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Land of Dragon 45
And finally, at the other end of the table, is my uncle Franco. He sits there, overseeing my family, like he owns the place. After our father died when I was fourteen, which was six years ago, Franco moved in and took over as head of the business my father left behind. I know the business is shady. I’ve heard the words “mob boss” and “Mafia” thrown around enough times to understand, but I don’t ask too many questions. It’s not really proper for the women in my life to ask questions about such things.Gemma sits down next to her husband, Viktor, who’s honestly one of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen. I always find myself tongue-tied around him.Viktor shoots me a grin. “Hey, Franny. How’s it going?”“Uh, good. I just got back,” I manage to say. See? Tongue- tied. And it’s not because I have a crush on Viktor. I don’t. It’s more that Viktor is one of the only people to actually acknowledge me when I’m in a room, and it always startles me. I’m dragged out of my safe hiding place of b
Land of Dragon 46
FrancescaI leave for the airport this morning, and no one woke to say goodbye. I’m used to it by now. My siblings are busy with their own lives, and I’m ok with that. It would just be nicefor my mom to say goodbye before I leave, but she doesn’t even make the effort to come down and see me off.I think back to a few days ago when I saw Franco hit her. I still haven’t asked her about it. I want to make sure she’s ok, but I keep holding back. It’s cowardice. I just don’t know how to talk to my mother.I say a quiet goodbye to the house before meeting George outside. He’s driving me to the airport. “Ready to go, Francesca?”“I am, George.”He puts my bag away for me. “You know, I’m going to miss you.”“It’s too bad you can’t come with me, but you have your family here to be with.”We both get into the car and head for the airport. New York in the early morning hours is at its quietest, even though the occasional horn and roar of a garbage truck can be heard. The snow makes everything
Land of Dragon 47
LA IS SURPRISINGLY cold when I land. It’s the winter, after all, but without all the snow, looks are deceiving. I wrap my jacket around myself, waiting for Emilia and Marco to pick me up. I wait and wait and wait.Checking the time, it’s well past the hour they were supposed to come for me. I try to keep my tears back. I’m just exhausted after traveling and dealing with all the people. It’s so draining for me.When another half hour passes, I decide to just get a taxi and head for Emilia and Marco’s house. It takes another hour to get to their place, and once I see the familiar Spanish-style mansion, I feel instantly better. I can’t wait to snuggle into my new bed with a good book about Greek sculptures.I knock on the door when I arrive. A middle-aged woman answers. “Yes?”“Uh, I’m Francesca. Is Emilia and Marco home?”“Yes, they are. May I ask your business with them.”“I’m Emilia’s sister,” I say with a frown. “I’m here to stay with them for a while.”She motions me inside. “I’ll l
Land of Dragon 48
LeoFrancesca Moretti is a pretty little thing. I can’t stop thinking about her pretty face as sit down in my brand- new therapist’s office. Today is a special occasion. Thetherapist before me is Dr. Elizabeth Shay. In her fifties, she has a golden bob and a pearl necklace. She reminds me more of a country club trophy wife than a therapist. I chose her for a reason.“Hello, Leo.” She takes a seat across from me, her Prada heels crossed at her ankles. Her office smells faintly like vanilla. Must be used to calm the crazies who come in here. The thing is, I’m not crazy. I have a purpose. “Since today is our first session together, I thought you could tell me why you wanted to see me. What are you hoping to get out of therapy?”“I need help. I’m struggling, you see, because I’m in need of a good woman.”Dr. Shay nods, keeping her expression neutral. “And what makes you feel like you need a good woman in your life?”“I’m a bit of a womanizer.” I wink at her. “Like your shoes by the way.
Land of Dragon 49
“THAT WAS COLD, MAN,” Henry says, taking a sip of his beer. We’re at some dive bar Marco owns. The barstools are falling apart, and the bar is always stained with something sticky, but out of all of Marco’s properties, this one is my favorite. It even beats out the nicer ones he owns. Henry is one of Marco’s employees, just like me, but as Marco’s second in command, I outrank every one of Marco’s other employees. I have the job they all want and know they’ll never get. “Cold.” He laughs softly.“What can I say? I love doing it. It’s fun to mess with women like that.”“I get it.” Henry smiles widely, showing off his insanely white teeth. Like, dude goes to the fucking dentist every week and uses whitening strips every day type of white. His tan skin and dark hair just make his teeth look even brighter. “If I had your charm, I’d fuck my way through every woman in this city.”“It’s not my charm. Henry. It’s my looks.” I take a swig of my beer and dodge Henry’s hand as it comes for the ba
Land of Dragon 50
FrancescaMy father, Riccardo Moretti, knew how to light up a room. When he was home, that is. Most days, he’d be busy with work, but on the odd day he’d have off,he’d make sure to spend it with my siblings and me.I was never forgotten when it came to him. The last memory I have of him still sticks with me to this day. I was fourteen at the time.He was in the kitchen, trying to pour himself a glass of orange juice, but his hands were shaking too much. Riccardo looked years younger than he really was, but at that moment, he seemed to age twenty years.No one else was in the there at the time, so I approached him, offering to help pour his juice. He gave me a kind smile. “No, Fran. I need to do this. I can’t have you and the rest of the family doing everything for me. I’m still the man of the house. I need to act like it.”I rested my hand on his, and his hand instantly stopped shaking. “Dad, let me help you.”After looking at me for a moment, he relented. “All right. Thank you, hone
Land of Dragon 51
I FORCE myself to join Emilia and Marco for dinner when the time comes. They’ve let me stay in their house. I need to show them my gratitude.I freeze when I reach the foyer and see Leo coming into the house. I try to walk past him without him noticing, but he calls out to me. Why is it that I’m normally ignored, but the one time I actually want to be, the person I don’t want to talk to notices me?With a deep breath for courage, I turn to face Leo. “Hello.” “Trying to sneak away from me?” He saunters up to mewith a charming smile. “I have to say, I’m offended. I thoughtyou Moretti girls had more manners than that.” “Sorry,” I apologize instinctually.He leans in closer, and I resist the urge to step back. “You don’t actually have to apologize for that. In fact, I should be the one apologizing. My comments to you yesterday were rude. I shouldn’t have spoken to you like that. You’re a guest here. Shit, you’re Marco’s family now. So, I’m sorry.”I don’t know what to say. He sounds sin
Land of Dragon 52
Leo“Who doesn’t love being told their beautiful?” I ask, gripping my beer.Henry snickers beside me. “I guess your usualcharms won’t work on her. You’ll have to think outside the box with this one.” He motions for the bartender to send another beer his way.“Francesca is a mystery, man.” I shake my head as I take a sip of my drink. “I don’t understand her.”“Well, you haven’t really tried yet. You’ve had what? One conversation? And you expected the girl to just fall into your arms?” Henry snorts, grabbing the beer the bartender hands him. “Maybe you’re not as smart as I thought you were.” A woman across the bar throws a smile in Henry’s direction. “Listen, man. I have a beautiful woman eyeing me up, so I’m gonna talk to her instead of listening to you whine about Francesca.”“I’ll have to think of a way to seduce her that doesn’t make her run from me.”Henry pats my back. “You do that.” He saunters over to the woman, leaving me alone.Fine. I’m determined to win this bet, but France