Lies like Rubies, Part One: A Dark, Reverse Harem, Mafia Romance (Savage Jewels Book 2) by Poppy Jacobson

Author:Poppy Jacobson [Jacobson, Poppy]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Published: 2023-04-06T16:00:00+00:00

22

LORENZO

Hearing Tony confirm he was using the port as a dowry to marry off his daughter was a punch to my gut. After all these years of protection, of caging her in and the Irish saving his ass over bad real estate investments, he’d tied the ports to Lizzie as marriage bait instead of setting up a fucking trust to let Sofia live independently. Sofia thought she appeared calm and composed, but I caught the shake in her hand when she poured a drink, the way she leaned on Ana to keep the conversation moving.

This goddamned family. I scoffed, seeing them with clearer eyes than before—the machinations to retain power, to preserve Tony’s legacy for Luca. Did Luca know? No, he couldn’t have. He’d never leave his sister hanging in the wind like that, as bait for assholes like Sergio. Would he?

And Sofia. Jesus. I understood now, better than ever, why she was made up of beautiful lies. It was clear now why she pretended to her father that she wasn’t aware that Accardi was back in town.

She knew. Fuck. Even if she didn’t have all the details, she knew Tony would be delighted to marry her to Accardi if it’d end the economic battle with the Costas. An alliance between the two families would protect everyone from the violence constantly threatening to spill over from their cold war. It would end the violence looming from the spat between Accardi and Oscuro over the missing million euro.

Oscuro’s fingers swirled lazily on her hip, sending red-hot jealousy sweeping through my chest. I didn’t understand that relationship either. Sofia was so damn composed. She worked too hard to be the perfect daughter to Tony and Patti. Why was she throwing all that away for a quick fling with this Italian gangster?

I watched the two of them more closely. Or was Oscuro’s spat with Sergio over something less tangible than stolen money? My heart thumped out of my chest as I made the connection.

When Patti invited us to move into the formal dining room for dinner, I trailed behind, waiting for Sofia, intending to escort her before Oscuro could grab her.

With a polite smile that revealed nothing of her feelings, she curled her fingers under my arm, heat sizzling between us through the layers of my clothing. “Why are you lying to your father, Miss Russo?”

She looked up at me through those gloriously long lashes. “Gonna rat me out, Lorenzo?”

“What will it take to trust me again, Miss Russo?”

Her abrupt stop yanked me backward. “Oh, Lorenzo,” she said softly, gazing up at me with eyes so blue and clear a man might believe he stared directly into her soul. I knew better. “I trust you to protect my family, no matter what. I just don’t know what you’ll do when you’re forced to choose between protecting me the way my father wants and allowing me to make my own choices.”

My heart cracked open a little more. She deserved so much better than this, and there was absolutely nothing I could do to help.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.