the land, the swelling hills, the green grass, the vast seeming acres of land."It's beautiful.""Thank you." He smiled.That was maybe the first authentic smile I'd seen from him.
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