Blood Lust: La Famiglia De Luca:

Gabriel Kristine Allen

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 Gabriel De Luca…
Once upon a time there was a young man who thought he could save the world. Then I grew up. The
end. Turns out the world is much darker than I realized.
And now I’m part of that darkness.
As one of the youngest dons in La Cosa Nostra, I have a lot to prove. Weakness is not an option. My
father taught me to be fair, but to be ruthless—something I’m a pro at.
Until a chance meeting at an author event, of all places, and one night of anonymous, guilt-free bliss.
Weeks later, an unexpected betrayal drops her in my lap and I own everything about her for six
months. She might hate me, but our chemistry is undeniable.
She’s driving me crazy and the feelings she evokes are dangerous. They make her a liability.
Especially when I have an unknown enemy that wants nothing more than to see me devastated—and
dead.
Now I have to keep both of us safe, or die trying.
I’ll find a way, because I. Never. Lose.
 Blood Lust, 1st Edition Copyright 2023 by Kristine Allen, Demented Sons Publishing, LLC.
All Rights Reserved.

Published in the United States of America. First published February 11, 2023.
Cover Design: Clarise Tan, CT Cover Creations
Photographer: Wander Aguiar
Cover Model: Aaron G.; image licensed for use by Wander Aguiar Photography
Editing: Hot Tree Editing

Paperback ISBN-13: 978-1-953318-11-4

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Warning: This book may contain offensive language, explicit violence, adult and explicit sexual situations. Mature audiences only, 18+
years of age.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Dedication
Character List
Prologue
Chapter One
Chapter Two
Chapter Three
Chapter Four
Chapter Five
Chapter Six
Chapter Seven
Chapter Eight
Chapter Nine
Chapter Ten
Chapter Eleven
Chapter Twelve
Chapter Thirteen
Chapter Fourteen
Chapter Fifteen
Chapter Sixteen
Epilogue
Acknowledgements
Other Books by Kristine Allen
About the Author
To all of you who love a morally gray character… you are my soul sisters.
 Gabriel De Luca (Boss)
Bruno Rinaldi (Consigliere)
Pietro (Gabe’s Bodyguard)
Vittorio De Luca (Underboss)
Mario Pollinzi—Capo A
(unnamed) Capo
(unnamed) Capo
Georgio (Soldier A)
Antonio Toscano (Soldier A/Alia’s dad)
Associates
Gabriel, eight years old…

My mother was going to love the picture I was making for her. She always hung them on the
refrigerator. I was using her favorite colors, and I hadn’t gone out of the lines at all. I hoped it would
cheer her up.
There was a crash, and I jumped, crayon poised above the page, eyes wide. I climbed down
from my chair and hurried toward the sound. Mama had fallen off her rolling ladder in the library last
week. My heart pounded with worry that she’d taken a tumble again.
“You are a fucking idiot!” I heard my grandfather swear in Italian. My footsteps faltered, and I
paused as my heart tried to jump through my chest. Confusion crumpled my brow. Grandfather
wouldn’t be talking to my mother like that. He loved her. Didn’t he?
The murmur of voices was muffled by the walls, but I crept closer. Though I was frightened, I
couldn’t stop myself from picking up my pace. When I approached the door, I saw it was open a
crack. Hesitantly, I peeked through without bumping the heavy wooden sliding doors.
There was a man on the ground, and my grandfather was shaking his head.
“You’re a disgrace to the family, Antonio!” My grandfather sneered as he swung his leg back and
kicked the man. “Get your shit together or I will slit your throat.”
Grandfather hit the man and then hit him again. He kept standing him up and knocking him down
again. Horror filled me as the man’s eyes swelled shut and his arm looked funny.
I cried out when a hand went over my mouth. Then I was dragged down the hall and into my
room.
“Shhh,” I heard, then saw my dad as he faced me and crouched down to my level.
“Why did grandfather do that?” I asked through my sniffles.
“Gabriel, listen to me. One day you will take on a great responsibility. When your grandfather
steps down, if I have been a worthy man, I will take his place. After my day, I pray it will be you. We
will run the family much differently. But you must remember: if you show weakness, your enemies
will exploit that. You must be ruthless but fair. When it is my turn, I will teach you. Until then, I’m so
sorry you had to see things like that,” my father vehemently said as he crouched in front of me and
held my arms.
“Yes, Papa,” I whispered, fighting the tears that wanted to return. I trembled from head to toe, but
I couldn’t stop.
“Oh, my boy,” he said as he pulled me close in his huge embrace.
I would never forget that day.
 “It’s Time”—Imagine Dragons
My brothers and I were down in the godforsaken state of Texas to celebrate my parents’ anniversary.
Why the fuck they wanted to retire here was beyond me. It was hot as fuck, and it was only May. My
parents now lived on about a hundred acres. Their house was beautiful, and they had a bunkhouse
from when it was part of a working ranch, which was convenient for our men to stay in, but still…
Texas?
Ever since we arrived, Mom had been going on about this book signing she’d bought VIP tickets
to. I didn’t realize it was this weekend.
“Jesus Christ,” I grumbled as I glared at my father. “You’re kidding, right?”
“I wish I were. But I figured that since you and your brothers will be here, you can take her. With
you and your security details, she should be safe,” my father explained. He was lounging by the pool
in the sun. Looking at him in his “Don’t Mess With Texas” T-shirt and swim trunks, I couldn’t believe
this was the man that had successfully run La Cosa Nostra, or the American-based Sicilian mafia, in
Chicago. In a way, I could see how people never guessed who he really was. The nose job and minor
plastic surgery didn’t hurt either.
“Dad, I’m not going to some book nerd convention,” Alessio grumbled as he stood there
glowering with his arms crossed and dripping water from his swim. While Vittorio and I had gone
running, Alessio took advantage of the pool.
“Fucking hell, don’t let your mother hear you call it that,” my dad snapped as he quickly sat up
and glanced over his shoulder toward the house. “It’s an author event.”
Alessio cocked a brow. “Like I said.”
Dad pushed his sunglasses to the top of his head and slid his hands down his face. “Boys, I need
this favor of you. Besides trying to keep a low profile, I have the people coming to install the new
kitchen equipment at the restaurant. I can’t go. I figured since you’re already here, you could cover for
me.”
“You think we won’t look suspicious?” I incredulously barked. Sweat trickled down my back
and dripped off my nose. Dad tossed me a towel, and I wiped my face.
“Yeah, not a one of these three looks like they can even read,” Vittorio snickered as he motioned
to me and Alessio, then the upstairs window where Leo was still out like a light. I flipped him off.
“You boys have done a better job of staying out of the media than we did in my time. They don’t
stalk you like they did us. You’re less recognizable than I am,” my father cajoled.
It wasn’t that we lived so differently, it was just a different world. We learned to be quieter
about what we did. More of our business was conducted digitally, and if someone ate a bullet, we
were better at covering it up. With our family’s roots in Sicily, we were one of the closest ties to the
Sicilian mafia in America. My grandfather had returned to Sicily when he retired, and Enzo Conti
took over, with my father as his underboss. Enzo was killed in a boating accident a mere three months
in, and my father took over.
When Dad retired, I know my older half brother thought he would take over, but while Dad had
helped financially with his upbringing, he hadn’t been there to guide him like he had us. When I was
voted in as don, it had left our older brother resentful, despite his working his way to the position of
capo. He hadn’t been doing a bad job so far—he just tended to be a bit entitled and bigheaded at
times.
Vittorio had been appointed as my underboss, the position I’d held for my father before he
retired.
“Breakfast is ready!” Mom called out from the back door.
Knowing we didn’t dare keep her waiting, we filed past her and into the kitchen. She wrinkled
her nose at me and Vittorio as we came in.
“You two stink,” she announced with a wave of her hand in front of her face. “I hope you plan on
showering.”
Alessio followed us in, wearing a towel around his hips and roughly drying his hair with
another.
“And you! You’re dripping all over my floor!” Standing with her arms akimbo, she muttered
something about boys never growing up.
After kissing her cheek, I filled my plate and dropped into a barstool at the breakfast bar.
My brothers did the same.
“Can someone tell Leo breakfast is ready?” Mom asked with her head in the refrigerator.
“If his lazy ass wants to stay in bed all day, that’s on him,” Alessio replied before he shoved a
slice of bacon into his mouth.
Mom swatted him with her dish towel. He yelped and hopped up from his seat. “Ouch!”
 “Now you can go wake him up,” she informed him with an arch in her brow that dared him to
argue.
He grumbled the whole way, but he stomped off through the house. We heard him shout,
obviously from the bottom of the stairs. “Leo! Get your lazy ass up! Breakfast is ready!”
“Oh, for crying out loud! I could’ve done that!” Mom smacked her forehead and muttered under
her breath in Italian.
Vittorio and I snickered, but when Mom’s calculating gaze hit us, we covered our laughter by
shoveling food into our mouths.
Dad finished his breakfast, rinsed his dishes, then put them in the dishwasher. He kissed my
mom’s cheek and whispered something that made her blush. She looked years younger than her age in
that moment. They shared a secret smile that did something to my chest, then he went into the living
room and turned on some game show. It was odd but pretty fucking awesome to witness this domestic
side of them after years of seeing my dad as the ruthless don he’d been.
Not that my dad was abusive to my mom, because he wasn’t. He never raised a hand to her that I
knew of, and he spoiled her rotten. But growing up, there was a cool reserve and certain decorum that
was expected. Part of me believed that it was so the outside world—his enemies—didn’t realize how
madly in love he was with the woman who was chosen for him.
Leo stumbled down and into the kitchen. Bleary-eyed, he made a plate heaped with food and
plopped down next to Alessio. I made a mental note to talk to him about his partying.
“You gonna make it?” Vittorio asked him with a smirk. Leo stuffed a bite into his mouth and
flipped Vittorio off without making eye contact.
After I finished eating, I rested my elbows on the bar and watched my mom as she flitted around
the kitchen. I’d already had one woman chosen for me, and I let her marry my cousin, but that was
another story. Had I loved Autumn? Yes. But not the way a man should love his wife. After seeing her
with Dominic, I was glad I hadn’t put up a fight because I couldn’t have given her a happiness like
that.
What they had was what my parents had—true love.
Something I doubted I’d ever have because it was too dangerous for me and the unsuspecting
woman. At least my father had never pushed for me to marry after Autumn married Dominic. I’d leave
that to my younger brothers.
Besides, in the Sicilian mafia, succession wasn’t patrilineal—the best man for the job became
don. It had only gone to me because my father had groomed me for it my entire life. I’d worked my
way up the ranks the same as anyone, and I’d been fair but merciless.
I had to be.
“I think this book thing is a big mistake,” I began. Being firm with my mother wasn’t an easy
task. She rivaled my father in her stubbornness, but I got it from both of them.
She huffed and rolled her eyes. “Not you too.”
“Gabe is right,” Vittorio chimed in.
“I don’t care. We moved here to be normal. To have a life. To do things we enjoy. I enjoy
reading. The thought of meeting some of my favorite authors is a dream,” she explained.
“Right. But you still need to be safe. Your existence here is precarious. You’re already pushing
the limit by owning a restaurant. This is too much,” I argued.
“I’m going. Whether you, your father, one of your brothers, or all of you take me—or I go by
myself. This is something I’ve wanted to do for a long time but was never able to.” The look she gave
me brooked no argument, but I wasn’t done.
 “Mom, you don’t need to be going to some huge-ass book signing. That’s a security nightmare!” I
practically shouted. My brothers all shot me looks of varying degrees of surprise. Losing my cool
was extremely out of character for me.
“That’s exactly what I’ve been telling her,” my father chimed in from the other room.
“Shut up, Lorenzo! No one asked you!” Mom grumbled. “Gabriel, you might be the big boss in
Chicago, but here, I’m your mother, and you won’t dictate where I go and what I do—no more than
your father will.”
She said the last bit loud enough to ensure my dad heard her. He snorted from his recliner in the
living room.
“Mom,” I started again.
“No.” She held up a hand to silence me. “Do you know that some of these authors write and
work full time? Some of them are just starting out, some are established. For some, this is their sole
source of income. But each and every one of them look forward to these signings because as excited
as we readers are to meet them, they are just as excited to meet us. If I never attend another one after
this, I’ll be happy with this experience.”
“It’s bad enough you two insisted on opening an Italian restaurant here. You can’t be running
around in public,” Vittorio added to my argument.
“It’s not even in our real names. Everything with the restaurant is in our assumed names,” Mom
came back with. “And good Lord, we go out in public all the time.”
“No, but the Demented Sons know who you are,” I argued. “And I wish you wouldn’t go out so
much.”
“And we trust them. They look out for us, and they are good people.” Mom was going to give me
an aneurysm. “Gabriel, I’m going. So many of my favorite authors are going to be there. Did you
know M. Merin will be there? She’s from Chicago. Well, she was, but then she moved to Minnesota.”
Mom rambled on about Kristine someone, or were there two Kristines? God, I couldn’t keep it
straight. Then someone named Darlene, and Sapphire, and Liberty, and Kathleen, and Amy, and—
Jesus, the list didn’t end. These couldn’t be their real names.
I was the head of the Chicago family, and yet I couldn’t disrespect or refuse my mother. Christ
almighty.
Finally, I met my brothers’ gazes one by one. My shoulders sagged in defeat. We weren’t winning
this one.
I grabbed my phone from where it was charging on the counter and messaged Pietro.

