Page 111 of Broken Mafia Prince
This is a mistake. You’re making a mistake, a voice inside my head roars at me.Don’t do it!
Not for the first time, I ignore the voice. I draw in a deep breath and rise to my feet. “If my father calls, tell him that I’m with you.”
A look of incredulity clouds her face. “After everything I just told you, you’re still… Why do you have to be so stubborn?”
“I don’t know.” I grin. “It’s a creation flaw.”
“Evolution,” she retorts immediately, as I knew she would.
Our eyes meet and hold. We’re both smiling this time around, some of the tension gone.
A puff of air escapes her mouth, and eventually, she shrugs. “Fine, just be safe, okay? I hate to say I told you.”
“I heard your warning loud and clear. I’ll be safe, I promise,” I tell her, turning around and heading for the door.
“He’s just going to hurt you. The only thing Rafael Gagliardi knows how to do is break things.”
Her words give me pause. There’s a hint of something lying beneath them. Something I can’t put my finger on. I glance over my shoulder to meet her eyes, but she’s already looking away, gaze fixed on the glass of alcohol she’s swirling around. I wonder what he’s done to her. I don’t think too much about it, though. I’m too excited, nervous, and a combination of other things about seeing Raffaele again after so long.
As I make my way to the elevator. I hope his self-restraint is better than mine.
Isa is right to doubt me. I can tell myself from now until tomorrow that it’s just a discussion we’re going to have, that Ineed to find out what he knows, but the truth remains that now, even after all this time, I still want him.
No man has been able to do it for me since him.
And I have a feeling no man ever will.
37
RAFFAELE
The entire scene looks like something from a movie: a perfect blue sky, the birds chirping, and a pond with ducks floating in it. From where I’m seated, I stare out over the rolling landscape, with the A-line cabin just behind me and a majestic view of the sunset.
When Giulia gave me this address, I hadn’t thought twice about punching it into the GPS of my car and making my way here.
As soon as I stepped into the park, I was surprised by its scenic beauty. I had expected her to choose an abandoned warehouse or something similar. The fact that she chose this place makes me question everything. The location is far too romantic for the sort of discussion we’re supposed to have here.
Does she want more than just a discussion? No, I tell myself. I can’t let myself think like that, or I’ll just end up with more disappointments.
I want to see her, of course. I’ve wanted to see her since the day she walked away from me, but I can’t let myself think that this is more than it is.
But I still can’t deny the way my heart thuds in my chest, anticipation blazing through me like a fire. Isa had mentioned that she wasn’t the woman I used to know anymore, but I wonder what changes those were. Physical changes, perhaps, Or maybe more? I’m eager to find out.
A glance at my wristwatch reveals that it is forty-five minutes past the time. I’ve never known Giulia to be late.
She’s not coming, a voice in my head says.Of course she isn’t. Why would she? Remember, she doesn’t want anything to do with you. Why would she suddenly agree to meet up? She is not coming. Stop wasting your freaking time. Get the fuck up and go do what you’re supposed to do, which is run a family and a business that’s gradually taking its toll.
Ten more minutes, I tell myself.I’ll give her ten more minutes, and then I’ll leave.
Overhead, the sky is turning a stunning shade of orange and pink as the sun gradually sinks behind the clouds. I should be enjoying the scenery, but instead, all I can do is stare at my watch as the hands gradually tick down to the stipulated ten minutes I gave myself.
Eventually, the ten minutes come and go. And yet I remain where I am. Eagerness, desperation, or just plain stupidity. I don’t know which one.
She’s not coming, the voice in my head says again, and this time, I believe it.
I rise and turn around, ready to admit to myself that I am a fool and call this a loss. But then, there she is. My breath catches in my throat at the first sight of her. Perfection—that’s all I can think as I stare at her.
She’s even more striking than I remember. I take my time to take her in as she stands there watching me with an inscrutable expression.
