Alessia
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Idrag myself out ofthe stupor of seeing them and try to pull myself together.
Aunt Martina’s voice cracks in my head with all the rules I have to follow in their company: always submissive and demure, head bowed, softly spoken, kneeling when I’m told without question, as if they’re kings with more money than God.Well, they are kings in a way; they’re certainly dressed that way in their designer black suits that do nothing to hide the virility and masculinity of their bodies, I guess.But they’re the kings of the underground mafia world, not my world.
I raise my chin, square my shoulders, straighten my spine, and open my mouth to speak, except nothing comes out on my first try.I need to get my internal trembling under control.I think about Gianna and the farm and how vital my mission is to ensure we can finally be done with my crooked uncle and his abhorrent family.
“Masters,” Eileen bows her head and speaks softly.“May I present Lady Alessia, the virgin of the family Conti.Lady Alessia, Master Nico Santoro, Master Luca Armano, and Master Vincenzo Rosso.”
Okay, so the guy with the darkest eyes, the sternest jawline, and the one who makes me want to kneel without being asked is Nico.The guy with the curious gaze and calm demeanor, the one who seems to look at me and know all my secrets, is Luca.And the guy with the unbearably sexy eyes, a perpetual grin on his face, and who looks like he’s there to push my boundaries, is Vincenzo.Not that any of that matters.I think of them collectively as the Falchi.
“Lady Alessia.We’re honored you accepted our invitation,” Nico says, and the commanding, deep, rough tones of his voice catch me off guard and displace me so far outside of myself that I whip my head back up to look at him so I can find my way back again.
What?No.
“Welcome toDeflorare,” Vincenzo says, offering me a smile that makes my heart beat even faster.His voice is deep and velvety but also dark and sultry, and the lazy grin on his face carries into the lilt as well.And he makes my nipples sing.
Just no.
Yes, the cabin is calledDeflorare, and I’ve been avoiding taking its literal meaning.Well, not me, and not today.
“We hope you found everything to your liking.”Soothing gentleness lines the rough gravel in Luca’s voice, and he makes it known he is intrigued by me.“Have you eaten?”he adds, and his magnetic pull makes me think he cares about my well-being.
Nope.
I really don’t have the time for any niceties right now, and I lurch forward before I can straighten out my thoughts.
“I understand you are busy men, and your time is of utmost importance.The same can be said for me and my time,” I say and immediately regret it, but it’s fine.They need to know, I mean business.
“That said, I’ll get to the point immediately so we can deal with this matter in a mutually beneficial way.”Okay, so I’m getting right to it all in one go.
“I have some very important information to impart...in fact, what I have to tell you is beyond important and could change the course of your lives and the status of your organization as well.Without this information, you will be facing a situation so detrimental that, personally, I’m not sure how you could undo it.
“That’s why what I have to offer you is priceless, and yet all I’m asking for is to be remunerated.An amount so inconsequential it will barely make a ripple in your multi-billion-dollar fortune.”They’re worth six hundred billion dollars, and that’s only their legitimate businesses.No one knows how much wealth they’ve amassed as the heads of the Falchi Family.In total, probably a trillion dollars.It’s obscene.
“How much do you want for this information, Alessia?”Nico asks, his thick, silky eyebrows dipping to the center of his forehead as he continues to peruse every part of me.Here I go.
“Two hundred thousand dollars.”Oh, my god.This is it.I asked them for money in exchange for information.
“Consider it done,” Vincenzo says, and I swear the man thinks I’m amusing.
“I want it in writing.”
“You have our word,” Luca says, smiling.If there’s one thing certain in the underground world, it’s that when the heads of a family give you their word, it’s binding, unbreakable, and irreversible.
Except, the forefathers of the Passero family didn’t quite abide by that rule.In this case, though, it’s different.I have to think ahead.There’s every chance they’re going to twist my head off my shoulders in a rage when I tell them of the grand scheme of my uncle’s, but, I still need that money to go to Gianna.And there’s only one man I trust to make that happen.
“I still prefer it in writing, please.”I rummage in the pocket of my skirt and pull out a sheet of paper, which I unfold.Written on the page is a one-line sentence stating that they’re contractually obligated to pay me two hundred thousand dollars.It also contains Manny’s banking details.I cleared all this with him beforehand.He thought I was insane, but I promised him my plan would work, and when it comes to protecting Gianna, everything goes.
Once the money goes into his account, it will serve as a sign to him and Gianna that my counter-plan went according to plan—and that I’m still alive and will make it back home.
I hold the sheet out, and Vincenzo takes it.
“Who is Manny Phillips?”Vincenzo asks, his jaw clenching.
“A friend I trust.”
