Fearless: Mob Boss Book Two (Volume 2)
Page 19
It might have been true in the beginning, when she’d been driven more by fury than ambition. But her anger had fueled a sustained determination to dismantle the machine that had taken Nico from her and ruined her chances of having a normal life. That had traumatized David to the point that he could hardly leave the brownstone even now, months after Dante kidnapped him and cut off two of his fingers in an effort to gain control of the New York territory.
Dante had been the instrument, but he hadn’t been alone. Men had defected from every family in the months before Nico’s death. All of them had worked with Dante in one capacity of another. Offered him help, support, resources. She had made it her mission to destroy every one of them.
She was learning the books at Rossi development inside and out. Learning where the money was hidden, how it was laundered. Learning which cops were on the payroll, which men had aided her father in the murder of Nico’s parents. And now she knew who was involved in the most despicable of the Syndicate’s income streams—child pornography, human trafficking, bad loans to people who were already down on their luck, identity theft of innocent people.
She was slowly picking at the threads that would unravel everything.
She sat up as something rustled nearby. Was it outside the office? The janitors usually didn’t come until later, and everyone else was gone except Luca. He rarely left her alone, and when he did go back to the apartment he was renting downtown, he made sure Marco or Elia had eyes on her. It had been disconcerting at first, but she’d gotten used to it. After what happened in Los Angeles, she didn’t trust anyone, and she needed to stay alive long enough to finish the job she’d started and make sure David was back on his feet.
She heard the sound again, then saw something shift out of the corner of her eye. She stood, heart pounding, and reached for the gun she’d set on the coffee table before she’d gone to sleep. She’d rejected David’s suggestion that she might have PTSD, too. That she could benefit from counseling. She’d gone to the shooting range instead, hired an instructor, practiced until she had a ninety percent kill ratio at seventy-five feet.
She scanned the office, her eyes coming to rest on a shadowy figure leaning against the wall across from her.
She raised the gun, thumbed off the safety. “I suggest you identify yourself,” she said. “Unless you’d like your DNA to do it for you.”
The figure stepped forward, arms raised in surrender, hands empty. But that was all easy to register, easier than the face that slowly came into view in the faint light spilling from the lamp on the desk.
She shook her head. “It… It can’t be.”
He stepped closer, and she was assaulted by the smell of him, the scent of leather and soap and something else now. Pine?
He gently took the gun from her hand and set it back on the coffee table. Then he met her gaze, and she knew it was true. His face was thinner, but it was him, the amber eyes piercing hers in the darkness, the set of his shoulders as uncompromising as ever under his white T-shirt and a familiar leather jacket.
He touched his knuckles to her face, ran them gently down her cheek, his eyes locked on hers. She couldn’t breathe, didn’t dare move. She registered with detachment that her face was wet, tears streaming from her eyes.
“I’m sorry, Angel,” he said.
She lifted a hand and cracked it hard across his face.
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS
Since beginning this journey with Ruthless, I’ve been fortunate enough to meet countless people who have supported me in ways big and small.
Special thanks go to friend, mentor, and author M.J. Rose, who continues to light the way by supporting and encouraging countless writers with her own special brand of kindness and innovation. I don’t know where I would be without her, and without AuthorBuzz, who gave Ruthless the push it needed to land in the hands of so many readers its first month.
Much gratitude to all the romance writers in the Indie community who have gone before me and have shared information on covers, formatting, readership, and marketing. I’m not sure I’ve ever met a more generous group of people. It feels in many ways like coming home.
Thanks to Caitlin Greer for her beautiful formatting, and to Laura Benson for line editing, both of which had to occur on a very tight deadline. You guys have the patience of saints!
Thanks also to Isabel Robello for my gorgeous covers (and for also being patient when I change my mind—I’m sensing a theme here). Can’t wait to get started on covers for the next series!
Thank you to Kenneth, Rebekah, Andrew, and Caroline, who graciously gave up a lot of summer fun so I could get the Mob Boss books out on time, and who cheerfully listen to me talk about characters, plot summaries, deadlines, and marketing. It’s pretty awesome when your kids care enough to ask, “How’s the book doing, Mom?”
And of course, my biggest thanks of all go to you, dear reader, for taking a chance on my books, rooting for Nico and Angel, spreading the word, reviewing online, and warming my heart with your enthusiasm and support. I mean this in the most literal sense possible…
I couldn’t do it without you.
Table of Contents
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Sneak Peek at LAWLESS: Mob Boss book 3
Acknowledgments