Total pages in book: 105
Estimated words: 103124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 103124 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 516(@200wpm)___ 412(@250wpm)___ 344(@300wpm)
Several miles down the road, the cab suddenly swerves to the curb, and Bella exits and disappears inside the all-night bodega. Mateo stops on the other side of the street, and from my vantage point, I watch her select a bottle of wine off the shelf. She begins to walk away but thinks better of it and turns back to grab a second bottle of wine.
A small smile plays on my lips but quickly vanishes.
She makes her purchase, then returns to the yellow cab.
It’s a ten-minute drive to her loft in Greenwich Village. By the time we arrive, it’s raining, and heavy drops thrum against the roof of the Escalade as I watch her step onto the drenched sidewalk and stop.
I expect her to disappear inside her apartment building. But she doesn’t.
Instead, as the cab pulls away, she stands in the rain and tips her head back as far as she can to catch the raindrops on her face. Her eyes close, and a small smile spreads across her wet lips as she holds her hands out to her side and twirls.
Inside my chest, my black heart twists at the tiny display of happiness.
I lean forward as if I’m leaning closer to her and watch her red-gold curls dampen and disappear under the weight of the rainwater until her hair hangs in long tendrils down her back.
She’s soaking wet but still twirling. Though her eyes are open now and looking up at the rain falling through the ribbons of light from the streetlight.
She laughs, and even though I can’t hear it, I feel it all the way down to my dark soul. I can’t look away. I’m utterly mesmerized, and the sudden ache to taste the rain on her pink lips is crushing.
I sit back.
Best not to think those things.
Especially considering what I have planned for her.
She stops suddenly, as if she’s aware of my presence, and stares into the dark street, searching for what is out of place. The smile falls from her lips, and she looks unsure. Afraid.
And she should be.
Because I’m the monster hiding in the shadows just out of view.
And I’m coming for her.
8
Bella
“So what do you know about him?” Imogen asks, taking a sip of her wine. We’re sitting in a booth at our favorite bar in the Lower East Side called Humpty’s. It’s a dark and moody cocktail den with masculine leather booths, terrazzo floors, and cute lanterns on the tables.
When I told her I needed to see her, I suggested we meet somewhere where alcohol was in vast supply. Humpty’s is popular with the lunchtime crowd who enjoy liquid with their lunch.
“Only that he’s an asshole forcing me to marry him,” I reply.
“What else?”
“Do I need to know anything else?”
“Have you googled him?”
For the past ten years, I’ve resisted googling him.
“No.” I almost drain my glass with the huge mouthful of wine I take. “My first instinct when my father and godfather told me I was to marry a monster was to call you.”
“So let me get this straight, he says if you marry him, he’ll end ten years of bloodshed and forget the debt.”
“Yes.”
Her eyes gleam. “I knew your daddy was still in the business.”
I cock an eyebrow at her. “You’re not helping.”
Imogen whips out her phone and starts looking while I finish my wine in another mouthful.
“Oh my God, Bella…” She looks at me, her face drained of all expression. “He’s the most beautiful human being in the world.”
I squeeze my eyes closed. “Don’t say that.”
“Oh wow! He owns a gazillion businesses around town.” She keeps reading from the screen. “It says he’s taken New York by storm since arriving in town eighteen months ago. They say he has the Midas touch because everything he touches turns to gold. I knew his face looked familiar. He’s been all over the papers and magazines.”
A strange tingle takes up in my stomach.
“Look!” she insists.
When I open my eyes, she holds up her phone so I can see a photo. And there he is, looking back at me from the screen in all his custom-suit glory.
My jaw tightens.
Blackmailing son of a bitch.
I signal the server for another drink while Imogen keeps cyberstalking my future husband.
Just as my drink arrives, a stunning blonde appears at our booth. She is clutching a massive planner.
“Bella?”
“Yes.”
She thrusts an elegant hand at me. “My name is Anastacia. I’m Domenico’s assistant.”
Cautiously, I accept her hand. “Nice to meet you.”
She smiles, but it’s aloof. “Domenico suggested I introduce myself since we’ll be spending some time together in the future.”
“Nico knows I’m here?” I glance around the room but can’t see him. “How?”
Her smile doesn’t waver, but it doesn’t reach her eyes either. “He owns this place.”
Of course, he does.
She glances at one of the CCTV cameras in the corner of the room. Cameras I’ve never noticed before.