Dad had booked four of the resort’s little cabins for us to stay in at the signing. One for Pietro and
Dario, Vittorio’s man. Then one for Mom and Alessio, one for Vittorio and Leo, and the last for me.
Mom’s cabin and mine were sandwiched between theirs, and we looked out on the lake.
“Why do you get your own cabin?” Leo grumbled. Vittorio smacked him lightly on the back of
the head.
“Because he’s the boss,” Vittorio snapped.
“So?” Leo slouched on Mom’s couch where we were waiting for her to get ready. Pietro and
Dario sat on the front porch. They were both scary enough that anyone who walked by quickly averted
their gaze and kept moving.
“You can’t wear that to the signing!” Mom cried with her eyes bugging and waving her hands
like our clothes were flies she could shoo away.
I glanced down at my Armani suit. It was the least expensive one I owned.
“What the hell is wrong with it?” I pushed back the unbuttoned jacket and propped my hands on
my hips.
“You look like… the mafioso!” she snapped back. With her fists propped on her hips, she glared
at me. The similarity in our stances wasn’t lost on me.
My hands dropped to my side, and I gave her a deadpan stare that screamed, “Really?”
Vittorio, Alessio, and Leo all stared at her and me, waiting to see who would come out the
winner in this argument. They were evidently safe, since they were dressed casually in jeans and T-
shirts.
“Just go change.”
“Ma, I don’t have anything else with me except my gym clothes!”
“That works. Now, go change, or we’ll be late!”
My mouth hung open.
Surely she wasn’t serious.
She was.
 “Rest In Peace”—Dorothy
“I can’t wait to see you again!” Merin practically squealed.
“Well, if someone’s husband hadn’t gotten a phenomenal job offer in Minneapolis, you could’ve
seen me every day,” I teased as I pulled my suitcase off the conveyor belt.
“Hurry up! I’m in the pickup area, and some airport guy is giving me the stink eye,” she
exclaimed.
I laughed as I wheeled my checked bag and my carryon and held my phone with my shoulder.
“Hold onto your britches, I’ll be there in, like, five seconds.”
We worked out exactly where she was, and I made my way outside. The minute I stepped out of
the airport, I heard my name shouted.
Merin was waving at me, standing next to her open trunk. A huge grin lifted the corners of my
mouth, and I picked up my pace. She wrapped me in a bear hug, and we both laughed. Then we broke
apart and quickly loaded up my bags. After piling into the vehicle, we were on the road.
 “Hey, boss lady! So how’s Chicago?” she asked as she merged with traffic.
I chuckled. After college I’d started editing part time to make money as I tried to figure out what
to do with my life. It had ended up becoming a full-time gig, and I loved it. So when Merin started
writing, she had contacted me. I’d been her editor ever since.
“Same ol’, same ol’. Some things never change,” I replied. The crime rate had seen a massive
surge over the last year, and it made me sad. I’d always loved Chicago. It was the only home I knew.
I sent a message to my dad letting him know I was safely with Merin, then tucked my phone
away. I ignored the messages I had from Mario as well as the ones from Paul begging me to take him
back.
“Well, for the next six days, you’re not going to worry about anything. This is your vacation, and
we’re going to enjoy it,” she insisted as she checked her mirror and changed lanes. “Even though
we’re going to a book signing, you’re not Editor Alia—you’re just my friend and PA, Lia.”
Laughing, I gazed out the window at the passing scenery that was utterly foreign to me. I’d never
traveled to this area. It was both exciting and a bit terrifying to think I would be flying to Texas with
my friend tomorrow. Two places I’d never been—Minnesota and Texas.
“Sounds good. We’re going to have an adventure,” I agreed. “Just the girls.”
“And lots of book boyfriends,” she added with a smirk. We were flying down for this big book
signing thing that Merin had been invited to. Though I edited for many of her associates, I’d never had
the chance to meet any of them. After I shitcanned Paul, she had convinced me to go with her and was
bringing me along as her “assistant.”
I loved that my friend was a famous author and that she entrusted her book babies into my care.
She wrote under the pen name of M. Merin, and hardly anyone in her family knew, but I did.
I was also an unapologetic book whore. I loved to read more than anything—didn’t matter what
it was. In a pinch, I’d read a magazine, but I preferred a good spicy romance. Another reason I
absolutely loved my job.
It was also why I was excited for this trip. An entire signing full of MC and mafia authors? Hell
yes. Most of my authors I edited for would be there. It was funny because motorcycle cubs and the
mafia were so far from my actual boring life that it was the perfect escapism.
“Those are the best kind,” I told her. Then I wrinkled of my nose. “Give me a book boyfriend
over a real man any day.”
“Amen.”
I scoffed. “Amen? Your husband is probably one of the best catches of the century.”
She grinned. “I know.”
Her husband was the whole package. Funny, handsome, kind, and he had a job. For some reason
I kept picking losers that didn’t have any aspirations. Oh, and they were big fat liars.
“Hey. None of that. Don’t you let Paul ruin this trip.” She waved her hand dismissively. “He’s
gone. Poof!”
I ruefully laughed. “Too bad he made me fall in love with a bunch of lies. Turns out, I didn’t even
know him. If what I fell in love with was a fictional version of him, why did it hurt to end things? It
just doesn’t make sense.”
“Well, he doesn’t matter. Fuck him.” She nodded decisively as she took the next exit.
“See? That’s why I needed this trip. I needed you to help me clear my head and leave all that shit
behind.” I sighed. There was more weighing on me than Paul though.
“How’s your dad?” she asked.
 That was my cue to groan. I’d never figured out how she read my mind so well.
“Uh-ohhhh,” she drew out ominously.
“Yeah.” I dropped my gaze to my hands in my lap. “I think he’s gambling again.”
“Oh no,” she replied, her words laced with regret. “What makes you think he is?”
“He’s been irritable and restless when he’s at home. He’s always on his phone, and when I ask
him what he’s doing, he’s evasive. We got a notice in the mail that the electric bill hadn’t been paid.
When I asked him about it, he got all defensive and shit. I haven’t actually seen or caught him, but it’s
just something I feel in my guts. You know?” I paid the rent on our apartment, and he was supposed to
pay the utilities. I wouldn’t tell Merin, but I almost cancelled this trip because I had a bad feeling
about leaving him home alone.
“Oh honey, I’m sorry.” She’d been my friend since college, and she’d been through the
rollercoaster ride that was my life with my dad several times.
Crazy thing was, I didn’t even know him until I was thirteen. Mom died in a convenience store
robbery gone wrong, and I went into foster care until they found my dad. Though he could’ve refused
to care for me, he didn’t.
That didn’t mean he was prepared for a teenage girl, and I wasn’t receptive to his attempts to get
to know me. I mean, my mom had just died unexpectedly, and the guy hadn’t bothered with me until he
was forced to—that pissed me off. Then I found out he hadn’t even known about me. It took us a
couple of years and we worked through our growing pains. Not to say it was smooth sailing after that,
but it was better. And now I loved him more than words could say.
Despite his addiction.
According to my mom’s journals, she hadn’t told him about me because she couldn’t get him to
quit gambling, and she was afraid of the people he was hanging around with. He did admit once that
Mom had likely been smart to cut him out of our lives. He told me she had been completely on the
mark, because he’d been getting into a lot of financial trouble.
He relapsed into his old gambling habits routinely, but each time there was more of a gap
between. This time I really thought he’d kicked it.
“It is what it is. But on top of that, my dad’s boss keeps hitting on me.”
“You’re kidding,” she deadpanned.
“Not even a little bit. It’s so weird.”
“Oh my God. How old is he?” she asked as she glanced my way before returning her attention to
the road.
“Way older than me. I bet he’s at least ten years older, if not more.”
“Age gap romance is a big thing.” She waggled her brows at me.
My lip curled in distaste.
“Is he hot at least?” She wrinkled her nose.
“I mean, he’s not too bad. He’s also loaded, but he’s totally not my type, and I get weird vibes
off him. Especially since my dad keeps hinting that I should have dinner or a drink with him. I get that
my dad wants to see me married and giving him grandkids, but there are no… sparks with Mario.” I
sighed. Unfortunately, I was a hopeless romantic.
My dad was an industrial salesman, and he worked “in the field”, so he didn’t really have an
office. He was out and about most days and some nights, depending on the business he was working
with. I had no idea exactly what they sold, but he’d been with the company as long as I could
remember. Mario had taken over as his supervisor right before I graduated from college. I’d met him
at a small Christmas get-together, and he’d flirted with me, but I hadn’t thought he was serious.
 “Well, that sucks.”
“But enough of that. Didn’t you say something about leaving my troubles in Chicago?” I gave her
a bright smile and shoved all my worries to the farthest corner of my mind.
“Hell yes.”

