Page 122 of The Killer Cupcake
"Time-sensitive problem. I need your help. Now,” said Nicolas.
"Too bad. Find someone else." She turned to leave.
"You're his daughter,” Nicolas called after her.
Everything stopped. "What did you say?"
“You’re his daughter,” he said.
“I told you I wasn’t having that conversation with you in the bakery. I know who my father was,” she replied.
“It’s the truth. It’s what Aunt Kathy could never tell you. That’s why they want you to read those diaries, my guess. So you can remember and tell us his secrets.”
"That's insane?—"
"You're Carmelo Ricci's daughter. The Wolf of Harlem's lost princess." His smile held secrets. "I can prove it. Unlock what your mother sealed in your mind."
Sandy's world tilted. She scanned desperately for family but found only strangers.
Nicolas's hand appeared before her, steady and sure. "My father left something behind. Something that will make you remember—everything."
Logic screamed warnings. But the more she read about her parents, the more questions she had. Sandy took his hand and let him lead her away from safety, toward whatever truth waited in the shadows.
CHAPTER 46
THE PINK LADY CLUB AND BAR 1954
Maria Ricci savored the unfamiliar sensation of happiness. Five years, she'd been Mrs. Carmelo Ricci in name only, watching her husband mourn a love that had betrayed him for a Mississippi farmer. Five years of careful moves, calculated sacrifices, and swallowed pride while he treated her like furniture in his life. But something had shifted. Last night, he'd crossed the threshold of their bedroom with purpose. He'd made love to her—not performed a duty, not maintained appearances, but claimed her as his wife. It would be the only way for her complete destruction and punishment. To give her what her heart wants and then rip it away, like she’d done to him.
She'd earned this moment through methods he'd never need to know about. After all, what were a few necessary evils compared to a lifetime of being loved?
When the car glided to a stop, Slim's familiar face appeared at her window. He opened the door with practiced grace, offering his hand.
"You look beautiful, Maria."
"Thank you, Slim." Her pulse quickened. "He's here?"
"Waiting inside."
She draped her fur stole over one shoulder and moved toward the entrance, the red dress flowing around her legs. The restaurant transformed as she entered—lights dimmed to intimate shadows, tables cleared away, hundreds of candles creating pools of golden light. A jazz quartet played something soft and smoky just for them.
Carmelo sat at the lone table, white roses spilling from a crystal vase. When his dark eyes found hers, her heart performed the same treacherous flip it had when they were teenagers and he'd first noticed her existence.
Carmelo stood, smoothed down his tie, and let his gaze travel over his wife’s attire and beauty as if impressed. Heat flooded Maria’s cheeks. He was handsome, strikingly so. All the girls in their circle of friends had crushes on Matteo, and even though they thought Nino was attractive, they found him strange. She was the one who got close enough to snag the prince.
Her cheeks flushed when he stared, and her heart pounded in her chest, but she maintained her confidence. Last night's touch—finally, after five years—had revived the dream she thought lost after he learned she had a part in revealing the twins to that colored girl he had obsessed over.
"Ti stavo aspettando,”he said in that deeply low and seductive voice.
“Well, thank you for waiting,” she replied.
She crossed the open space and approached him without hesitation, arms circling his neck as her fur stole pooled forgotten on the floor. The kiss she gave him held five years of hunger. He responded with measured control before drawing out her chair with old-world courtesy.
One of Carmelo's soldiers emerged from the kitchen, bearing plates of pasta, and moved with silent efficiency. Carmelo uncorked the wine himself.
"Hi, Jimmie," Maria offered.
Jimmie's eyes stayed down as he retreated wordlessly to the kitchen. The deliberate snub made her shoulders tighten.
