Really Nev? π
This woman is a feisty little thing. I got that when we bumped into each other at the party but I thought it was because she was a spoiled brat. Except she's not which makes me wonder why she's acting like this towards her only other family. She hasn't stopped pounding on my chest for allowing her sister to stay. I don't get what the deal is between them. If anything I thought Marianna would be happy to see another familiar face. I wanted her to be comfortable in my house and Carina said she couldn't stay at the Lombardi mansion on her own with the men left behind. She was scared the guys might take advantage of her. And what do I get for trying to help? A hysterical woman. Grabbing both her wrists, I say "Stop it, Marianna. You're acting like a spoiled brat" "I am a spoiled brat you asshole. Tell her to leave, I don't want to stay in the same house with her" "Where will she go?" "She's free to do whatever she fucking wants. I don't care where goes but she has to leave" "Firs
The next few days pass by slowly. Marianna has been picking fights with Carina every chance she gets and they're driving me insane. I understand why their father shipped them off to different continents. On top of that, Fausto is nowhere to be seen. That bastard disappeared after stealing a huge amount of money from me. I'm trying to keep a cool head so I don't end up blowing his wife's brains out but it's not easy. It takes guts to steal from me and disappear, leaving your wife and children behind. I sent some of my guys to his house and wasn't surprised that they didn't find him there. I want to know where he got the audacity to steal from me and why he left his family behind. Normal thieves pack up everything and move before they're caught. This guy didn't even take his clothes. I'm inclined to think something happened to him but I can't make decisions based on my thoughts. I need proof. Sometimes people surprise you and I hate surprises. I need to make sure he didn't skip town wi
I can't stand living in the same house with that witch. She's driving me crazy. Already, she has everyone eating out of the palm of her hands. Aside from baking cupcakes for these morons, she's been serving them and playing miss goody two shoes. Yesterday she dressed like a slut and opened a car wash. These idle assholes spent all day watching her wiggle her ugly ass while she cleaned their cars. The day before that? She asked them if they had any dirty laundry so she could wash them along with hers. It's an act. She's pretending to be the good sister to make me look mad. And I hate that she can do whatever she wants. All the men in this house have been keeping a distance from me because De Luca told them to. He doesn't want anyone getting close to me so they wouldn't spill any secrets. Which would make sense if they acted like members of one of the biggest criminal organizations in this country. But they don't. I've been here for over a week and if I didn't know who they were I would
I knew this was some kind of trap. When Marianna told me what she heard, I told her it would be best to verify everything before reporting back to Lombardi. Men like De Luca don't go around talking about their plans openly. This might be his house, but I'm sure some deals require a great amount of secrecy in order for them to push through. In this business, there are enemies everywhere. Even walls have ears. The amount of listening devices I've found in the Lombardi mansion over the past year has been unbelievable. That's why I know De Luca wouldn't go around blurting out anything unless he was setting a trap. The plan was for me to go to the location Mari heard them talking about and see if there really was a shipment. Chances are it's a batch of drugs or guns. If we get lucky, I would follow them, see where they hide it then text her the location. After that, she would decide whether to tell her father or not. Mari is clever. I especially love how she keeps some things to herself. U
I could kill someone, anyone would do right now. Normally when someone crosses me, I just put a bullet between their eyes. Or torture them until I feel better. But this time the culprit is nowhere to be found. All I have is his wife and kids. Unless he comes back for them, they're useless to me. I hate that Fausto put me in this position. It doesn't matter if I find him or not, I will have to trust a complete stranger with my books. Finding someone I can trust again will be a pain. He used to be one of my rival's accountant. The guy tried to steal from me in a deal and I finished him off. When Fausto pleaded with me saying he could be useful, I believed him and he has never let me down until now. I hate traitors. I would prefer you try to kill me rather than betray me. If he's not dead yet, I won't feel good killing him. After all, he's served me well. But what has to happen will happen. Even if he decides to give me back the money he stole, he will still die. For both our sakes, I h
"CRIS!" Nev shouts making me press the slow-down button on the treadmill I've been running on. "What?" "I've been yelling your name for a few minutes now. Are you deaf?" God, this man has got some big balls. Talking to me like that when he knows how pissed I am right now. He should thank my mother for being alive. Mamma treats him as her own flesh and blood so I can't kill him because she will never forgive me. "What do you want, Nev?" "We found something. Come on" he walks out forcing me to follow him. We walk all the way to the front gate and I'm thinking this better be important or someone will die. To my left down the road, there is a car parked there. As much as this is private property, people, especially my enemies have the habit of strolling around the area looking for clues or just trouble. My men have strict instructions not to harm anyone unless they attack first. No need to start a war with stupid idiots who think they can get anything from walking outside my house.