“Oh my God. This is huge,” I told Merin, my mouth gaping and my eyes wide after they took the group
picture. Never in a million years would I have imagined this many authors in one place. And the sheer
number of readers that had been lined up outside the room was astronomical.
Merin chuckled. “That it is.”
“I had no idea this was what it was like.” I was in awe.
A woman with bright red ombre hair was setting up next to Merin, and she paused. She looked
familiar, but I couldn’t place her. Then again, people always looked so different than they did online.
Grinning at Merin, she asked, “Can I borrow your Sharpie?”
They both laughed and I stared at them in confusion. Merin motioned toward the other woman.
“This is Kristine Allen, and that’s an inside joke that originated at another signing. Kristine, this is my
friend and editor, Lia. She came with me to be my PA for the signing. Then we’re gonna enjoy a few
girls’ days.”
My mouth fell open. I’d told Merin I wanted to meet her, but I didn’t realize we’d be right next to
her.
Kristine walked over and shook my hand. “Sounds like fun. It’s nice to meet you, Lia.”
“You too,” I murmured as I gawked. I had been reading her books for years. Though I’d read
everything she wrote, meeting her was over the top. In my head, I squealed. I wanted to tell her if she
ever needed a backup editor, I’d be game, but I was too nervous.
Crazy, considering I edited for several of the authors in the room, but I’d never actually met them
in person. Not only that, but we were colleagues, some I was even friendly with, so the fact that they
were famous didn’t truly register. It was such a different perspective actually being at a signing.
This is so cool!
We finished setting up all Merin’s books and swag, then decided to walk around before they
opened the doors to the VIP readers. I’d learned more than I could’ve imagined during the trip. Being
an author was much more complicated than I realized. It was obvious I only saw a small part of their
journey, though I’d never really thought about it like that before now.
First, we stopped to see “my authors.” I finally met Sapphire Knight, Verlene Landon, Winter
Travers, and Manda Mellett in person. It was like we were old friends, though we’d never met face-
to-face before. Of course, I had to get my picture taken with all of them. Sapphire was hosting the
event, which made it so much cooler.
“Your pictures online are beautiful, but honey, they don’t do you justice,” I told Sapphire.
Despite the fact that she was absolutely stunning, her cheeks flushed softly.
 “Aww, you’re too sweet. Thank you.” She hugged me.
“How’s the next book coming along? I can’t wait to get my hands on it,” I blurted out. Then I
held up my hand. “No, scratch that. I’m not here as Alia the editor. I’m totally here as Lia the proud
book nerd.”
We all laughed.
After promising to come by to buy books from them, we let them get back to setting up their
tables.
Next, I stopped by to see Jessa Aarons, Chelle Craze, Vera Quinn, and N.J. Adel. Then I had a
shot of moonshine with Avelyn Paige and a dick shot—I cannot make this stuff up—with Kristine
Dugger.
“Psst! Wanna Fireball shot?” A.R. Hall whispered when we stopped to see her, but I was
already feeling the other two.
“Thank you, but I just had two on an empty stomach, and I’m starting to feel them already,” I
declined with a giggle.
She handed me one of the little shooter bottles. “For later.”
“Thank you,” I replied with a laugh.
Merin introduced me to Darlene Tallman and Liberty Parker who often wrote books together.
Then we stopped to see Nina Levine so we could grab our preorders. What I wouldn’t do to edit her
books. I sighed. She was so nice—incredibly down-to-earth for a big-name author. Then again, so
was Merin.
It made me realize all of these authors were just people like me, but with an incredible talent to
weave amazing stories. Though I could pick a story apart, fix grammatical errors and continuity
issues, and offer advice, I was no author. They all had my utmost respect.
I mentally added so many books to my TBR—To Be Read—list. With editing full time, my TBR
was already astronomical, but it kept growing.
“We better get back,” Merin said as she glanced at the clock. “If you want to buy some more
books, you can make your rounds.”
“No, I’m here to help you,” I insisted.
She rolled her eyes at me. “I get it, but I’ve done these by myself before, and I want you to have
fun too.”
“No.”
“Fine. There will be a lull eventually, and I won’t take no for an answer then.”
I pursed my lips and crossed my arms, but I agreed.
We walked back to her table, and I saw that Morgan Jane Mitchell was on the other side of us.
She set up before we did and then must have gone back to her room to get ready, so we missed her
earlier.
“You need one of these to take home with you,” she told me as she handed me a bright pink dick
straw that had me laughing. Her husband was with her, wearing his signature fedora.
“Can’t leave without one of those.” He chuckled.
It seemed we got back just in time for people to start coming through the doors. It was constant
activity right away.
Merin was interacting with loads of readers and had sold several books already. I helped as best
as I could. I was putting the money from her last sale into her cashbox when she greeted the next
reader.
“Hello, have you read any of my books?” she asked the woman. A conversation ensued, but I
was too busy staring at the guy leaning against the wall to pay any attention. He was absolutely
gorgeous. Damn, some woman or man was incredibly lucky. Maybe he was one of the book models.
Several authors had them at their tables. I made a mental note to ask Merin who he was and which
author he might be with, because I was buying a book with him on the cover. Can you say spank bank
material?
His phone rang, and he walked off. Another guy joined him, whispered something to him, and I
sighed. The way his perfect ass moved in the Adidas joggers he wore was sinful. He was so hot, I
actually had to wipe my mouth for fear of the drool that might be there.
A chuckle had me jumping when I realized there was a man with the woman at Merin’s table, and
he’d been watching me. My face flamed in embarrassment. Holy hell, he was gorgeous too. I needed
to come to more of these with my friend. The man grinned and looked over his shoulder at the other
guy as he disappeared into the crowd.
“H-hi,” I stammered. “Can I help you?”
My face burned hotter. I sounded like such a dumbass. I should’ve had that shot of Fireball with
A.R. Hall after all. For a second, I wondered what he’d do if I pulled out the shooter bottle she’d
given me.
“No, I’m with my mom. She dragged me with her. Are you one of the authors?” His voice was
like the finest whiskey—warm, rich, and sexy.
“Vittorio! I didn’t bring you with to flirt! Here.” She handed him a large white shopping bag full
of Merin’s books.
“Duty calls,” he told me with a wink. Another drool-worthy man took a picture of the woman
with Merin. Then they moved on.
“Holy shit! Did you check out those guys with her?” Merin gasped as she squeezed my arm.
“Hard not to. Good Lord, they were beautiful.”
“Girl, you need to hook up with one of them.” She cooled herself with one of the heart-shaped
fans she gave out to readers. “Then give me all the deets after.”
A nervous laugh escaped me, and I shook my head. “Whatever. Even if I had a chance with a guy
like that, I’m not leaving you on our girl’s weekend for a one-night stand.”
Several readers approached, ending our conversation. Though I should’ve known my friend
wouldn’t let it drop at that. The moment they moved on, she opened her mouth, but more people
followed them. An hour had passed by the time we had another lull.
She crossed her arms, and I knew what was coming.
“Why would you think you wouldn’t have a chance with a guy like that?”
“Really? Did you see them? They were all hot as hell. Which, come to think of it, probably
means they are losers. And even if they weren’t, I’m… me.” I motioned from my head to my toes and
back.
“First of all,” she said as she held up one finger, “you are a fucking knockout.” Then she held up
another finger when I opened my mouth to argue. “Second of all, not all good-looking guys are self-
centered assholes who lie and don’t have jobs. They aren’t all Paul.”
“Or Leroy,” I added.
“Or him,” she agreed.
“Or James,” I continued.
“Ohh, he was the worst. Okay, okay, okay. Maybe you’ve had bad luck with men, but they aren’t
all like those dickholes. Besides, every single one of those guys earlier were wearing Rolex watches,
and they may have been dressed casually, but their clothes were designer,” she argued.
 “Maybe they stole them,” I shot back. Besides, I liked the guy in the gym clothes better, but of
course, he was probably taken.
“Good Lord, woman.” She rolled her eyes.
“Hey, it’s possible.”
“Doubtful.”
“Fine, maybe they bought them. It doesn’t change the fact that I’m done with relationships.”
“Lia, you don’t need a relationship to get your socks rocked off. Use a man’s body like a rental
car.”
I snorted. “A rental car?”
“Yeah. Run it hard and fast, put a shit ton of miles on it, then drop it off.” She gave a wicked grin
that had me chortling.
“You’re so bad,” I gasped out as I laughed.
“You love it and you know it,” she whispered before she turned to greet the two women that
came up.
After they left and there was a moment to chill, she shooed me away. “Go get your books now!”
“Yay!” I clapped my hands in excitement. I’d made a mental checklist of the authors I wanted to
buy books from and the best route to take to get to their tables. I was in book heaven.
After having my picture taken with my favorite Welsh author, Amy Davies, then Kathleen Kelly,
who was one of my favorites from Australia—their accents were divine—I grabbed my stack of
books that had grown larger than I realized. Truthfully, it was heavy as hell. I was going to have to
ship them home. By the time I was rounding the last corner to go back to Merin’s table, my arms were
about to come out of their sockets.
I glanced down to make sure I wasn’t about to lose one, and I crashed into something big and
hard. I squeaked in surprise, and all but three of my books tumbled to the floor.
“Watch it!” he snapped.
“I’m so sorry,” I muttered in embarrassment. Then I glanced at the poor man I’d slammed into.
My mouth went dry and my heart sped up. As I attempted to restack my books, my hands shook.
It was the guy in the Adidas track suit.
Fuck.
His expression softened. “That was rude of me,” he apologetically said. And if I thought the guy
at Merin table had a sexy voice, it was like nails on a chalkboard compared to Adidas guy.
“Is there a problem?” the scary dude asked as he stopped by us.
“No, I just totally ran into your boyfriend… or husband… I mean….” My mortification went
through the roof because I sounded like an idiot. The scary dude looked at me like I was nuts,
confirming my fears.
The sexy one laughed. “Pietro is not my significant other, though he would be quite the catch.”
“Fuck off,” Pietro whispered to him, but I still heard it over the drone of voices around us.
“I-I-I’m sorry. I thought…. Ugh, never mind. That’ll teach me to make assumptions.” I was pretty
sure my face was about to go up in flames. Keeping my gaze lowered, I resumed gathering up my
books. I wanted to cry when I saw that the back cover of one had gotten bent.
The sexy guy crouched next to me and grabbed the ones out of my reach.
“You read mafia books?” He smirked as he held up an especially dark mafia book by Sapphire
Knight. When he flipped it open, I cringed, afraid he’d crease it. Surprisingly, he was extremely
gentle with my new acquisition. It was impossible not to notice how the hard muscles in his arms
flexed and moved under his black jacket.
 Cue drool.
“On the dance floor, huh? Bold.” He cocked a dark brow, and pressed his lips flat as he tried to
hide his smile.
“Oh my God,” I muttered, then swiped the book from his roughly elegant hands. There were a
few white scars on them that made my overactive imagination wonder if they were from fights. None
of them detracted from his appeal.
He chuckled, and once all of my books were accounted for, he motioned to Pietro, who bent
down to pick up the stack of my books. Of course, he made them seem like they weighed nothing.
“Are you a book model?” I blurted out. Oh floor, swallow me now.
“Do you want me to be?” he playfully asked.
“Uh, um, I….”
He laughed, and the sound literally made my panties wet.
“Can I get a picture with you?” I asked, amazed at my sudden boldness.
Something flickered in his eyes as he glanced at Pietro and back. He leaned closer to me, and I
could smell the clean scent of his cologne. My head dropped in both embarrassment and
disappointment.
“I’d rather not right now. But you should let me buy you a drink to make up for it and my initial
rudeness,” he murmured—almost seductively.
Eyes wide, I lifted my gaze to stare into his rich brown eyes. The thick lashes that framed them
only made me stare more. Transfixed, I found myself drowning in those earthy depths.
The scent of mint hit me, and I realized he was talking to me. Jesus, did everything about the man
smell good?
“Huh?” I asked in my most intelligent manner—not.
“That drink?”
“I don’t even know your name,” I murmured.
“Gabe,” he offered as he held out a hand. I shook it, and my heart lurched as if it had been hit by
a thousand volts.
“Nice to meet you, Gabe. I’m… Lee.” Taking Merin’s advice to leave everything, including the
real me, back in Chicago, I decided that for the weekend, I was Lee.
He lifted my hand to his lips and barely brushed them over my knuckles. “The pleasure is mine.
So, about that drink?”
“Um, I’m helping my friend with the signing,” I replied, regret settling in my stomach.
“What about tonight?”
Holy shit, is he actually being persistent?
“I, uh, well,” I stammered. My conversation with Merin ran through my head. Could I actually go
through with it if that’s where this was heading? Even if it wasn’t, having a drink with a man that
looked like he did was one for the books. No pun intended.
I inhaled deeply, then let it out slowly. “Yes.”
 “Heavy Is The Crown”—Daughtry
There was something about this girl that had me acting out of character.
And hiding my half-mast dick.
Of course, that could’ve been due to the scene I just read in that book she bought. Jesus Christ,
was that the shit my mom was reading?
“Yes?” I clarified as one corner of my mouth kicked up.
“Okay,” she breathlessly replied. Her big—were they brown or green?—eyes stared at me. With
each blink, they morphed. The sound in the room seemed to mute as her plush lips parted slightly.
“Gabriel,” Pietro softly called my name. Reluctantly, I glanced over my shoulder at him.
“They’re ready to go.”
