Page 62 of Broken Mafia Prince
My cousin looks like she’s going into cardiac arrest when I say his name, and I slap a palm over my mouth to keep back the laughter threatening to spill from my mouth.
He chuckles, the sound as smooth as silk in my ear. I tense my body to keep from shivering. “I have my ways.”
“So you’re a stalker, along with your other qualifications? Does your father know you’re too overqualified for the mafia?” I drawl. “Or do you need me to pass along the information when I’m returning the favor of being shot at?”
“Feisty as ever, Giulia.”
My jaw grinds together. “Are you going to tell me why you’re calling?”
He makes a humming sound that does something to my insides. “And if I say it’s because I miss you?”
Suddenly, it’s difficult to breathe properly, and everything inside me freezes, except for the butterflies in my stomach that take flight with vigor.
20
RAFFAELE
“I’m too busy for your games, Raffaele,” she says after a brief pause. “And don’t waste your breath trying to flirt with me, it won’t work.”
“What makes you think I’m trying to flirt with you?” I grin. “You’re not my type.”
She snorts. “I know that. Your type is a woman who asks how high when you say jump.”
I pity the man who will ever try to order Giulia around. She’s stubborn enough to do the complete opposite to show that she can’t be bossed around. Calling her a handful is like calling the Pacific a pool. My blood heats in my veins as I imagine spreading out the fiery brunette in my bed and turning her into a needy mess.
I hurriedly push the image off, trying to bring my brain back to the present and the dire situation at hand. I should be telling her about the Syndicate’s plot, but a part of me wants to taunt her, to hear her explode, to feel that fire she tries so hard to keep banked.
“I don’t think I’ve ever had to tell a woman to jump in bed, but I’ll try it out and let you know the results.”
She mutters something inaudible under her breath, and I hear a woman’s muffled laughter from the phone. From my extensive research, I am familiar with her cousin, Isabella Sanna, and it must be her in the background. I wonder if Giulia’s told her about me.
“Now that I’m familiar with your bedroom activities, I’m going to hang up, and you can go ahead and lose my number,” she says flippantly.
I chuckle, glancing out of my car window. I’m parked at the side of a narrow dirt road leading away from the docks. Around me are abandoned containers and ramshackle buildings that have been abandoned since the mafia began their activities at the docks.
“But I only just got it,” I point out. “After all the stress I went through to get your number, the least you can do is indulge me for a few more days.”
I’m baiting her on purpose, and I’m not surprised when she takes the bait. “I don’t care if you had to climb up Mount Everest and battle dragons, you’re not supposed to have my number. We aren’t supposed to know each other at all.”
“Why? Because I’m a Gagliardi and you’re a Montanari?” I bite out. “I’m disappointed, Giulia.”
“Oh no, I’ve disappointed the great Raffaele Gagliardi, how am I supposed to go on?” she cries in mock sorrow.
My mouth twitches, but I instantly shut down the threatening smile. There’s nothing remotely funny about the fact that someone—or a group of someones—is trying to cause more enmity between our families, as if we don’t have more than enough to go around for a few more generations.
I can’t tell my father, because he’ll never believe that the Echelon Syndicate would do this. He still fails to understand that he’s in league with men who could give the devil a run for his money.
Enrico Montanari doesn’t strike me as the type who would want to hear about a secret plot, either. I’m not sure he will let me live long enough to even get around to mentioning a plot if I dared to show my face anywhere near him.
“We need to meet up, there’s something important you need to know,” I finally say.
“You can say it here.”
“What I want to tell you is sensitive information.” I can feel her skepticism through the phone. I have to give her a hint or she’ll never agree to meet up. “Have you heard about the Echelon Syndicate?”
“A group of greedy, bloodthirsty men who think they own the world? Yeah. What about them?”
“I believe that they’re fanning the flames of our family feud. I can’t say more than that, Giulia. Your phone might be tapped, and this line isn’t secure.”
