“Welllll!” I dramatized with a long sigh. “We're friends, but not friends friends. For that, I still need a few more servings of gelato.”
“I feel like I'm being blackmailed,” he groaned. “Va bene, Margherita. It's a deal then. We'll come back to Reggio Calabria more often, sì?”
“Deal... Cupcake.”
We bickered the rest of the way, with Fabiano insisting that I could choose a more appealing food than a cupcake and me retaliating that I accepted bribes in food. We were already in Castello dell'Fiero when he promised me that the next time he took me to Reggio Calabria, we would spend the afternoon at the beach, an idea I thought was exceptional.
But as everything wonderful was short-lived, the pickup truck stopped in front of Villa Vicari and we were greeted by Luca, Gennaro, and a very murderous-looking Camillo.
Chapter 32
Camillo Vicari
July, 2025
Castello dell’Fiero, Calabria, Italy
Kissing Daisy Parker was a catastrophic mistake.
I took the American woman to Italy with the specific purpose of getting rid of her once Senator Jones' death began to fade from people's memories. According to the news and Alessandro Lombardi, my plan was unfolding as expected. The American police had already closed the case and confirmed it was suicide. Now, the ideal thing would be to wait a few months and then execute Daisy so as not to leave any witnesses or raise any suspicions.
Or that had been the plan, before I kissed her.
I let my body speak louder than reason and laid my hands on the woman I had to get rid of. And that was exactly why I was avoiding her ever since. Daisy slowly got under my skin,becoming an addiction as dangerous as any drug. So much so that before I realized it, I was waking up earlier than usual and going out onto the bedroom balcony, just to watch the morning sun glistening on her blonde hair. And at night, I would stay late at the office, staring at the CCTV cameras to make sure she returned safely from her late-night runs.
I was born into a famiglia that commercialized cocaine, yet I was never susceptible to the temptation of drugs. But there I was now, succumbing to the southern accent of an American woman, thriving on every time she called me ‘sugar’ in that honeyed voice of hers and wanting to spend time with her as much as possible.
In just a few days, Daisy Parker became my addiction. A drug more dangerous than any kind of cocaine.
I was forty years old. At my age and after what the past had taught me, mistakes were not repeated. Valentina was a one-time mistake. One miserable time that made me lose what I cherished the most. I would not allow history to repeat itself, even though the situation with Daisy was totally different. What I felt was purely physical, yet the American woman was still a ticking time bomb. She was the only witness to Senator Jones' murder, and then there was that friend of hers, District Attorney Olivia Goodwin.
I had to be careful. Use my brain. Ignore the urge to take her to my bed.
However, there I was at that moment. Blood pulsing through my veins and a tingling sensation tempting me to reach for mygun and blow Fabiano Mancuso's brains out for daring to open the door for Daisy right in front of me.
“Where the hell have you been?!” My voice came out louder and angrier than I had intended. Fabiano stopped halfway, looking at me and then at his uncle, his face furrowed with confusion. Daisy, on the other hand, kept walking, arms crossed over her chest and chin lifted defiantly. “I asked where you’ve been,Daisy.” I growled, lingering on her name.
She laughed sarcastically. “Excuse you?” I clenched my fists tightly, controlling the anger that sent electric shocks through my body as I imagined the most sordid scenarios starring her and Fabiano. Luca and Gennaro told me that they had been walking around the property, that Fabiano took her to see the wine presses, and that they then went on to Reggio Calabria, where they had dinner at Gennaro's son's restaurant. And I could only imagine the two of them, all over each other and strolling along Via Marina, or exchanging caresses in the restaurant, or... “As far as I know, Mr. Vicari, I'm free to go wherever I want, aren't I?”
With fury consuming me more and more, I ignored her and looked up at Fabiano. He had been brave enough to turn his charm on Daisy, but now was standing there, pale as a sheet, terrified in my presence.
He'd better be.
“Who gave you permission to take her?” I fired in Italian, not wanting Daisy to get involved.
“I was just showing her around the estate, Don Vicari,” he explained in a drawling tone.
If it weren't for Gennaro, I would have put a bullet between his eyes.
Ishould have been the one to take Daisy to Reggio Calabria.Ishould have been the one to walk with her by the sea. Not him.
Not anyone else.
“The estate doesn't extend to Reggio Calabria, nor to your cousin's restaurant.”
“No, Don Vicari. But I thought—”
“You thought...?”