Holding up a finger, I returned my attention to the captivating woman in front of me.
“Pietro will carry your books wherever you need. Meet me in front of the bar at six?” I was
hoping I could get her to have dinner with me as well.
“We’ll stay here on the resort?” With a nervous glance down the aisle, she chewed on her lower
lip.
“If that’s what you want,” I offered. My cabin was on the resort. I mean, if she wanted to go back
there, then I wouldn’t complain. I’d be a liar if I said that wasn’t what I wanted.
“Then six it is.” The soft smile she gave me fucked with my head because it made something
tighten in my chest.
“I’ll see you back at the cabin,” I told Pietro. He nodded. They walked off through the crowd,
and I watched the gentle sway of her hips as she walked beside my friend and bodyguard. Her dark
wavy hair hung down her back, and I pictured it wrapped around my fist.
“Are you really planning on messing with the locals?” Vittorio teased from behind me. My
younger brother was my underboss, but he was one of the only people I truly trusted. Besides Pietro.
Even my consigliere, Bruno, only knew what I wanted him to know. In my position, it was hard to
trust.
“Not like she knows me or anything,” I chuckled. “And we’ll be leaving tomorrow.”
“She’s cute,” he conceded.
“She’s hot as fuck,” I corrected.
“Well, she was checking you out when Mom was at her friend’s table earlier… if you were
wondering.”
With a cocked brow, I glanced his way. “Oh really?”
He smirked and shrugged before he got serious. “Hey, just so you know, big brother decided to
collect early this month. A lot of the business owners couldn’t pay the full amount and are tripping
out.”
“Fuck,” I muttered. I quickly sent a text message to Bruno telling him to call Vittorio.
“I’m having Bruno call you. Get it ironed out. Ensure that everyone knows nothing is considered
late until the end of the month.”
“No problem,” Vittorio replied
We walked out together, ignoring the appreciative stares we got from readers and authors. After
leaving the ballroom the signing was held in, we headed toward where the rest of my brothers and our
mom waited. Alessio and Leo were loaded down with bags. If looks could kill, Vittorio and I would
be dead on the spot.
“It’s about time. What took you so long?” Leo grumbled. We were cramping his partying, and it
was making him irritable.
“I was helping a damsel in distress,” I replied and grinned. “Don’t be so testy.”
Leo rolled his eyes. “Of course you were.”
We helped my mother get her purchases back to the cabin.
“You boys are on your own tonight,” she informed us as she held a book to her chest. “I’m
exhausted, and I plan to dive into some of my new books.”
My mother’s announcement worked into my plans perfectly. Vittorio offered to stay with Mom,
and his man would watch over them. Alessio and Leo decided to go check out the bar scene. I already
had my plans ironed out.
In my cabin, I took a shower and changed into a deep blue Sartoria Dei Duchi suit with a pale
blue shirt. Staring at myself in the mirror as I looped my tie around my neck, I paused. For the first
time in forever, I second-guessed my choice. I blamed it on my mother tripping out this morning over
my Armani suit. It was one of my less expensive and more casual suits, but she had believed it was
completely over the top.
In a completely atypical move, I removed my jacket and tie. With the flick of my wrist, I
unbuttoned the top two buttons of my shirt.
“You might as well untuck the shirt too,” Pietro said from his place on my couch. He was
scrolling through something on his phone.
“What?” I asked, coming out of the bedroom.
“Untuck the shirt. Look like the common folk,” he replied.
I arched a brow. “Common folk?”
“Yeah.” He snickered.
“Did you just laugh?”
“We’re getting off topic.”
“I’m not untucking a six-hundred-dollar shirt. It’s bad enough that I don’t have the jacket and tie.”
After grabbing my money clip, I slid it and my phone in my pocket. For a moment, I studied myself in
the mirror, wondering what the fuck I was doing. Then I took a quick glance at the time, and at the last
minute, shoved a couple of condoms in my pocket. With a little luck, it wouldn’t be long before I was
back in the cabin or in her room.
“Shall we?” I asked, motioning toward the door.
“Let me get that,” Pietro offered as he preceded me towards it.
“By all means, honey,” I teased. He flipped me off as I passed by.
Ever on guard, he had his eyes everywhere as we went to our agreed-upon meeting place. We
were a little early, which was perfect. “See if you can get me a table. Then make sure you stay out of
sight. I don’t want her thinking I’m more than just some average guy. Nor do I want her getting scared,
thinking we’re ganging up on her. If I’m so lucky as to get her to go back to my cabin, you’re done for
the night once we’re there.”
Pietro gave me a nod and entered the bar.
Half expecting her not to show, I was pleasantly surprised when she came around the corner. The
deep red wrap dress had me wanting to skip the drink and go back to my cabin immediately. Her dark
tresses were partly pulled up on top of her head, leaving most of it around her shoulders and curling
over her perfectly rounded tits.
But the nervous smile that lifted the corners of her mouth took my breath away.
“I wasn’t sure you’d come,” I admitted as she stopped in front of me. I swept my appraising gaze
over her, head to toe.
“I almost didn’t,” she admitted before tucking some of her hair behind her ear.
“Now that would’ve been a shame,” I teased. Then I held my elbow out for her, and she
tentatively placed her hand in the crook of my arm. Even through the expensive fabric I wore, her
touch sent a shock through me. I shook it off.
Pietro was at the end of the bar and unobtrusively pointed at a “Reserved” sign on a table in the
corner. After giving him a satisfied chin lift, I guided her to the table and assisted her into her seat.
Instead of taking the chair across from her at the square table, I chose the seat next to her. Our knees
brushed as I scooted my chair up.
There was that zap again.
The waitress came by, and we both ordered our drinks. I shot off a text to Pietro, then put my
phone away.
“Do you go to a lot of these signings?” I asked her.
She laughed lightly. “No. This is actually my first. My friend invited me because we hadn’t seen
each other in forever. Let’s just say I needed a getaway.”
“Well, for the record, I’m glad you decided to come.”
 “Me too,” she replied before dropping her gaze to her hand that was folding a napkin repeatedly.
Then her woodland eyes lifted to mine, and the corner of her mouth kicked up slightly.
The waitress brought our drinks, and Lee took a huge swallow before setting it down and taking
a deep breath. She let it out in a rush. “Look, Gabe, I need to be honest with you. I’m not from here, so
I’m not looking for more than tonight. If that isn’t what you’re interested in, I should probably let you
go while you can still salvage part of the night.”
Her frank honesty left me speechless, and that wasn’t something that happened often.
For several heartbeats, I simply blinked at her. Not that I wasn’t used to women throwing
themselves at me, but they usually knew who I was and wanted something from me. That, or they
wanted to brag that they’d fucked me.
“Your cabin or mine?”
“Yours. I’m staying with my friend.”
“Mine it is,” I told her as I stood up and held out a hand to her.
She gently placed her delicate hand in mine and got to her feet. Ruby red lips that matched her
dress parted as she blinked up at me. In her black heels, all she would need to do is tip up her chin
and her lips would be on mine.
Though we both now knew where this night would end, I was enjoying her company enough that
we took a leisurely stroll along the water. The lights from the resort and surrounding properties
reflected off the dark water. We paused to appreciate the beauty of the night.
“This is a really cool place. I don’t think we have anything like this back home,” she murmured
as she leaned into me.
“Where’s home?” I asked, curious, though I knew this was a one-night thing.
She took a deep breath, then let it out. Her beautiful hazel gaze locked on mine. “Does it matter?”
I chuckled. “No, not really.”
Reaching up, I trailed my knuckles over the gentle curve of her cheek. Never had I felt such soft
skin. My fingers itched to touch her everywhere, but I settled for following her jawline back to her
chin so I could grip it gently. Lifting it up, I lowered my head and allowed myself one small sampling.
It was a mistake.
Because that one sweet temptation wasn’t near enough. As one, we opened to allow the other
access. Our tongues twisted and swirled with each other’s. I could still taste the sweet wine she’d
drunk earlier, and it was divine.
She clutched the front of my shirt and stood on her tiptoes to kiss me deeper, and I moaned,
pulling her soft curves into my harder planes. The breeze blowing off the water caught the soft scent
of her perfume and lifted it to tease my senses.
With a groan, I speared my fingers into her thick, dark hair and used it to slant her head so I
could deepen the kiss.
“Oh my God,” she gasped when we broke for air.
“My thoughts exactly. So unless you want me to lift that dress, bend you over against that tree,
and fuck you until you scream my name for the whole resort to hear, we should go.”
Her pupils went huge, and she wet her kiss-swollen lips. Judging by the time it took for her to
answer, I knew she was considering it.
Unfortunately, no matter how appealing that actually was, I couldn’t risk the exposure if we were
caught. A man in my position had to be careful. Heart slamming against my rib cage and my dick
trying to bust through my trousers, I grabbed her hand and we hurried along the path.
The cabin next to mine was dark, but I saw Pietro sitting in one of the chairs on the deck. He
gave me a subtle chin lift as we passed, which I returned. Not for a second did I slow down,
however.
“Right here,” I quietly directed as we reached the sidewalk to my cabin. Out of the corner of my
eye, I caught the cherry of a cigarette from where Vittorio’s man sat outside Vittorio’s cabin.
We climbed the stairs, and I let her inside. “Make yourself at home. The bathroom is back that
way,” I told her as I closed the blinds.
She nodded but stood in the center of the room, nervously twisting her hands together.
Once I had shut the outside world out, I went to stand before her. “Have you changed your
mind?”
She dragged her lower lip through her teeth, then swallowed hard. “No, but I don’t usually do
things like this,” she whispered uncertainly.
“We can go as slow as you like,” I assured her. Needing to touch her, I trailed my fingertips
along her jaw and down her neck. She shivered when I pushed her thick hair back over her shoulder.
“Would you like a glass of wine?”
“Please,” she replied in a breathy rush.
I’d texted Pietro after she ordered her first drink and asked him to ensure I had plenty of the
bubbly wine waiting in my cabin. On the counter, a bottle rested in a bucket of ice. A wine glass sat
beside it, along with my favorite whiskey and a lowball glass.
“How did you know I’d agree to come back here with you?”
“I didn’t, but a man can have hope.” I glanced at her with a smile that matched her bemused one.
Thankfully, she already seemed to be relaxing.
Masterfully, I worked the cork out and poured her a glass, then I poured my own. Once we both
had one ready, I lifted mine in a toast. “To dirty books,” I announced, eliciting a soft laugh from her.
She lifted her drink, and we clinked the rims before we both took a sip. I gestured for us to move
to the small couch. She proceeded me, and I grabbed both bottles in one hand and followed. Setting
them within reach on the coffee table, I reclined with one arm on the back of the couch and facing her.
In a comfortable silence, we drank. When her glass was empty, she set it next to the bottles.
“More?” I asked.
She shook her head, wet her lips, and reached for the tie at her side. I saw the slight tremble in
her hand that gave her away.
“Wait,” I said, stopping her. She paused and cocked her head curiously. Fuck, she’s beautiful.
“Stand up.”
She did as I instructed, and I gripped her hand to guide her between my parted knees. Once she
was in place, I slowly pulled the bow loose, watching her response the entire time. Her chest rose
and fell as her gaze darkened. The front overlap fell free, and I reached for the next tie on the inside.
Her breathing grew ragged as I teasingly pulled the last tie. Both sides now fell open, exposing a lacy
nude bra and matching panties.
“Jesus,” I whispered. She wasn’t model thin, but I loved that. Curves in all the right places, she
was all woman. A small tattoo on her hip caught my attention, and I pushed the red fabric of her dress
over to see it better. I grinned at the image, then looked up at her. “The Beast’s rose?”
She tried to fight her smile, but it finally broke free, and she nodded. “Yes. My friend and I got
them in college. I’m surprised you knew what it was.”
“It was my favorite movie as a kid,” I admitted. Though it wasn’t something I told people about,
I’d openly told this woman I’d just met and would never see again. My mother had loved the movie,
and I would raptly watch it with her.
 Tentatively, she reached out and ran her fingers through my hair, her nails lightly scratching along
my scalp. How she knew my weakness was a mystery, but I practically purred at the sensation.
As she did it again, I leaned forward and placed a kiss to the soft skin above the waistband of
her panties. Panties that I soon found was a thong when I wrapped my hands around her hips and
slipped them down to cup the globes of her perfect ass.
Slowly, I trailed my nose along her silky skin as I breathed her in and dropped kisses as I went.
Hovering over her lace-covered pussy, I breathed hot air on it before I leaned in and found her clit
through the fabric. When I sucked on it, wetting her panties, she whimpered. I wanted to rip them
away, but instead, I drew them over her lush hips and down until they fell to her feet. Then I licked
between her legs as far as I could reach in our position.
“Gabe,” she gasped.
“Fuck, you taste good,” I murmured, nuzzling into the silky dark curls above her sweet pussy and
darting my tongue out again. Her nails dug into my shoulders as she tightly held on.
After teasing her until she was panting, I tugged her until she straddled my lap. Her heels
dropped to the floor with a clatter. I didn’t give two shits that she began to grind her wet pussy on the
pants of a four-thousand-dollar suit. She could come all over them and I’d make her do it again.
“My perfect little Lee,” I murmured as I pushed her dress over her shoulders and to the floor.
Then with deft fingers, I reached around and unhooked her bra, freeing her tits to my mouth. I
