Read Online Revenge by Dana Delamar - Free Book Online

traitorous part of her was thinking
otherwise….
    Cool it , Kate . She was not in
the market for a new husband. Rather, she was in the market for a
divorce.
    She marched into the room and sat down behind
the desk, wanting the expanse of wood between them. There , that was better. Much better .
    He closed the door, then took the chair
across from her. “You are not actually ill, yes?”
    It was her turn to blush. “No. I needed to
speak to you. Alone.”
    He leaned forward and gestured toward her
cheek. “May I ask what happened?”
    So polite, this man. It brought tears to her
eyes. He was nothing like Vince. “I’d rather not talk about
it.”
    “Kate, per favore , allow me to be
frank. There is trouble between you and your husband, yes?”
    She kept her eyes glued to the pathetic
little plant on the corner of her desk. Her one attempt at making
the cluttered office more homey. She opened her mouth to speak and
found a lump in her throat that threatened to strangle her. Trying
to speak around it, she managed a hoarse whisper. “ Signore ,
I beg you not to mention it again.”
    He sat back. “At least call me Enrico when
you dismiss me.” He put enough lightness in his tone to tell her he
wasn’t offended. “If you did not wish to talk about your husband,
why did you want to see me?”
    “Dottor Laurio is ill. And I need my paycheck
for the month.”
    “Ah.” He reached inside his jacket pocket and
withdrew a fine leather wallet. “I assume cash will be
preferable?”
    “If you have that much on you.”
    He smiled. “How much do I owe you?” She named
the amount and watched as he counted out the bills and handed them
to her. A thick stack of euros remained in his wallet. Who the hell
carried that much cash around?
    “Is there anything else I can do for you?” he
asked.
    Kate hesitated. How did she go about asking
whether her husband was in the Mafia? Could she just come out with
it, or should she hint at the subject? It was difficult to tell
with Italians sometimes. They could be so oblique.
    Clasping her hands together on the desk, she
decided to go with the indirect approach. But first she’d put him
in the hot seat. “Why do you have all the guards with you? Usually
it’s just you and your driver. Antonio, isn’t it?”
    “Actually, Antonio is my personal bodyguard.
I have two. Ruggero is the other.”
    Kate raised an eyebrow. “You have two
bodyguards?”
    “Well, four today, but Claudio and Santino
aren’t always with me.”
    “Okay, but why are they here now ?”
    When he rubbed his chin, she heard the faint
scrape of stubble against his fingertips. “Unfortunately, Italy is
not as civilized as you might think. The Mafia has a bad habit of
kidnapping well-to-do businessmen. I received information today
that suggests I am in imminent danger. Therefore, I must have
protection. More than usual.” He let out a brief chuckle. “My
insurer would lock me up without it. It is a bit of a nuisance,
really. But there is a cost to having money.”
    “But four guards? Really?”
    “The ‘Ndrangheta has infiltrated all aspects
of society here in recent years. It is worst around Milan, but they
are here at the lake now too.”
    “N-drang-ayta? What’s that?” Kate asked, her
stomach tightening. Is this what Vince had gotten himself mixed
up in ?
    “The ‘Ndrangheta is the Calabrian Mafia. The
name means ‘The Honored Society.’”
    “So they’re not part of the Sicilian Mafia?
That’s the only one I’ve ever heard of.”
    “Yes, the ‘Ndranghetisti are separate from
Cosa Nostra. And they are much trickier for the law to stop.”
    “Why?”
    “Because the ‘Ndrangheta is organized along
family lines—blood family. Any man who is caught will not easily
turn on his father, his brothers, his cousins.”
    Interesting . Vince worked for his
uncle. It fit the profile. “How many ‘Ndrangheta families are
there?”
    “About one hundred and fifty. And each family
has a boss who has no