“Right or left?”Tony’s jaw ticked but he didn’t say a word, just sat in the chair across from his papà’s desk like he was at a board meeting. Blood dripped from his lip onto his white dress shirt, though he still wore a darkly entertained expression.So I hit him. Again.A burn traveled through my cracked knuckles.His teeth clenched, but he took it without a sound. Tony was one of those men who were so high on their own shit they couldn’t feel pain. He’d fucking feel something before I left this room.Rays of sun shone through the blinds into Salvatore’s office, lighting dust particles in the air. All the guests had filed out, and it was safe to say this lunch was a failure. Which only meant more lunches and parties I’d have to attend. None of the families wanted to risk acquainting everyone at such a large event, because shit like today could happen, before escalating into a bloodbath with women and children present.Luca stood in front of the door, his cold eyes focused on the bac
Honestly, it was hard to feel sorry for Tony. He’d cheated on Jenny with that servant, Gabriella, and I wouldn’t doubt others. I didn’t take Nicolas as a man to sleep with other men’s girlfriends for the hell of it, though, and I had a feeling... “What did you do to him?” A not-so-nice smile tugged at Tony’s lips. And there it was. There were always two sides to every story. He took another pull, and with a frown, I watched the blood drip down the side of the island and collect into a small pool. Drinking was only going to make him bleed more. I pushed off the counter and pulled the bottle straight from his lips. Whiskey splashed down his chin and chest. His eyes narrowed, but his next words were slurred. “Jesus, Mira.” He looked wasted, or really close to passing out. I unwound the shirt from his hand and recoiled. “Oh my god! You have to go to the hospital, Tony!” A bullet-shaped hole went straight through his hand, like the barrel had been placed directly in it. I covered my mouth,
His gaze flicked to the TV.“He deserved worse.”This man was going to watch the news with a fistful of my hair? My God. Maybe it was due to my head being at an awkward angle and my blood not circulating as well, but my brain wasn’t getting enough oxygen. And the fact that he smelled so good, like clean soap and man, made the corners of my vision hazy.“You’re not a judge and jury,” I breathed. His gaze came down to me.“He almost got you killed, yet you stick up for him?”“He’s my brother.” His expression hardened.“He’s an idiot.” My mamma’s voice filtered into the room from down the hall, and slowly, he unwound his fist from my hair and took a step back. A moment later, she entered the room.“Nico, I didn’t know you were coming today.” Mamma’s tone was tight.She didn’t like that he’d shot Tony either, but she must have known it was coming and hid in her room all night.“Will you be staying for lunch?”“I’m sure he’s got plenty of stuff to do, Mam.”“That sounds great, Celia.”“Gre
I just explained the plot of her book club novel.“I don’t even feel bad for not reading that one.” She hadn’t read a single one of them—I had.“Okay, I have to go,” she said, putting a heel on with one hand and an earring in with the other.“Your papa and Christopher are out, but Dominic is in the basement. Oh, and help your sister pick out her cake flavor. Tua zia Liza needs to know today. Please, Mira!” I sighed and climbed off my parents’ bed.“Leaving!” Mamma’s voice drifted out of the room.I heard a faint “finally” from my nonna as she passed the doorway with her servant Gabriella in tow. She’d gone on her afternoon walk, or, more likely, sat on the patio for five minutes of fresh air while gossiping.A couple of moments later, I pushed the kitchen door open. Adriana sat cross-legged on the counter with two plates of cake before her. Her elbows rested on her knees, and her fists were under her chin while only wearing her yellow polka-dot bikini.“What are the flavors?” I asked,
The quiet purr of an engine broke through my thoughts. My eyes flew open. Swimming toward the side, I grasped the edge of the pool and watched a shiny black car park next to Ryan’s truck. I didn’t know who it belonged to, but soon enough, the door opened, and the worst person who could show up stepped out. A cold sweat drifted through me. Disaster loomed in the distance. More blood. Young, lifeless eyes. No. It wasn’t going to happen again.I pulled myself out of the pool and headed toward the front of the house, ignoring the itch to go in the opposite direction. Nicolas held a manila envelope in one hand and shut the car door with the other. My skin buzzed with a cool sensation, and my bare feet paused at the end of the walkway. I stood there in a white bikini, soaking wet, while my heart beat a mile a minute. When his gaze finally came up to me, he stopped in his tracks. We stared at each other. He was only wearing black dress pants and a white short-sleeve shirt. I swallowed. It fe
I stopped Adriana midway and closed my eyes in disbelief.“Papà is going to kill you,” I told her.“Good,” she muttered, adding a long arc with her paintbrush to the canvas that leaned against the wall.The painting would be a rainbow if it weren’t all black. My sister had been brooding since Ryan came over. She went to her classes but otherwise stayed in her room. The week crawled by with her casting a black cloud over the house with her emo paintings and sappy music. I was beginning to feel guilty again, but there wasn’t a part of me that wanted to put myself in her place. I’d rather have a husband who wasn’t so rude, wasn’t as womanizing as I’d heard, and was truthfully less handsome. Maybe that sounded odd, but to me, it made perfect sense.Laughter filtered up the stairs, and I closed my eyes once more. Adriana’s engagement party had started five minutes ago, and she currently sat cross-legged on her floor in overalls, covered in paint. I could see Papà’s temper not far in the di
“Mira.”Warm air brushed my skin as the front door shut, and I longed to be on the other side. But instead, I smiled politely. “Oscar.”Mid-thirties, with dirty blond hair and expensive suits always worn with a colored tie, Oscar Perez was handsome in a classic and charismatic way. He never lacked female attention, yet he always lavished his on me. He worked for my papà and was often around for parties, but since we’d had nothing going on I hadn’t seen him in months, since before the incident. It was one of the biggest reliefs, but unfortunately, all good things have to come to an end.“Don’t you look as beautiful as always,” he told me, giving me a kiss on each cheek and lingering too long. “Demasiado hermosa para las palabras.”I didn’t know what he’d said, but I assumed it had something to do with my symmetrical face.I stared at his light blue tie, the color of his eyes.I hated it.He was the fairest Colombian I’d ever met, and for some reason I resented his blond, comely appeara
There was nothing wrong with her, in fact, the quiet seemed to eat at me the entire drive. And the worst thing about it was his car smelled so damn good. The events of today hit me like whiplash, leaving a numbness behind that only his masculine scent seemed to penetrate. Instead of the prickling feeling of panic, his close proximity and the idea of his hands on me were driving me insane.It was as though my body focused on the primal aspect I’d been craving so I wouldn’t be traumatized by the event. A protective mechanism.I was equating marrying Nicolas to severe trauma.Truly, it didn’t seem far apart.There was a difference between lusting after a man and wanting him to be the father of your children. The idea pulled me in two resilient directions: thrill, and terror.The feelings were so tenacious I remained only numb, leaving room for one thing. Warmth hummed between my legs, my skin a nesting ground for electricity and ice.My mamma had watched me walk out the door with Nico ca