immediately latched onto one nipple and sucked hard. Then I flicked it with the tip of my tongue and
moved to the other. The entire time she rubbed her clit on my achingly hard cock, my hands explored
her smooth flesh.
“Gabe,” she whimpered as her pace increased.
“That’s it, my beautiful girl, take what you need,” I told her as I looked up into her flushed face.
She leaned in, pressed her cheek to the side of my head, and circled over my cock.
I squeezed her ass cheeks and ground her hard over my length while I lifted my hips to stroke
myself against her. Her breathing quickened and the pulse in her throat raced under my lips.
Satisfaction bloomed within me as she paused and stiffened. Her fingers twisted my hair to the point
of pain, but I fucking ate it up. When she dropped her forehead to my shoulder and I could feel the
throbbing of her hot pussy through my pants and boxers, I nearly lost it. It took herculean effort not to
explode. Instead, I held her tightly as she rode the waves of her release.
Her hot breath tickled my skin when she lifted her head and kissed the side of my neck.
“Oh my God,” she whispered after she shuddered. “That was….”
“Yeah, I know,” I agreed.
Once her breathing began to slow, she leaned back and searched my gaze.
“What?” I asked, but she shook her head.
Instead of answering, she began to unbutton my shirt. She sucked in a sharp breath when she got
it off and uncovered my tattoos. She slowly traced them with her fingertips in a featherlight touch that
sent goosebumps over the surface of my skin.
“This surprises me,” she murmured.
“Why?”
“Dressed like this, you didn’t seem like the type to have all these,” she waved her hand over my
chest in a serpentine movement.
“Mmm,” I replied. Then I lifted her to her feet and stood up with her. I reached around and
refilled her glass, then lifted it to take a drink. Cradling her face, I slanted my head to capture her lips
with mine and poured the sweet liquid into her mouth. She swallowed and I snuck my tongue in to
taste her.
She laid her hands flat on my chest, and I leaned in to increase the pressure. Having her touch me
was akin to an addiction. I craved her touch, and I’d only just met her.
Not breaking the kiss, I grabbed her ass and lifted her to have her wrap her legs around my hips.
I carried her to the bedroom where I laid her out on my bed.
Dark hair in disarray across my pillows, long legs spread so I could see just a hint of her
glistening pussy, she was a wet dream come true.
I took the condoms from my pocket and tossed them onto the bed. Keeping my eyes locked on
hers, I took my time unfastening my belt, then my pants. I let them fall to the floor and reached my
hand into my boxers to grip my cock. She broke our stare, and her attention dropped to where I
stroked my dick.
“Touch yourself,” I demanded. My heart slammed against my ribs as I waited.
Her eyes widened and I cocked a brow as if to ask, Well?
She wet her lips, then hesitantly slid one hand over her stomach and down between her parted
legs. When she dipped one finger down through her wet slit, I pushed the waistband of my underwear
down and kicked them off. Brazenly, I slid my hand from root to tip, twisting and pinching the end
with each stroke. The precum ended up coating the top of my hand as I watched her dip her middle
finger into her pretty little pussy.
“That’s so fucking hot,” I whispered.
Two fingers disappeared into her tight little hole, and I groaned.
“I need you,” she panted as her hand moved faster, the heel circling over her clit.
“I want you to come like that first,” I countered, though I stopped, grabbed one of the condoms,
and made quick work of rolling it down my shaft. Fucking hell, I wanted to watch her make herself
come apart.
She whimpered, but she didn’t stop. I squeezed my sheathed cock and willed it to behave as she
did exactly as I told her. When she used her free hand to squeeze her tit and pinch her nipple, I almost
lost the battle.
I lost track of time until her breathing grew choppy and her hand moved faster. She was so wet, I
could hear it with each rapid movement. God, I wanted to lap up all of her pussy juices.
My body must’ve decided for my head, because I found myself crawling up the bed to knee her
legs wider. The second she cried out and squeezed her clit, I pulled her hand away, replacing it with
mine. The powerful contractions of her walls around my fingers made me groan and my cock throb. I
set my mouth to her pretty pussy as she groaned. When I sucked on her clit, she arched off the bed and
screamed. Her hands slammed into my hair, tugging it mercilessly and she rubbed her throbbing cunt
against my face.
When she finally dropped back onto the bed, gasping for breath, I wiped my chin on my shoulder
and made my way up until I hovered with my face over hers. “How was that?”
“Holy shit” was all she got out.
I grinned and kissed her, making her taste her cum on my lips. She lifted her hips to press against
my hard cock and sucked on my tongue. Tipping my hips, I lined the tip up to her dripping wet
opening and broke our kiss.
“You ready, baby?” I asked as I pushed the tip in and out a few times.
Her answer was to lift herself up to pull me in further.
“Ah-ah,” I chided as I pulled out. “I asked if you were ready.”
“Yes.”
 “What are you ready for?” I taunted.
“You.”
I dipped in again. “What about me? What do you want me to do to you?”
“Fuck me. Give me a night I’ll never forget,” she replied.
“Oh, Lee, sweetheart. Be careful what you wish for,” I warned before I snapped my hips
forward and drove my cock deep.
“Oh God!” she cried out.
“I’m so far from God, you have no goddamn idea,” I ground out as I pulled back and thrust
deeper. She was so fucking tight, my eyes nearly crossed.
Then I proceeded to do as she asked.
 “Cinnamon”—Jome
Though I asked him to give me a night I’d never forget, I wasn’t expecting what he gave me. It was…
everything.
After the first time, he rested with me against his side for a bit before he nudged me onto my
back. He was all teeth and licking and sucking as he practically attacked my body. I was going to have
marks, but I couldn’t find it in me to care. In fact, I urged him on by clutching his hair and pulling him
into my flesh as he sucked on the side of my breast and the slope of my shoulder.
“Please,” I begged, unsure of what exactly I was asking for. He lifted his head and stared into my
eyes. His deep brown eyes were heated, and he got to his knees. Before I knew what he was doing, he
had me flipped onto my stomach. He kissed down my spine and then the divots at the top of my hips
before he bit each cheek. I squealed, and he smacked my ass.
He. Smacked. My. Ass.
As I was lying there in shock both at what he’d done and how it had turned me on, he hooked an
arm under my pelvis and lifted me to my knees. There was the brief rustle of plastic, then he was
prodding my pussy with the spongy head of his shaft.
I grabbed the linens beside my head as I braced myself for the delicious invasion of his thick
cock.
“That’s right, you better hang on,” he warned as his fingers dug into the globes of my butt. Yeah,
there were gonna be bruises from his grip.
He pushed in a bit, then made shallow little strokes. I began to relax as my eyes rolled a bit from
how incredible he felt. With him being so thick, I felt him everywhere. Then I shouted in surprise
when he drove that big, hard cock in to the hilt. I knew he was in all the way because I could feel him
damn near in my guts. Tingles spread throughout my body, he was so deep.
Then he moved.
And sweet Jesus, did he move.
“That’s right, you take it. You take it all,” he panted as he fucked me hard and fast. It was so
good, I wanted more and more and more. I wasn’t worried about how I looked naked, whether I was
jiggly, or not, if I looked sexy or simply a hot mess—nope, none of that mattered.
All that mattered was how amazing he made me feel. I pushed my hips back as he plunged
forward. Our sweat-slicked skin slapped, and a bead of sweat ran from my lower back to between my
shoulder blades.
“You’re so goddamn tight,” he ground out.
Losing control, I clawed at the bedding, trying to anchor myself.
My lungs burned as I dragged in desperate breaths.
“Oh fuck,” I panted as the familiar pressure began to build. “I’m gonna….”
He fisted my hair and pulled me up until he growled in my ear. “You’re…gonna… what?” he
asked, each word punctuated by him slamming his cock into me.
“I’m gonna… ohmygod, ohmygod… I’m coming!” I cried out as my world exploded, splintering
into a million pieces of throbbing, pulsing ecstasy. Vaguely, I was aware of a brief pause and the
sound of him hissing in a breath, then he resumed his single-minded focus as I was lost in blissful
oblivion.
Through it all, he continued to ram that beautiful cock into me until he stilled, and I could feel
him pulsing as he roared and held himself deep inside me. A few sporadic thrusts sent me over the
edge again, and I practically shook with the overwhelming combination of us both losing our ever-
loving minds.
“Goddamn it, woman,” he panted as I came back to reality. With a wicked grin, I squeezed him,
and he yelped and released my hair. That earned me another smack on my ass. I could feel him grip
the base of the condom, and I whimpered when he pulled out.
Ass still in the air, I tried to slow my breathing as he left the bed. My arms were sprawled out,
and I was practically drooling on the pillow. I could hear him moving around in the bathroom, the
water running and then shutting off. He padded back to the bed, and a deep chuckle made me pop open
one eye.
“Wasso funny?” I mumbled.
“You.”
“Hmpf.”
A warm washcloth was tenderly placed over my throbbing pussy, and I grunted.
“You okay?” he asked softly as he continued to gently clean me off.
“Yeah. A little sore, but I’m not complaining.”
He muffled another laugh. I jumped when he kissed my ass cheek, then my spine. My nose
wrinkled because I knew I was sweaty as fuck, but he didn’t seem to mind one bit.
The bed shifted before he grabbed my hip and pulled me toward him until I rolled into the
cocoon of his warm body.
“That was incredible,” he whispered, tangling his lower limbs with mine.
“Mm-hmmm,” I hummed as I snugged against him, notching his partially hard length against my
rear. “So warm,” I muttered as my eyes grew heavier and heavier.
A thick arm wrapped tightly around me, and I sighed.
I woke once to his mouth between my legs which led to another round of mind-blowing orgasms.
When we were done, we got in the shower. It was cramped, but he reverently washed my body, then
my hair. I returned the favor, and pushed him against the shower wall as I kissed him like there was
no tomorrow—because for us, there wasn’t.
I ignored the bothersome ache that thought brought to my chest.
Slowly, I dropped to my knees.
“Lee,” he began, but I didn’t stop. For as amazing as he’d made me feel, I wanted to return the
favor. Wrapping my hand around his shaft, I marveled at how thick he was. Maybe it wasn’t
abnormally thick, but definitely more so than I’d been used to.
I licked slowly around the head and softly suckled it. With my other hand cupping his balls, I
squeezed the base and drew him further into my mouth. He groaned and I looked up at him. Mouth
parted, eyelids heavy, his gaze full of lust, he watched me take his cock down my throat.
I moaned when he gently cupped the back of my head and his eyes fell shut.
“Fuck,” he whispered as I took him as deep as I could, then backed off only to do it again. His
head fell back against the wall, and he fisted my hair. He guided me, and I obliged. “Lee,” he
whispered, and I hummed again.
“Oh yeah, fuck baby, that’s so good. Suck my cock. Take it. Fuck. Oh fuck,” he practically
babbled as he began to move his hips. He cupped my jaw but still held my hair. Every other thrust of
his hips made me gag, but I didn’t give up. My eyes watered, but as I watched him unravel, I basked
in the power I had over the godlike man in that moment.
Arms covered in tattoos that spanned across his chest, muscles sculpted and firm, he was at my
mercy. His dark hair was wet and hung in spiky peaks over his brow. With all of that, combined with
his chiseled face and his jaw dusted with a close-cropped beard, he was fucking gorgeous.
And for this one night, he was mine.
His eyes popped open and locked with mine. He tried to pull me off, but I growled in
disagreement. He mumbled something that sounded like “Fuck it,” and with one last stroke, he drove
deep, and his hot cum spurted on the back of my tongue and down my throat. I swallowed every bit
until I was pretty sure his knees buckled.
Then he pulled my hair to bring me to my feet. He grabbed me and lifted until I wrapped my legs
around his waist as he slammed his lips to mine. That kiss was needy and savage. I sucked on his
tongue, and he pulled free to suck on my lip and bite it. It was a constant battle for supremacy as he
turned off the water and carried me, dripping wet, to the bedroom and out to the kitchen.
My ass hit the edge of the counter, and he drove his cock into my aching pussy. I gasped as I dug
my nails into his biceps. He thrust in over and over as I clutched his hair and his face, my kisses
raining over his lips and jaw. I bit his neck. He bit my shoulder.
My nails scored his firm flesh, his bruised mine with their relentless grip. He felt so fucking
good.
We were running on a primal level where we couldn’t get enough of each other. My body
trembled, and I rolled my hips to grind my clit against his pelvis with each thrust. We ascended closer
and closer to the top until finally, we crested the rise and fell over. I came like I’d never come before.
“Fuck,” he gasped as he pulled out, and his hot cum shot all over my belly and my chest.
Breaths ragged and uneven, skin slick with the remnants of the shower and our sweat, we held
each other.
Neither of us spoke.
Gently, he gathered me up and carried me to the bed. He grabbed a towel from the bathroom,
dried me gently, and then dried himself. He crawled back into the bed, and we gravitated toward each
other like magnets.
The room slowly quit spinning as his breathing slowed and evened out. Cautiously, I rose up
onto my elbow and stared down at him. I memorized the arch of his dramatic brows, the way his thick
lashes fanned over his olive-toned cheeks. Ever so gently, I brushed my lips against his, soft in sleep.
Tucking away every detail for the lonely nights of the future, I waited until I was sure it was safe to
move.
Inch by inch, I disentangled myself from his warmth. Then, as quietly as I could, I padded around
the cabin, gathering my clothes and dressing. With my heels in my hand, I stood in the doorway of his
bedroom and drank him in one last time.
“Thank you,” I whispered with soft smile.
And I left.

