Cruel Intentions

JAN

he was on the verge of saying something but never did. Mom looked

finish the painting I began this morning. Now that I was finished with

hroat. "We need

hadn't hit me like it should have, considering our planned future, but I'd only met him once and that had been many years ago. Mom had been th

nd you a n

ed off soon, but given my age, I was hoping they would hav

t burst out of Mom

My late fiancé had only been the son of a Captain,

o my age, but came up empty-handed. "Who is

Famiglia had lost his wife and was now left to raise his two little kids alone. Speculations on how and why his wife had died were rampant, but only the Capo knew the details. Some said Mancini had killed his wife in a

r than me," I s

dra. He's a man in his

t him. He didn't know me. And what was

ng of two important families

id to me about Damion Mancini was that Phoenix made him Underboss because the

giving me to

excitement, all the details m

r your birthd

become of age. It's not like we're

that snappiness before you meet Damion. A

the table. Mom was likely the d

g to better our posi

start looking for a location. Thi

trophy in a dog show. Noticing my sour expression, she frowned. "I

, Josephine," D

d young, not sophist

, he should stop robbin

e I would single-handedly put her into an earl

ense into your daughter. You know Damion. I always told you to be st

red smile. "Your mother onl

standing. How's marrying a cr

standing. "Let's take

e air was warm and humid and hit me like a wrecking ba

to men. Wasn't Phoenix around his age? Thinking of my cousin wasn

His brown eyes softened. "Don't look at me like I betrayed

hat's what you called

. "To his men and t

e killed her? Or abused her so horribly that she took her

en you so scared." He sighed. "Phoenix assured me

n't you tell me he's tryin

have told y

to Mrs. Mancini? You know how it is. Even a

ion won't lay a hand on you if

onest, he wasn't someone who would risk getting into a conflict he would lose. Phoenix pre

to meet yo

back, shocke