Total pages in book: 75
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73663 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 368(@200wpm)___ 295(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
“When I’m married to the Rinaldo girl, a lot of our problems will disappear. An alliance between the two most powerful organizations in the city will be more than enough to keep the vultures away.”
“I hope you’re right. You know the whole fucking town’s talking about the rumors, right?” He sounds like he’s grinning. “Big, bad Renzo Rossi, playboy extraordinaire, new Don of the Rossi Famiglia, never able to keep one girl in his bed for more than a night, getting hitched.”
“I’m not happy about that.”
“Yeah? Too bad, it’s a good thing. Everyone’s speculating on who the girl is.”
“Keep her name close to the chest for now. I know Rinaldo’s trying to keep it under wraps until everything’s ironed out and official.”
“I can handle that.”
“When I’m married to her, things will be easier. You’ll see.” I look out the window toward the center city buildings looming like mountains. Beyond them, South Philly disappears in a cluster of rowhomes, parks, and warehouses. My town, my people. My family’s been running this place for generations, going back to my great-grandfather. My papa was the strongest of the Rossi Dons, and he took us from third or fourth in the pecking order to standing on top.
But ever since he passed, it’s been a struggle. I don’t have the proven track record that my father does, and I find it difficult to accomplish things he pulled off with ease. Getting the other heads of the families to moderate their competitive drives, for example, or pushing the unions and the developers into giving my legal fronts favorable deals should’ve been a matter of applying a little pressure. Instead, I’m met with resistance on all sides.
Even my Capos are getting vocal about the problems. They claim the soldiers want more product to push out on the street. Which would be possible if I had an easier way of importing it. Right now, the usual pipelines are all bent sideways, the flow of heroin and meth from Mexico drying up to a trickle.
Which is why I need the river. A new method of importing. A new revenue source.
That combined with my marriage will win me the prestige I need.
A wife, an heir, and money. That’s all a man like me should want.
Instead, I keep thinking about my office manager.
Meek little Maddie with her gorgeous body.
Saul interrupts my sweet thoughts. “Alright, listen, bro, I gotta take Ma to her doctor’s appointment.”
“Update me on how that goes.”
“Will do. She’s good today, you know?”
“She usually is until it gets late.”
“True. Fucking true.” Saul clears his throat. Taking care of Mama’s appointments has been his primary role in her life and it drains him for hours after each one. He can’t stand what’s happening, like he wants to deny the truth of it. At least he’s involved: Carlo spends all his time away from the family home, and Gian’s still in denial. Stefania’s helpful, but she’s still only nineteen. I want her to focus on college and not worry about taking care of Mama.
Which means I’m left picking up the day-to-day slack. It’s not a burden—I love my family—but it’s another item on a list that only grows longer.
Saul hangs up. I’m left alone in my office, staring out the window. I try to focus on the Spire deal, except I keep coming back to Maddie.
I want that picture.
Hell, I want more—I want her to take an album, hundreds of filthy images, thousands of them. I want to enact all my dirty fantasies with that girl.
Instead, I clench my jaw, think of my arranged fiancée, and read through the file for the thousandth time.
The things I do for family.
Chapter 3
Maddie
“Ihate that I’m doing it like this.” Mark sounds distant. There’s wind in the background like he’s driving with his windows down. I can barely keep my head straight—between getting caught mid-lewd and that insane We need to talk response, I feel like my spine’s about to wriggle free from my back.
“Doing what? Where are you right now?”
“I’m on the road. Left a couple hours ago.”
“Hours? I don’t understand, are you headed down the shore or something?”
“No, Mads, I’m headed west. I got a really long drive ahead of me, and I hope you aren’t pissed, but I took the Subaru.”
“You took the—hold on, you’re driving west to where? And why did you take my car?”
“You know my Altima would never make it to California. I’m sorry, Mads, but you barely ever drive anyway, so what do you care?”
I shake my head, brain spinning. “Hold on, back up. California? Why are you driving to California?”
And why hasn’t he even mentioned the naked picture I sent him like two minutes ago?
There’s a brief pause. More wind through a window. Why the hell can’t he roll that up so I can hear him? That’s classic Mark—he’s completely oblivious to everything around him. Dependable when it comes to the big stuff, but he’s in his own little world half the time.