Fuck, the police are not our most favorite visitors. Especially when we have five bodies to get rid of. I'm hoping they came in from the right side because Cris made a mess back there. Normally we get along well. No conflicts between us unless it's about whores and even then, I always get my way. He has this habit of treating me like his younger brother when I'm two years older than him. And I let him because I like being taken care of. What I don't like is cleaning up after him. Shooting those guys was a bad call. After we finish dealing with the police, I'll sit him down and give him a piece of my mind. Or try to because when this motherfucker is angry, his ears stop working. "Keep your cool Cris. I don't want to have to bail you out of jail" "Why the hell are the police here? Since when do they have the guts to visit my home without an invitation?" "Okay, so you're not going to calm down. I will deal with them. Don't worry" "Nev, do I look worried?" No. He looks pissed and
"Hand over that burner phone then explain to me why you three have it before I decide that I don't want to be hospitable anymore," Cris says clenching his jaw. "It was in Marianna's room. We don't know where it came from or who put it there" one of the girls speaks up. "How convenient. A phone just happens to magically appear after I've taken yours away. How stupid do you people think I am?" "Stupid enough if your own accountant steals from you" that from Paulo. It reminds me of why Cris hired him in the first place. He's got some balls. But if he knew how close Cris was to losing his shit, he wouldn't challenge him. "Listen, Paulo, I don't like you very much right now. You keep talking and you'll find yourself with a gun in your mouth" "See I don't think you have the guts to do that, De Luca. For one Marianna will kill you when she finds out" See? Clever. He's caught on to Cristiano's feelings towards Marianna and he's using them to piss him off. I'm kind of tempted to br
This doesn't look like a funeral at all. I haven't seen a single person shed a tear or even look sad. Then again, this was to be expected. Everyone is dressed in black as is custom but instead of crying they're holding glasses of champagne and wine, toasting each other. If I didn't know better, I'd think this was a party, which works for me. I can take people's condolences but they shouldn't expect me to act like a grief-stricken daughter. Deep down I'm happy Padre is dead. I hope he rots in hell. "My condolences, Miss Lombardi. Your father was a great man and he will remain in our hearts forever" a man says. We both know he's full of shit but since he is one of the men in the file Giovanni gave me, I just nod and offer him my thanks. "Thank you, Signor Conti" "Ah so you do know me" "Yes, Padre told me everything about his business partners. I hope to continue working with you in the future" "The rumor is true then? You will be taking over?" "No, I won't be taking over" I look h
I blink my eyes open. It takes a few seconds for me to recognize my surroundings which is funny because I'm home. At least that's what this house is supposed to be. My home. The place I grew up in and which should have a lot of memories. But the ones I have are those I'd rather forget. Growing up here hadn't been easy. Many are the times I wished for a family that would at least care for me. A mother that would tell me everything would be okay. I always imagined her taking my side every time Padre got mad and took his anger out on me. I try not to hold a grudge against my birth mother. I've never met her but there had to be a reason she couldn't be with me.Maybe now that Padre is dead...No. I'm not going down that road. Not when I have so much to do. I managed to get Giovanni to leave me alone yesterday but I know he's going to barge in here any minute now. I still can't believe he's dead. It all seems so surreal, like I'm dreaming and someone is going to wake me up soon. I
I take a bullet for her and this is the thanks I get. Why the hell do I still like her? I've met and been with a lot of women. I guess I'm drawn to her because I've never met anyone like her. She knows she's beautiful so flaunts it. She's unapologetic about what she did even though she should be asking for my forgiveness. Lombardi and De Luca organizations have been on opposite sides for a long time. I could easily take advantage of our rivalry and wipe her out. Even with Giovanni by her side, she's no match for me. All I have to do is convince their clients and business partners to join me. Seeing as Lombardi is dead, who would want to put their money in the hands of a woman? It wouldn't take much to convince them. But there's a part of me that hopes she succeeds so she doesn't have to be under anyone's control anymore. Lombardi never cared about any of his daughters. I'm glad Marianna has finally gotten her freedom. "How long until Nev gets here?" I ask following her into the hou
The appearance of Giovanni makes perfect sense. Every piece fits into the puzzle perfectly now. On my way here I kept wondering how she could have done it on her own. She only had Paulo and those two girls. Alone, they wouldn't have accomplished anything. Stealing merchandise from me required them to have a lot of money to begin with. They'd need trucks, a place to store the stolen goods and men. The kind that are trained and won't make mistakes. She would have also needed to pay them a good sum to work for her. I know she's Lombardi's daughter, but there's no way she would have had the money to do all that. Unless she'd been in cahoots with Carina. Now if they had my five million dollars, this could have been done easily. It wouldn't have been a problem. Except I've seen just how much Marianna hated her sister. She didn't want to live in the same house with her. Let alone striking deals with each other, I think they'd rather die than work together. But having Giovanni Balistreri on