“I can’t believe you’re not going to tell me anything that happened!” Merin crowed as she shot me the
stink eye.
Remembering bits and pieces from the night before, I smiled to myself. Could I tell her
everything? Yes, I could. Except it seemed like a sacrilege to share our night together.
“He was… amazing,” I offered with a sigh before I rested my chin on the heel of my hand as we
waited for our food to arrive.
“That’s it? That’s all I get? At least tell me he wasn’t strictly missionary. I mean, it has its place,
and there’s nothing wrong with it, but I wanna hear that he bent you over, grabbed that hair, and went
to pound town.” Eyes wide, foot tapping, and arms crossed, she was the epitome of exasperated.
My face heated at how close her description was to what had happened. Thankfully, the waiter
brought our lunch and set it down. We’d both slept through breakfast. When we left for the restaurant,
I’d been half hoping to see Gabe again and half hoping they’d already left.
“Bitch. He did, didn’t he?” She leaned forward as she studied me with her jaw unhinged. Then
she laughed. Other patrons glanced our way, and I shushed her.
“Hell yeah. Lia, I’m so happy for you. That’s exactly what I was talking about. You needed that.”
She moved on to her food, and as we ate, we discussed the things we planned to do for the day. We
flew back to Minneapolis in the morning, and I would have a day with her there, then fly back to
Chicago the day after that.
We ended up saying to hell with it, and spent the rest of the day by the pool, soaking up the sun.
Well, I did, but she slathered herself in sunscreen and lounged her Irish butt under an umbrella.
“You and your half-Italian genes,” she grumbled and playfully glared at me.
I grinned as I rolled my head to face her. “Good ol’ Dad was good for something, huh?”
She snorted a laugh. “Hey, I don’t suppose you got any pics of your sex machine last night, did
you?” She waited expectantly.
I grimaced. “I wish. But those memories will still be front and center in my mind for a loooong
time.”
My phone rang and, seeing that it was my dad, I smiled and answered. “Hey, Dad.”
“Hello, sweetheart. I hope you’ve been enjoying yourself.” I’d called him every day to check on
him. Each time, he’d rushed me off the phone, telling me to enjoy myself and not worry about my old
father back home. I couldn’t help it, though—I worried.
“I have. It’s been a great trip.”
Merin snickered, and my face flushed at the thought of how good it had ended up.
“Well, you deserve it. I’m not going to be able to meet you at the airport. Mario said he’ll be in
the area and can pick you up for me,” he explained.
I winced.
“Oh, um, I can just take the Blue Line. He doesn’t need to take time out of his day to get me,” I
countered. The last thing I wanted was to have to ride home with Mario.
“I don’t want you taking the train at that time of night,” my dad argued. “It’s not safe.”
“Dad, it’s fine and not the first time since I’ve done it. Did you forget I take the train down to the
office when I go in?”
“That’s different,” he huffed.
I laughed. “It is not.”
“He’ll be there,” he insisted making me roll my eyes.
“Fine.”
“Good. Thank you for humoring your dear ol’ dad. See you soon. Love you, but I’ll let you get
back to your vacation.”
“Love you too, Dad.”
“Looks like you have a date,” Merin teased.
My eyes narrowed and I stuck my tongue out at her. “Shut up.”
 “Scar Tissue”—Red Hot Chili Peppers
Though I’d known we only had one night, waking up to an empty cabin the next morning wasn’t high
on my list of favorite feelings. For someone who didn’t get attached and emotional, I certainly hated
the fact that she was gone. As soon as I was up and showered, I packed up my shit and went to my
mom’s cabin to wait for her to be ready to leave.
I couldn’t stay in mine.
She was everywhere.
“I can’t thank you boys enough for coming with me,” Mom said as we loaded all her crap back
up into one of Dad’s SUVs we had driven to the signing. Pietro closed the back door, and I helped
Mom climb up into the back seat.
“You’re welcome,” I told her as I pressed a kiss to her cheek.
“Well, you sure changed your tune about this weekend,” Mom mused as she gave me an
appraising stare.
Allessio snorted.
 Leo outright laughed.
Vittorio ratted me out. “That’s because he hooked up with one of your fellow book nerds.”
Mom gasped. “Gabriel Mateo De Luca, you didn’t!”
Glaring, I flipped my brother off and mouthed, “You’ll pay for that.”
He smirked smugly, and I could’ve throttled him.
“I’m not discussing that with you, Mother,” I replied, and after ensuring she was safely inside, I
closed the door. Then I turned to Vittorio. “You’re just pissed off because the chick you were chatting
up turned you down.”
His gaze widened and his mouth opened, but no words came out. Finally, he snapped it shut.
Then he narrowed his gaze. “How did you know about that?”
It was my turn to smirk. “It’s my job to know every-fucking-thing. Remember that.”
Leaving him sputtering, I rounded the vehicle and got in the back seat of the other SUV. Vittorio
got in with Mom, Alessio rode with me and Pietro, Leo got in the front seat, and Vittorio’s man drove.
“What time does our flight leave?” I asked Pietro as we pulled out of the resort behind the other
vehicle.
“7:27 a.m. tomorrow,” he shot off without a pause.
I nodded, then propped my elbow on the door and absently rubbed my chin as I stared sightlessly
at the passing scenery. My mind was too busy replaying the night before to pay attention.
When I ran my tongue over my lower lip, I could swear I still tasted her. It was in my head,
because I’d showered and brushed my teeth. Impossible, yet it was like she was burned into every
part of me. Every so often, I even thought I smelled her perfume.
Shoving that night into the back recesses of my mind, I concentrated on everything I had waiting
on me in Chicago.
The next morning when my plane went airborne, I told myself I was leaving her memory behind
in Texas.
If only it were that easy.

