Page 58 of Mafia Virgin (The Kings of Italy)

“Oh, you’re willing to trust me with your secrets now?”

“No, of course not.”

“So why would I tell you mine?”

Gritting my teeth, I turned a corner sharply. “You are not allowed to have secrets from me.” I don’t know why I felt this way, but I did.

“Exactly what I’d expect a narcissistic sociopath to say.”

I fought a smile. How was this girl only twenty? She was intelligent and sassy, articulate and bold. I both wanted to ask her advice and turn her over my knee. “Who do you want to call on the burner phone? Ravazzani? Your twin?”

“I won’t tell you, so stop asking.”

“Then you are eager to have my baby, no? Because if you don’t trust me, that’s what will happen.”

“No one is getting pregnant. We’re going to find a way out of this before it comes to that.”

The only way out was to end Virga’s miserable life.

But that was no easy feat, which meant I needed to keep her close. I couldn’t have her escaping or calling for help. It would ruin everything.

Clearly I’d been too lax with her. Today was proof of that.

I needed to step up my efforts to gain her obedience.

A call came in as I was driving. Zani. I pushed a button on the steering wheel. “Cosa?”

“I hear you are in Palermo chasing your wife. Che cazzo?”

“I have her in the car and I’m bringing her back to the estate.”

“Ah, good. Ciao, Emma.”

“Ciao, Zani,” my wife said.

“I hope he’s not too angry with you,” my friend said.

“He’s not,” Emma replied, sounding pleased with herself.

“He is,” I snapped. “And I’m hanging up on you.”

“Wait!” Zani rushed out. “We have that thing today. Are you meeting me after you drop her off at home?”

We were scheduled to go out into the hills to meet with one of Ravazzani’s suppliers. The idea was to lure them away from the ’Ndrangtheta and get the money back in Sicily where it belonged. “Give me a few hours.”

“He won’t be happy if we cancel.”

“No one is canceling. I’ll be ready by one o’clock.”

“Okay. Call me when you’re on the way.”

I pressed a button to hang up. I didn’t need Zani to remind me of my responsibilities. I knew them all too well.

Emma opened the pastry box and rummaged inside. She lifted out abombolonefilled with crema. “Sounds like you have a busy day planned.”

I watched her take a bite, the crema oozing all over her mouth.Fuck me. I struggled to focus on the road ahead of me as her tongue quickly lapped at the thick liquid. I wanted to lick the sugar from her lips. Then spread it all over her body and lick it off from there, too.

I stepped on the gas. “Not too busy to teach you a lesson,mia moglie innocente.”

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