Page 1 of Unresolved

Chapter One

Evander

Icouldn’t believewhat I was seeing—whoI was seeing.

Gemma Parks.

The woman I’d loved.The one and same woman who’d broken my heart and was now laughing and talking animatedly to a man and two women as they waited for their morning coffees in front of a mobile coffee van.

My jaw clenched.Thesewere the type of people she hung out with now?They looked about as exciting as straw-stuffed scarecrows in a field.Do-gooders dressed in ill-fitting, cheap knockoff dresses and a suit.Wannabes who’d likely never make their mark on the world.

The gray, overcast morning suddenly cleared, a beam of sunlight shining down, haloing Gemma like a beacon to entice me closer.

Bitterness clogged my throat while the love-sick madness I’d managed to keep under wraps all too quickly unraveled within.I had to remind myself she’d betrayed me.That she’d walked out on me—onus—forthislife.

I lowered my binoculars and leaned back against the luxurious leather seat of my town car as anger surged.My teeth clenched together as I tried, and failed, to make sense of it all.

We’d been happy together, ecstatic.But it’d all crashed and burned the moment she’d found out I was an Agostino.Our relationship had then well and truly turned to ashes when she’d disappeared without a trace.

That she was an only child, raised by a single mother in a tiny apartment trying to make ends meet, should have made her want me twice as hard.Instead, she’d pushed me away like yesterday’s garbage, as though the wealth I made was nothing more than paper money.

How would she feel if she knew I was now the Agostino underboss?That I was second-in-charge to the don, the boss?

I blew out a harsh breath.She’d probably be nauseated, her insides twisted with disgust.That most women threw themselves at me—at any of the Agostino men—for being a mobster only added insult to injury.Now finally seeing her in person was akin to picking a scab off a deep wound and making it bleed again.

I swallowed down bile and restrained my snapping and snarling inner beast by taking deep, slow breaths.It still took every ounce of my willpower not to explode from my car and grab her, then forcibly bring her with me.Instead I concentrated on calming my adrenaline and slowing my pulse.

Had she really presumed I’d just let her go?Had she seriously hoped I’d give up on her?

Not.A.Fucking.Chance.

She’d known me well enough to realize I’d never allow that to happen.

I closed my eyes and used every one of my five senses to recollect everything about her.

Her lush coconut and vanilla scent.The soft, silky strands of her caramel colored hair that brushed my arms when I held her.Her sensual and soft lips made for kissing.Her glowing, sun-kissed skin and the smattering of freckles across her nose.The rich, clear sound of her laugh, and the taste of her as she screamed with pleasure while I licked and sucked her clit.

A flashback filled my mind, and I squirmed at the image of our sweaty bodies and tangled limbs as we made mad, passionate love.She gasped and moaned, then cried out as she came, our hearts beating furiously together even before I roared my own rapturous release.Warmth and adoration filled me, emotions mirrored in her beautiful aqua green eyes as I stared down at her staring up at me.

The memory fell away as I reopened my eyes.I blinked, disorientated, before I focused on Gemma as she accepted her coffee.The man next to her placed a proprietary arm around her waist.It didn’t matter that she stepped out of his clasp.All that mattered was the stab of jealousy plunging into my heart, the violent urge to kill the motherfucker who’d dared to touch my woman.

My breathing slowed as a smile spread across my face.It was too bad she’d run, because I really didn’t take rejection lightly.I also didn’t do rivalry.What was mine was mine.

I raised my binoculars to continue closely watching her, like a voyeur staring at his woman in a bedroom.My dick twitched as she stepped toward me, a breeze fluttering her yellow silk dress that was belted around her waist.It was so obviously an upmarket gown, one made especially for her.

Did she even realize she made the other two women look dowdy?No, she’d always been clueless about her looks, her natural beauty and style.Despite the fact her dress had been part of the wardrobe I’d bought her; she’d instinctively known which fabrics and colors suited her best.

That she hadn’t completely let me go was evident by the clothes she still wore that I’d gifted her, clothes she still apparently loved.

The man fell into step beside Gemma, brushing back his receding blond hair as he chatted to her, leaving the other two women frowning as they followed.It was apparent I wasn’t the only one pissed by the man’s blatant interest.

My stomach contracted as I watched them head toward the gallery.Gemma had been a talented artist, her landscapes nothing short of spectacular.And now?Now she wasted her life running a gallery that showcased other artists’ creations.

It sickened me knowing she’d given up on her dreams, her ambitions just to keep her identity hidden.

Just to keep me from finding her.

Warmth radiated through me.How would she feel when she finally glimpsed the unmistakable sign that I’d found her?

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