Total pages in book: 35
Estimated words: 32879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 32879 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 164(@200wpm)___ 132(@250wpm)___ 110(@300wpm)
“What do you need me to do?” He could see this upset Hank. It was strange to watch because as far as he knew, Hank was one of the strongest men around. He was also known for being cruel, but Enzo knew he rivaled him on that score.
“I want her taken care of. I would like you to marry my daughter.”
“You want me to bring her into our world?”
“Yes, but I need you to … do it without her knowing.”
“You want me to lie.”
“Yes. I need to know she’s going to be okay, that she will be taken care of.”
This was not the favor Enzo hoped to owe. This wasn’t even close. He didn’t want to marry. There had been a couple of women lined up to marry him, but they had all ended badly, or were killed.
Many people within their world had come to think of him as a cursed man. He didn’t believe in such bullshit, but he was more than happy to allow others to believe it.
“I know this is a lot to ask, but I will provide.”
“Money is not a problem. You want her to gain the respect of one of our women, I get it. You want her to live a lie.” He stared down at the picture, into her smiling face, and nodded. “Consider it done.”
Chapter One
“Ow, fuck, that hurts.” Adele Shanks lifted her finger up to inspect the small smear of blood that suddenly appeared on her finger. She was not impressed. “Why does such a tiny cut sting!”
She wasn’t talking to anyone, but being alone in a fabric shop would do that to you. Actually, she wasn’t really alone. Martha, the owner of the shop, was behind the counter.
Adele was just losing herself in the many viscose fabrics she’d been able to find. Her mother loved to dressmake, and fortunately, that passion had extended to her, which was why she loved to shop for fabrics. She loved to make her own clothes, and she hoped to eventually extend into making lingerie, but she was a little afraid of the boobies. It had taken her a long time to perfectly fit a few patterns, like the one she was currently wearing.
One day, she hoped to be a pattern designer, but that was a long way off, because she had a pesky little problem. She hated school, and math, but mostly math. It was so strange to her, because she had no problem attempting to solve problems when it came to pattern fitting.
Shaking her head, she thought about how she loved coming to Martha’s shop. It reminded her of her mother, and today was her mother’s birthday. She had promised her she wouldn’t stay at the house moping around or mourning her by eating chocolate ice cream.
Her mother, Carla, had some stern words, and she made sure her daughter made a promise, if not a vow, to continue living her life, even after she was gone. Adele had been allowed two weeks maximum to mourn, after which she was to go into her sewing room, make a dress, and then go fabric shopping. Those were her mother’s demands, so she honored them.
She had taken the two weeks away from work, at a local bar. The owner had been nice and considerate, but it also helped that she advertised the bar on her social media. As far as Adele was concerned, she kind of had two jobs. One for the bar, the other where she posted regular vlogs and pictures about fabric hauls, current designs, and stuff like that.
The moment she thought about her vlog, she couldn’t help but wonder about her father—Hank Bianchi.
She hesitated as she reached for the viscose that had caught her eye. Her father had advised that she not do the vlogs or the social media stuff. It was the first time he’d come into her world with demands that she not do something. Adele knew who and what he was.
Her mother hadn’t been a fool and she’d told Adele everything. She knew her mother’s heart had been broken by Hank. Adele learned everything about the mafia lifestyle, and stayed as far away from it as possible. In the last two years since her mother’s death, Hank had reached out a few times. She had not stopped her social media, but it was somewhat reduced.
Nibbling her lip, she grabbed the viscose. “Fuck him.”
With four fabrics in her arms, she walked up to Martha, who had a big smile on her face.
“Any pattern ideas for these, lovely?”
“I’ve got ideas for these two, but not these. They’re just gorgeous.”
“Tell me about it. They’ve been very popular on the website as well. How much would you like of each?”
Adele gave the measurement and hummed to herself as she waited for Martha to finish cutting. She chose some buttons to go with the fabric and a couple packets of needles, as she needed them.