AllFreeNovel
Share Us
"Umm… I’m not Superwoman."
"You sure?" she says smugly.
"Wait." I blink. "Was that a trap? I feel like I walked into a trap."
"I’m not sure what you mean." She releases my hand and lays back against the pillow with a sigh.
"You sure you’re okay? I can call the nurse if you want more painkillers—"
"You need more painkillers? Why do you need more painkillers?" Michael strides into the room. He rounds the bed and drops into a chair next to Karma. "You okay, Beauty?" He takes her hand in his, then leans forward and surveys her features. "Are you in pain?"
"No, I’m not, Capo," she says softly.
His chest rises and falls, and he seems to be controlling his emotions with great difficulty.
"Are you sure? If there’s anything else I can do to make you more comfortable..."
She shakes her head. "I’m fine. Have you seen him yet?"
He holds her gaze. "I’m looking at you now."
A shadow crosses over her features. "He looks so much like you."
He swallows. "I almost lost you."
"But you didn’t. I’m not going anywhere, Capo. I plan to live to a ripe old age, and have more kids with you, and nag you so much you’ll wish you’d have never married me."
"There’s not a single day that goes by when I don’t thank God for bringing you to me. As for more kids—"
She lifts her fingers to his mouth. "Let’s not argue about that yet."
He seems like he’s going to argue, then shakes his head. "Fine, we won’t talk about that now. But Karma, you have to realize, I can’t let anything happen to you. If anything had happened to you—"
"Kiss me, Capo," she murmurs.
A-n-d that’s my cue. I pick up my bag, rise from my seat, and head toward the exit. I spot Hunter talking with another of the Sovrano brothers. It’s Luca. I know who he is because Karma introduced us earlier.
All of the brothers I’ve met so far are tall, dark and good-looking in that swarthy, slightly exotic way that Sicilian men seem to possess. They’re also stone-faced. And while Luca comes across as testy as them, he also possesses a streak of wickedness that marks him out as more unpredictable than the others.
Hunter is as tall as Luca, and on the face of it, more easy-going, but I’m coming to realize that’s a fallacy. His brand of charisma is more lethal, for he can hypnotize you into thinking you’re making your own decisions while, in actuality, you’re following his lead. Hunter’s brand of dominance is more dangerous, in that sense. You think you have a choice in the actions you take, but actually, it’s him influencing you to do what he wants, without you having an inkling of what he’s doing.
In a way, it’s similar to how I operate. Which is why I recognize his technique. We’re more similar than I realized; it’s what makes him such a dangerous adversary. I can anticipate his moves, as he, no doubt, can mine... I have a sense of how he thinks. And while he may often be two paces ahead of me when it comes to planning his move, I’m going to do my best to outwit him.
"Excuse me." I jut out my chin.
Luca steps aside at once. Hunter, on the other hand, stays where he is.
I glower at him.
He shoots me a lazy smile.
My blood pressure spikes. "May I pass through?" I say through gritted teeth.
"Not stopping you," he drawls.
"This isn’t the time, Hunter."
"On the contrary” —he slides a hand into the pocket of his slacks— ”I’ll take any time I meet you as the best time to try to convince you to date me."