Back in my penthouse office, I sorted through my mail. An expensive-feeling envelope without a

return address was in the mix. I frowned as I stared at the writing. Something about it was familiar.
“Call a meeting with Bruno. Ensure Vittorio is here as well,” I instructed Pietro as I studied the
oversized letter. I would need to be updated by Bruno on the activities that went on while I was gone.
Knowing my mail was carefully screened by my security team, I flipped it over and grabbed the
embellished letter opener that had been in my family since Sicily became a province of Italy in 1861.
My family was one of the first clans asked by the Roman officials to help in their fight against the
dangerous independent criminals in Sicily at the time.
When Mussolini came into power and launched his brutal attack on the mafioso, some of my
family fled to America. While technically, here in Chicago, we were the American Mafia or La Cosa
Nostra, those of us with strong ties to Sicily still viewed our organization as Sicilian—it was where
our roots were.
As I slipped the heavy, textured paper from the envelope, I scanned the print. The corner of my
mouth kicked up. It was a wedding invitation. Roman was marrying Tawny. Childhood memories
flooded me. Roman and I had been friends when we were young children—before we understood the
status divide between our families. Back then, it was Roman, Keenan and Keagan, Vincent, and me.
We had been inseparable until I was about twelve. After that, things changed for me, though my
friends never knew what had happened.
Tawny was part of my legal team. She’d defended me against an assault charge a couple of years
ago. How was that for ironic? And a bit of a conflict of interest for her, now. Especially considering
whether he wanted to admit it or not, Roman was indebted to me. I chuckled and tossed the invite onto
the island. I wouldn’t be attending, and they knew it, which was probably why there was no return
address. They just wanted me to know, and I was happy for them.
“What was that?” Pietro asked as he motioned to the invite with his head.
“Invite to the wedding of Tawny Russo and Roman Prescott.” I grabbed a bottle of imported
water from the small fridge under my desk.
“The cop?” Pietro asked.
“Yeah.” Roman was actually SWAT, but that was a technicality.
“Mmm,” he hummed. He knew what we’d helped with and that Roman still owed me. Roman
wasn’t a dirty cop, but I kept his debt as an ace in the hole—just in case. One never knew when one
might need to call in a favor.
Bruno arrived, followed shortly after by Vittorio, and he filled us in on everything that had gone
on while we were gone. The last thing he told me had me grinding my molars.
“You know this without question?”
“Yes, Gabriel,” Bruno assured me.
“You have him?”
“Yes. In the waterfront warehouse.”
“Pietro, let’s go. We have something to take care of,” I announced.
Pietro and Bruno immediately protested.
“Boss, I’ll take care of this. You don’t need to go down there. Best you stay out of the actual
resolution.”
Resolution. A nice way of saying the death of a traitor.
“I’m going, and I will handle this personally. People need to understand that just because I’m not
my father or my grandfather, I will not tolerate being fucked over.” Though there would be no actual
witnesses that I couldn’t trust explicitly, it would be an unspoken understanding. Because while one
of the rules of being a member of the mafia was that you didn’t talk about the details of a murder,
people would know that he disappeared, and they would know that I wasn’t ripping the city apart
looking for him.
Bruno sighed as I strolled to the private elevator that went to the lobby and the underground
parking garage. “This is a bad idea. You shouldn’t be handling these things yourself.”
“It is your job to advise me, Bruno, and for that, I thank you for your opinion. However, I have
made up my mind.” My tone brooked no argument, and he frowned but wisely kept his mouth shut.
The three men followed me into the elevator and down to the garage. Bruno left, and the rest of
us used my luxury SUV to drive to one of my properties where I kept a second, lesser vehicle. We
didn’t get out until we were in the garage with the door shut. We switched vehicles once more at
another location, then drove to the warehouse Bruno indicated.
Once inside, I straightened my sleeves and tie. Then we went to the center of the building. We
used the warehouse for storage of our strictly legal merchandise to minimize the risk of law
enforcement wanting to raid the place.
Above a large grate, Benito Avola sat tied to a metal folding chair. The fear in his eyes stirred
the beast that dwelled within the blackest depths of my soul. The one that fed on fear and burned with
an insatiable bloodlust. It warred with the lighter beast of my conscience—one I’d learned long ago
to keep on a tight leash.
I grabbed one of the other chairs there and placed it backwards in front of Benito. Resting my
arms on the back, I then settled my chin on them. Without saying a word, I stared at the now trembling
man in front of me.
“Mr. De Luca, I-I-I didn’t say anything,” he blurted out. Inside, I grinned malevolently at the
predictability with which he cracked in the silence.
“But you met with the detective in secret, did you not?” I calmly asked.
“Yes, but I said niente—I told him nothing,” he replied.
“Hmm, see, that’s not what my associates told me. You know I have friends everywhere, and
those friends told me that you told them I had gun parts coming in,” I casually explained.
“But I—”
“Save it,” I interrupted. “I despise liars. You have now cost me money because I had to delay
that shipment and reroute it. I don’t like losing money.”
He gave a short whimper.
“But the worst part? You broke your oath. Do you remember what you were told when you gave
that oath?”
“Th-th-that I would burn like the saint if I did,” he stammered.
I sighed dramatically. “See, you’re in luck.”
Hope flared in his gaze that was quickly extinguished.
“I’m not like my grandfather. He would’ve sat here and reveled in the smell of your flesh burning
from your still breathing body.” I held out a hand into which Pietro placed a pistol.
I made a show of screwing the silencer onto the end, then chambering a round, and flipping the
safety. “I prefer to make a clear and concise statement.”
Pointing the muzzle at his head, I pulled the trigger. The sound was muffled, but the chair fell
back, and Benito’s blood drained into the grate.
The cold that enveloped me as I stood up was a protection mechanism I’d cultivated at a young
age. It chilled and settled the bloodthirsty beast that fed on my sins. Silently, I handed the gun back to
Pietro, who wiped it clean and placed it back in the case.
“Get this cleaned up,” I told Pietro, who would handle the situation with the discretion I
demanded. We had entered into a contract with the Royal Bastards in Ankeny, Iowa. It was a bit of a
trip for them, but they specialized in biological cleanup. We were no longer in the Wild West, and
bodies left a trail. I had no intention of going to prison, so I played things smart.
Vittorio and his bodyguard followed me out, and we got in the vehicle. Pietro wasn’t far behind.
We left, but all of us remained silent.
“Do you ever question what we do?” Vittorio quietly asked me as he stared out the window.
“No.”
To question what we did meant allowing my conscience free rein.
And that… would be deadly.
 “Royals”—Lorde
Arching my back, I stretched. Then I pushed back my chair, picked up my mug, and shuffled in my
slippers to the kitchen. I’d spent the day in my pajamas—perks of working from home. By tomorrow,
I should have completed first round of edits on Merin’s latest manuscript. Then the following day, I
was slotted to begin on Verlene’s.
I dumped the cold coffee down the drain and rinsed the cup before putting it in the dishwasher.
A buzzing had me frowning. I realized it was my phone, but I couldn’t remember where I left it.
Tossing pillows around, I search the couch where I’d started my day. Then I checked my desk. By the
time I found it on the bathroom counter, it had quit ringing.
A text came through.
Mario: I was calling to see if you wanted to grab dinner
Mario: Call me. I can bring something by if that’s easier
 “Ugh! Ignore,” I whispered to myself. I yawned as I tried to get my head straight after being
immersed in my work all day.
My vacation had put me on a bit of a time crunch, which equated to some long hours over the
past month and a half, but it was nothing I couldn’t handle. I should be back on track over the next few
weeks.
After glancing at the time, I groaned. No time to make supper, and I sure as hell didn’t want
Mario coming by. I pulled up the app on my phone and placed an order to be delivered. Dad had
texted me earlier and said he’d be a little late tonight, so that had bought me some time.
Me: Sorry, I already ate, but thank u!
My phone rang and I answered, then hit the speaker button.
“I’m almost done!” I singsonged as I opened a bottle of water.
“And?” Merin nervously drew out.
I laughed. “It’s good. There were a few suggestions I had, and the typical grammatical stuff.”
The door opened and slammed shut. I heard my dad muttering, then the locks all being set.
“Gotta go, hon. Dad just got home.”
We ended our call, and I waited for my dad to come into the kitchen, but he didn’t.
Curious, I wandered around the corner. “Dad?”
He spun to face me. The man was a mess. Suit disheveled, hair mussed and sticking up, he stood
in the entryway, muttering.
“Everything okay?” I asked with a tilt of my head.
“Yeah, yeah, everything’s good. Long day, that’s all.” He took off his jacket and hung it up. I
shook my head. From the looks of it, that thing needed to go to the cleaners.
“I ordered dinner. It will be delivered soon,” I told him. He continued to appear distracted. “Are
you sure you’re okay? You’re acting really strange.”
“It’s nothing. There was a little mishap today, but nothing I can’t straighten out.” He forced a
smile that I didn’t buy for a second.
Dad asked me about my day and made small talk in an obvious attempt to divert my worries. I
played along because he obviously didn’t want to talk about his day. Of course, my recent worries
resurfaced. Somehow, I knew it had something to do with his gambling, and it made me a little sick to
my stomach.
The doorbell rang, and I went to answer it. My dad jumped up and rushed to stop me.
“Dad!” I startled.
“See who it is first,” he insisted.
I threw up my hands and held my phone in front of his face. “It’s the food, Dad.”
He looked through the peephole, and his shoulders sagged in relief. I gently pushed him aside,
shaking my head. After thanking the delivery kid, I brought the food in and set it on the table. As I
pulled the containers out, my gaze kept darting to my dad. He had actual sweat running down his
temples.
We ate in silence because my dad was stuck in his head. He mostly picked at his food, then
finally set his silverware down. “I’m sorry, tesorina. I’m not very hungry tonight. Thank you for
taking care of dinner. I think I’m going to go to bed.”
He stood up and kissed the top of my head as he gripped my hand. Then he shuffled off to bed.
Chewing on my lip, I wondered if I should go to check on him. Instead, I cleaned up the mess and
put the leftovers in the fridge. Once everything was done, I sat back at the table and rested my head in
my hands.
What if my dad owed money again?
I’d emptied my savings a couple of years ago to bail him out, and I was so worried he had done
it again. One of these days, he was going to get involved with a loan shark or something and that
terrified me.
There was a light knock on the door. I lifted my head and glanced back at the hall to the
bedrooms, then to the door. With my dad’s earlier behavior, my heart raced, and I froze. As quietly as
I could, I stood up and tiptoed to the door. Holding my breath, I peered through the peephole. Relief
hit me and I chuckled at my overactive imagination.
Unlocking all the locks, I opened the door and leaned on it.
“Hi, Mario.”
He glanced over my shoulder into the apartment, then looked down at me. Slowly, he smiled, and
I couldn’t help but feel like it was a bit wolfish.
“Dad’s already gone to bed,” I offered.
“Would you mind if I came in?” He dropped a shoulder to the doorframe.
“Actually, now isn’t a good time. It’s been a long day,” I explained, trying to smile to soften the
blow. I’d made the mistake of agreeing to have dinner with Mario on the way home from the airport
the night I flew back from my visit with Merin. Ever since then, he had become increasingly pushy
when it came to my attention. I wasn’t interested in him. He was handsome, don’t get me wrong, but
he wasn’t my type. Though he was always attentive and nice, he seemed a bit… sleazy.
Lately, my type seemed to be dark and brooding, with the deepest brown eyes in existence. I
couldn’t get Gabe out of my head. Every night since I’d left, I dreamed of him.
My breath caught when he reached out and grasped a piece of my hair that fell loose from the
mess on my head. He slowly twirled the strands around his finger. “It’s only a matter of time….”
“Until?”
He chuckled darkly but didn’t answer. Instead, he pushed off the doorframe and winked. Then he
left.
Unease settled in my chest.
 “Can’t Sleep”—Blacktop Mojo
Sitting in my office that was two floors below my penthouse, I stared out the window at Millennium
Park and the dark water of the lake. I felt a kinship with that water. We were both deep, dark, and full
of secrets.
This was my home. My city. Nothing happened here of a nefarious nature that I didn’t know
about—well, very little. Which was why this latest development pissed me off. That we had
sustained such a loss was unacceptable.
My older brother was slipping if he hadn’t caught it immediately. That, or he knew, and he was
keeping secrets from me. Neither option made me happy.
Though I was ruthless, I was also fair. I’d inherited those traits from my father and grandfather.
My grandfather had been a cruel, cultured savage. My father had been an unforgiving leader but never
impulsive. He was—as he’d taught me to be—fair when it warranted.
For nearly twenty-three years, I’d known there was the possibility I would take the reins from
my father one day. I’d been groomed and prepared every day of my life. Sometimes, I was jealous of
my brothers because they didn’t carry the weight of our family legacy quite the way I did.
At thirty, I was one of the youngest dons in all La Cosa Nostra families.
My ringer sounded. Pietro looked up from where he sat on the couch, fucking with his phone.
“Yes?”
“We’re on our way in. ETA ten minutes. Coming up the private elevator when we arrive,” my
most trusted soldier, Georgio, announced.
I strummed an agitated rhythm with my fingers as I went over what I had to do. I sighed quietly
enough that he didn’t hear me.
“Very well.” I ended the call.
“Gabe, are you really going to—” my right-hand man, Pietro, began before I cut in.
“Pietro—don’t. You know this has to be done.” He dropped his chin at my words but bit his
tongue and simply shook his head.
No one else would get away with questioning me. But Pietro was my childhood friend and my
bodyguard. We’d known each other since before either of us was potty trained. Yet, even he knew that
he was never to question me in front of anyone. In private, we had a lot of deep discussions that
would never see the light of day.
Antonio Tuscano was being brought before me to answer for his transgressions. Despite my fury,
I hated this as much as Pietro did. Antonio had been around for as long as I could remember. He’d
been a soldier back as far as my grandfather’s reign. My great-grandfather and his grandfather had
been like brothers.
That was the only reason I’d kept him around. He’d been loyal to my family for years, but he had
a history of gambling to excess which made him a liability. We didn’t like liabilities. I remember the
night when I was young my grandfather had beat the absolute shit out of him because he had been told
to quit gambling but hadn’t listened.
I’d lost touch with him personally, but I’d kept him around out of respect and because I hadn’t
had any issues with him since taking over.
There was a knock on my door. Pietro answered it and stepped to the side to admit Georgio and
Antonio.
“You may leave,” I told Georgio, who silently nodded. There was no mistaking the flash of pity
in his gaze as he closed the door behind him.
Staring out the window, I let Antonio stew in his sweat as he stood in the middle of the carpet
that was placed over thick plastic. I’d gone through several of those rugs.
Finally, I turned my attention to him.
He looked like shit. Dark circles ringed his eyes and his clothing looked unkempt—not the image
I wanted portrayed.
“So did you win on Saturday?” I asked as I flipped my letter opener tip to end on the desktop.
“Um, yeah. Yeah, I did.”
“What about last night?” I quietly and calmly waited for his reply.
“Yes, um, it was a good night.”
“Antonio, you are fully aware that I don’t like liars—and I like thieves even less. There’s
nothing I don’t know. See, I know you made your collections from my businesses yesterday, but you
didn’t make the deposit.” Slowly, I canted my head as I cocked a brow.
Antonio shifted from foot to foot. “I had some matters to take care of, but I was planning to bring
it by after lunch.”
“Oh? Well, where is it?” I lifted a hand and held it palm up as if waiting for him to place
something in it.
“Georgio said you wanted to see me, and I didn’t want to—”
“Stop, Antonio.”
He snapped his mouth shut.
“I know you gambled with my money, and I know you lost it. I’m not sure why you thought you’d
get away with this.” I had eyes everywhere. The night before, Antonio had collected the pizzo—
protection money—for the month. I’m sure he thought he would “borrow” it, come out ahead on his
bets, and I would be none the wiser.
I stood up and straightened my already impeccably placed tie. Antonio visibly shrank. I turned to
stare out at the view I’d so recently been admiring. Then I trailed my finger over the glass. “God, I
love this city.” Glancing over at Antonio, I noticed the trail of sweat that ran down his cheek. He
might have even trembled. “Don’t you love this city?”
“What do mean?”
“Tell me.” I braced my splayed fingertips on my desktop as I leaned slightly toward him. “Don’t
you love this city?”
“Um, yes, sir. Yes, I do love this city.”
“Good, good. So would you like to continue to live in this city?”
“Um, well, yes. My home is here.”
“No. Do you want to continue to live in this city?”
It was in that moment that Antonio understood what I was saying. His face went ashen, and his
eyes bugged. If I wasn’t so pissed, I might’ve laughed.
“I don’t have the money… yet.”
“Yet? And how do you expect to get my money back?”
“I—”
“And don’t tell me you’re going to get lucky on the horses, because we both know your track
record.”
“Gabriel. Please. Have mercy.”
I barked a laugh. “When have you ever know me to be merciful? I’m not your priest. I’m not
Jesus Christ himself. Don’t ask for mercy from me.”
“But Gabriel, I can’t leave my daughter alone in this city. She has no one left except for me.”
“Your daughter?” He had my attention, and I could tell he knew he’d fucked up. I couldn’t
believe I had forgotten he had a daughter. His mentioning her reminded me. She had a different last
name from his, and he’d ended up with her after her mother died. If memory served, the girl had to be
nearing twenty by now.
“Yes. My Alia. She’s only twenty-four. She’s been protected—sheltered from all of this. She
doesn’t understand the dangers that lurk here.”
Hmm, more time had passed than I realized.
“Dangers? Like… me?”
“No! Not you. I meant in general,” he stammered.
“See, this is where you’re wrong. Because I am the danger in this city. Have I ever given you the
impression that I tolerate being lied to?”
“No.”
“Stolen from?”
“No.”
“Then why did you think it was okay to use my money to make your bets?”
 “Well, Boss, I thought it was a sure thing,” he began.
“I’ll tell you what… show me a picture of this daughter of yours.”
If she was pretty enough, I might consider taking her in exchange for my money. If not, I had
places she could earn it—I had my fair share of interest in several strip clubs in the area. Though it
might take her a long damn time. Antonio reluctantly pulled out his wallet as I watched. He fumbled
and almost dropped everything. I had to fight not to roll my eyes.
This is what I have working as soldiers for me?
Finally, he worked a tattered image from his wallet and held it out. I took it and gave him a
deadpan stare. “Really? When was this taken? When she was three?”
“Well, yes. It was in her mother’s things, and I put it in my wallet. I uh, don’t keep actual
photographs, Boss. And I can’t bring my phone in here.”
“Pietro.”
Pietro tossed his phone at Antonio, who caught it and looked at me in question.
“Well, in this day and age, everyone has some type of social media. Right? Look her up.” I
certainly didn’t, but I wasn’t most people.
Antonio swallowed so hard, we could hear it, but his fingers flew over the screen. Then he held
it out to me. This time, there was no mistaking the tremble in his hand.
I took it and glanced down. Years of training allowed me to keep a straight face, but inside I was
rocked to the core. Was this a joke?
Backing out of the image, I was taken to her profile page. Alia Stewart. Editor.
Holy fucking shit. It was the girl from that book signing I’d taken my mother to in Texas. My
brain spun as it went into overdrive. Then I remembered my mom saying that M. Merin was
previously from Chicago, and everything clicked.
During the signing, I’d received a phone call before Mom hit this M. Merin’s table, so I missed it
all. That had to have been the friend “Lee” was there with. I tossed the phone back to Pietro, then
casually slid my hands into my slacks pockets. He coughed to cover his choking sound.
“I’ll offer you a deal.”
Antonio became instantly wary—as he should. “Yes, Boss?”
“I will wipe away your debt… in exchange for your daughter for six months.”
Antonio protested. “She doesn’t know anything about this. I’ve sheltered her. She has no
experience in this life. She thinks I’m a salesman. Gabriel, you’re asking me to put my daughter’s life
in jeopardy—to hand her over to you like property.”
“Your life is already in jeopardy. So make your choice. Either I take her, or you’re paying for this
debt. Today.”
“But—”
“And let me remind you that my money is nothing to play with.”
“I understand, Gabriel. But please give me twenty-four hours. She has to be willing. If she’s not,
then I will return alone and you will have your payment,” he begged as the lines of his face deepened
and he appeared to age before my eyes.
My jaw ticked.
As did the antique clock on the wall.
Finally, I nodded. “Very well. If she’s willing to take your place, your debt will be forgiven. If
not, you better be here. There will not be a single place you can hide from me. Do I make myself
clear?”
“Yes, sir.”
Another random document with
no related content on Scribd:
 “One of our troubles is with smuggled liquor. We try especially to
keep it from the Indians, but nevertheless it gets in. In one instance
bottles of whisky were shipped to the Yukon inside the carcasses of
dressed hogs. In another a woman contrived a rubber sleeve, which
she filled with whisky. All one had to do for a drink was to give her
arm a hard squeeze.”
I asked how it was that the Mounted Police are so feared by bad
characters that this whole territory can be controlled by a handful of
them. The officer replied:
“Every man in frontier Canada knows that if he is wanted by the
Mounted Police, they are sure to get him. A fugitive from justice
could very easily kill one of our men sent after him, but he realizes
that if he does so, another will follow, and as many more as are
necessary until he is brought in. I have seen constables arrest men
of twice their weight and strength, and have had one or two men
round up a mob and bring them all to jail. This is true not only of our
own bad men, but also of those who come across from Alaska. They
may be dangerous on the other side of the border, but they are
always gentle enough when they get here.
“The big thing that helps us,” concluded the head of the police,
“is that the government supports us up to the limit. For example, it
cost us two hundred thousand dollars to convict in one famous
murder case, but it was done and the guilty man hanged. Ottawa
always tells us that it is prepared to spend any amount of money
rather than have a murderer go unpunished. It is that policy that
enables us to keep order here.”
THE END
 SEEING THE WORLD
WITH

