Total pages in book: 145
Estimated words: 136915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 136915 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 685(@200wpm)___ 548(@250wpm)___ 456(@300wpm)
I could feel everyone’s gazes on me. Nobody had asked any questions yet.
I had a feeling Dad was almost scared to ask what had happened. Maybe he worried what I’d say about my feelings for Amo. Nino and Fabiano had certainly filled him in on the details. Dad had reacted with a rageful outburst.
“Luca and Romero are on their way,” Nino said in a low voice.
“With a declaration of war,” Dad said with a dark laugh.
“We have his son, it would be stupid to threaten us now,” Alessio said.
“It might be prudent to kill Amo while he’s in surgery and get us an advantage in this war,” Massimo said.
I looked up. Nino shook his head. “War would be unwise at this point.”
“Killing his son will be an advantage.”
“You don’t know Luca like Remo and I do, Massimo. Killing his son won’t slow Luca down. He’s easier to handle as long as the people he cares about are alive. Luca is the most dangerous when he doesn’t have anything to lose, and we don’t want that.”
Mom came in and glanced worriedly at me. I gave her a very weak smile so she rushed to Dad. “How is he?”
“He’ll pull through. No major arteries were involved,” Dad said, hugging Mom as she sagged against him.
“Savio said Nevio attacked Amo to protect Greta.”
“I didn’t need protection from Amo,” I said firmly.
Dad’s expression darkened in a way that resembled the look in Nevio’s eyes when he’d attacked Amo. “Nevio obviously disagreed.”
“Nevio didn’t attack because he thought I was in danger.”
“Maybe it’s a danger you can’t see,” Massimo said with a hint of condescension.
I rose to my feet. Dad approached me slowly. “What exactly has been going on between Vitiello and you?”
“Nothing,” I said. I hated lying, and I was bad at it, so Dad’s eyes narrowed. He touched my cheek. “Mia cara, you know you can tell us anything. There’s nothing we can’t protect you from. Even if Amo makes you believe, he might have something over you, believe me there’s nothing he can do.”
Dad, like probably the rest of them, thought Amo had set his eyes on me and was trying to manipulate me into becoming his wife. They couldn’t imagine that I had fallen for him.
I glanced at Amo’s door. I wasn’t sure if the truth would improve Amo’s situation.
“He’s engaged,” Alessio said. “He’s probably just trying to have some fun before marriage.”
Dad’s eyes flashed. “Did he touch you?”
“Remo,” Mom said softly, seeing my expression. She took my hand and pulled me aside. “Greta, you know you can tell me anything.”
“Nothing happened between us. We only talked. We enjoyed each other’s company, that’s all.”
I couldn’t share our kiss with anyone.
Dad looked at Amo’s door. I stepped in front of it out of reflex.
“So that’s the side you’re picking?” Alessio asked, his eyebrows rising in challenge.
“I’m not picking a side, because I don’t have to. I’ve always been and will always be a Falcone. Las Vegas is my home. There’s nothing between Amo and me and there won’t ever be. I’m just making sure we won’t declare war to the Famiglia.”
Dad cupped my face, searching my eyes. “You swear that Amo didn’t do anything?”
“He didn’t do anything except ask me to become his wife. He wants to strengthen the Famiglia I suppose and he doesn’t like Cressida very much.”
Dad looked at me a bit longer but seemed unable to detect the lie, maybe because for once, I’d wrapped it up in truths.
“Nevio attacked a future Capo in our territory,” Nino said. “Luca won’t be impressed. If we don’t want war, we need to consider our options.”
“If Amo dies under surgery, there’ll be war no matter what we do,” Dad said.
My heart squeezed tightly. I couldn’t even imagine Amo’s death without feeling like following him into the dark as well.
“Amo won’t die,” I said simply. “Nor will Nevio. They’ll both live.”
Mom took my hand, running her thumb over my knuckles in a way that had always calmed me, but even that wasn’t working in my current state.
Dad glanced at Nino. I could see that they thought war was inevitable. Tension had been rising for years. Mainly because Nevio and Amo couldn’t stand each other. Everyone expected war to break out once they both came to power.
“I’m scared, Mom,” I whispered when Dad, Nino, Massimo and Alessio had walked away to discuss strategies.
“Nevio is strong. He won’t die.”
“I know,” I said. “Neither of them will die. I’m scared of my heart, of the havoc it can wreak.”
“What happened?”
“Nothing. Nevio attacked before anything could happen, but Amo was going to kiss me and I would have let him.”
Mom couldn’t hide her surprise. “Okay. You and him?”
Was there Amo and me? It felt like we were over before we could ever happen. “We can’t be.”
“Because he’s engaged.”
“Because I’m Greta Falcone and he’s Amo Vitiello.”