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“Okay.” I hang up and stare at the phone.
“Oh my God, even his voice is hot, Holly. No wonder you’re smitten. Okay, so you guys really do love each other—thank God. But we still have to pretend he’s dead, right?”
“Yeah. Why?”
“Because you’re a young, heartbroken widow, who married a billionaire. I mean, I’m assuming from his closet and this jet that he’s loaded. So… we, sister, are going to burn a hole in that man’s credit card. We’re going shopping,” she squeals.
“I’m not sure how shopping is meant to help me grieve.”
“It won’t. It’s a distraction. Come on, we need to go and buckle up so we can land.” I slip the burner into my pocket and follow Reilly back into the cabin. Everyone is waiting on us. “Sorry, she’s a pain in the ass to wake up,” she offers, taking the seat closest to Bray.
I sit next to Neo, who is still typing shit on his phone. “Did you leave a special lady behind?” I probe.
“Nope.” He answers by tucking the device into his jacket.
“Okay. Ah, when we land, what are we doing with everyone? I could get away with taking you to my parents’ house but not the rest of them.” I really didn’t think this out.
“You can’t stay at your parents’ place, Holly. It’s not secure enough. Don’t worry, Theo bought a compound in the city, the day after he met you. I thought he was crazy at the time, but I guess it’s coming in handy now.”
“He bought a compound? Like a house? In Sydney? Why?”
“Because he’s a lovesick fool with way too much money to burn.”
“Huh. When you saytoo muchmoney… T gave me these cards with my name on them, but I haven’t used them yet. Any idea what their limits are, or how I find out?”
Neo looks at me like I’ve lost my mind. “Are the cards black?”
“Yes.”
“There is no limit, Holly.”
“What do you mean there’s no limit? Everything has a limit.”
“Have you really not checked out your husband’s finances? I know for a fact he put your name down on all the accounts. You have access to everything.”
I shrug. “I’ve never thought about it before. I don’t need his money, Neo.”
ChapterEleven
I’m on cloud nine after speaking to Holly. This not being able to hold her, to kiss her whenever I want, it’s getting old. I’m like a fucking junkie, going through withdrawals and scrambling for any tiny crumb I can get. And at the moment, those tiny crumbs consist of a text message or a short phone call. It’s fucked up. Just when I found her, we’re pulled apart by external forces. I need to focus. Because I know at the end of this job, I’ll be going home to my wife.
I’m heading into that seedy strip club—the one John Junior was known to patronize. I don’t understand why someone with so much wealth at their disposal would come to a place like this. He could afford high-class hookers if that was what he was into. I show my fake ID to the bouncer, and he lets me pass without even glancing at it. Either I look fucking old, or they just don’t care.
I probably look like I’m fucking fifty with the bags under my eyes. I haven’t been sleeping. I’ve been lucky to catch a good three hours a night. Without my wife next to me, I can’t fucking settle. Before Holly, I’d never slept next to a woman. And now I fucking need that woman to be able to sleep. Whatever hold she has on me, it runs fucking deep. And I’m not about to cut that cord.
I head for the bar and order a whisky—in English. I’ll let everyone think I’m a tourist, visiting the birthplace of his ancestors. The patrons will be more loose-lipped around me if they think I can’t speak the language. I may have been born in the US, but make no mistake, my family’s legacy still ties back to Sicily. The Valentino family is well known in the homeland. My uncle is currently a Don there. I could tell him I’m close by, and I’d have everything at my disposal.
As much as I trust my family, there is always that little bit of doubt in the back of my mind. I find it hard to believe that the Sicilian connections didn’t know what John Junior was into with that Irish fucker. I just don’t understand why they haven’t put a stop to it yet. It concerns their daughters, their sisters, their granddaughters, their cousins—all being kidnapped off the street and sold. Those girls I saw were natives, either to the islands or the mainland. Their pleas were uttered in fluent Italian.
I wonder if the team I sent into that warehouse got them out. I need to check in with Neo to determine the fallout… The other three wanted me to forget those girls and move on to the bigger fish here. The problem was:I couldn’t forget.I hope my cousin got to them before the auction took place.
After thirty minutes of sitting at this rundown bar, two overweight slobs—in suits that hang off their shoulders—sit down next to me. One of them turns and grunts, “Come va?”How are you?
I screw my face up in confusion before calling out to the bartender. “Another one.”
The newcomers scrutinize me for a moment before turning back around and going about their conversation. I pull out my phone and hold it to my ear. “Babe, I’ll be back soon. I’m just picking up some food,” I say and hang up. The men next to me chuckle and make a comment about Americans.
I listen in on their exchange as best I can with the music blaring. I feign disinterest and scroll through my phone. I’m looking at photos of Holly, pictures I took when she wasn’t watching. Ones of her working in my office and ones of her sleeping. I love capturing her likeness in those moments when she’s not aware I’m observing her. These images are pure, raw, and fucking gorgeous.
