“To live a better life. Make money somehow. Live here forever.” Away from my mother.
“You’re not here because of any family?”
Technically I am here because of my mother but I shake my head. I don’t want this handsome, kind man to know about her. It would spoil everything.
“It’s just you?” he asks in disbelief.
“Yes.”
“Well… you’re going to make this easy for me.”
I frown. “I don’t understand.”
He flashes me another kind smile. “I know we just met but I can assure you, I am not going to hurt you. You’re tired. I can tell. Why don’t you sleep in one of my guest rooms for the night? You can take a bath. Eat. It’s clear you need it.”
I sag against the counter. “You would do that? Really?”
“Yes. You’re a surprise… Emma.” He says my name like he’s testing it on his lips.
“Thank you.”
“Let me show you to your room. You can stay the whole night. I’ll give you space. I don’t want to scare you.”
“You don’t scare me,” I blurt out. “You saved me. You’re a kind man. I knew kind men existed.” Despite what my mother would have me believe.
Leo’s smile wavers for just a second. “Yes, well…” He clears his throat. “Let me show you to your room.” He leads me upstairs to an elegant bedroom with a large white bed. It’s more nice thanmy own small bedroom back home. That place had a small cot that would hurt my back every night.
“The bathroom is in there.” He points to a room attached to the bedroom. “I’ll see you in the morning.” He shuts the door behind him as he leaves. I breathe out. A good, kind man. Who would have expected I would find one my first night in this city?
I let out a happy gasp and rush to the bathroom where I take a long bath, letting the worries of the past day melt away. I’m being taken care of. All will go right.
I just had to hope and pray hard enough and it worked out for me.
Leo
What would the chances be that the woman I had been searching for would show up on my doorstep, needing my help?
My hand tightens on the glass of whiskey I had to pour after giving Emma Greco my guest bedroom. Emma fucking Greco.
The daughter of Alessandro Greco and niece to Giovanni Greco.
The memory of my boss, Gabriel, shooting Giovanni in the head still lingers in my mind. It was a happy day... until Alessandro Greco decided he wanted to come for what his brother had left behind.
I suggested to Gabriel that we find Alessandro’s daughter and keep her captive to hold Alessandro at bay from attacking us butGabriel was against the idea. After he fell in love with his wife, he told me he didn’t want to hurt any more innocent women.
But how can the daughter of Alessandro and the niece of Giovanni be innocent? When Giovanni was a monster who killed Gabriel’s entire family? When Alessandro stood back and didn’t stop his brother?
Gabriel may have learned to move on and forget but I haven’t. Alessandro wants to bring a war to our doorstep and I have to do anything I can to prevent it.
It’s fate that the woman I needed showed up tonight. Emma Greco doesn’t know that I’m not a good, kind man. That in fact, I’m a mafia man intend on destroying her life.
Chapter Two
Leo
Idon’t tell Gabriel about Emma when we meet up to discuss her father, Alessandro.
Gabriel Romano sits in the very back booth of his restaurant, framed by two security guards. I’m welcomed in right away as his right hand man. The scar that runs across Gabriel’s face is prominent but it’s one that I don’t even notice anymore given how long we’ve been friends and co-workers.