So Padre is dead. Which means whoever gets to the house first, will have the upper hand. Most of the documents about shipments and deals are in a safe at the mansion. Everyone who knows that Padre is dead will try to get there before anyone so they can take over. The men that worked for Padre can easily be turned once they find out he's dead. They need jobs and would work for anyone who offers to pay them. Besides, anyone who refuses is bound to die. You can't be loyal to a dead man. Unless we're talking about Giovanni. He was Padre's right-hand so maybe he'll resist? Who will he pick? Right now he's the only one who can sway Padre's men. "How long until we get there?" I ask smoothing my hair back. I have absolutely no idea what I'm walking into. I don't know what I'll do if I actually get there first. Padre didn't exactly teach me anything about running an organization as big as this one. We all know how he looked down on women especially me. I would really like to give him the mi
I think I'm still in shock. Padre shot Carina. I shot him. He killed Carina. She's dead. I don't know why that is so unbelievable when this is what I was hoping for. Ever since she showed up at the house, she's been nothing but a pain in my ass. She even tried to kill me once, and I promised myself I would kill her instead. Why then can't I believe that she's dead? Before we left, I saw the light go out of her eyes. She was looking right at me when she took her last breath. It's the kind of look that will forever remain in my mind.We grew up hating each other. It was so natural to hate her because I thought she got the better end of the deal. While I was busy running around doing Padre's bidding, she was in New York, living the life I wanted. Doing what I wanted to do but couldn't. She had everything I wanted, which is funny because she thought the same thing. Carina wasn't one to keep her mouth shut. Whenever she wanted something, she came right out and said it. I know just how much
"He just shot her. He killed her" she says referring to Carina. Damiano is kneeling beside her putting pressure on her wound but she's losing a lot of blood. I don't think she's going to make it. Even so, I still ask Fabian to ask around for a doctor. "Stay out of this, De Luca. None of this is your concern" Lombardi barks. He's bleeding too because Marianna shot him in the arm but I couldn't give a flying fuck. He could drop dead for all I care. I'm afraid for Marianna. If Marino and Russo decide to retaliate, she won't walk out of this room alive. Lucky for her, those assholes have moved to a corner, separating themselves from Lombardi. "I've always known what a bastard you are and this just serves to prove how right I was. How could you shoot your fucking daughter?" "Please, let's not pretend that she's related to me in any way" he scoffs and I want to finish what Marianna started. It would be so easy to kill him right now. He's not some kind of immortal being, if he bleeds th
Stepping out of the car, I button my suit jacket and look at Fabian who nods, understanding my silent message. I don't have to tell him to be alert. We're walking into a house we've never been to before and since I sent most of my guys to go look for Nev, we're kind of at a disadvantage here. Not that I expect a war to break out here or something but it doesn't hurt to be careful. The party is well underway. I don't know why Marco went to the trouble of throwing one when he rarely does that. Something's fishy and I'm hoping I'll find out what it is before it's too late. I still haven't figured out why he met with Marianna. Did Lombardi send her? If so, why? Marco only gets involved when there is a conflict that needs resolving. We try to avoid fighting because the aftermath isn't pretty but sometimes it can't be avoided. Like now, the only reason I'm here is to ask him to stay put when I go after Lombardi. I don't want anyone getting in the middle trying to defend that bastard. It's
Later as I'm applying my makeup, I wonder how this night will end. Padre left for a business trip earlier this week which makes me feel at ease somehow. Although Marco had promised not to invite him, he still has loyal men in the circle. To avoid a heads-up, everyone's invitation was sent this morning. It gives them enough time to prepare but not enough to call Padre back. Even if they do tell him, he'll arrive there when it's already too late. At least that's what I hope. I also refrained from telling Carina anything because I know what a blabber mouth she is. Her locations were a bust which means Padre isn't happy with her. She'd do anything to get back on his good side. I'd call her a people pleaser if I didn't know she was only trying to survive. At the end of the day, she didn't ask for this. None of us did. I pick red lipstick because it's hot and I like it. Looking at myself in the mirror, I wonder if Paulo was right. Is it too much? Would it be enough to convince those bast