Frank G. Carpenter
Doubleday, Page & Company, in response to the demand from
Carpenter readers, are now publishing the complete story of
CARPENTER’S WORLD TRAVELS, of which this book is the tenth
in the series. Those now available are:

1. “The Holy Land and Syria”

2. “From Tangier to Tripoli”
Morocco, Algeria,
Tunisia, and Tripoli
3. “Alaska, Our Northern Wonderland”
4. “The Tail of the Hemisphere”
Chile and Argentina
5. “From Cairo to Kisumu”
Egypt, the Sudan,
and Kenya Colony
6. “Java and the East Indies”
Java, Sumatra,
the Moluccas, New Guinea,
Borneo, and the Malay Peninsula
7. “France to Scandinavia”
France, Belgium,
Holland, Denmark,
Norway, and Sweden
8. “Mexico”
9. “Australia, New Zealand, and Some Islands of the South
Seas”
Australia, New Zealand,
New Guinea, the Samoas,
 the Fijis, and the Tongas
10. “Canada”
and Newfoundland

Millions of Americans have already found Carpenter their ideal

fellow traveller, and have enjoyed visiting with him all the corners of
the globe. He tells his readers what they want to know, shows them
what they want to see, and makes them feel that they are there.
CARPENTER’S WORLD TRAVELS are the only works of their
kind. These books are familiar talks about the countries and peoples
of the earth, with the author on the spot and the reader in his home.
No other one man has visited so much of the globe and written on
the ground, in plain and simple language, the story of what he has
found. CARPENTER’S WORLD TRAVELS are not the casual record
of incidents of the journey, but the painstaking study of a trained
observer, devoting his life to the task of international reporting. Each
book is complete in itself; together they form the most vivid,
interesting, and understandable picture of our modern world ever
published. They are the fruit of more than thirty years of unparalleled
success in writing for the American people, and the capstone of
distinguished services to the teaching of geography in our public
schools, which have used some four million copies of the Carpenter
Geographical Readers.
 INDEX

Abitibi, large production of news-print at, 92.

Agriculture, in Newfoundland, 11;
in Quebec, 47, 48;
possibilities of Manitoba, 154.
Air plant, a polar orchid along the Yukon Trail, 236.
Airplanes, fail in attempt to reach Fort Norman, 205.
Alberta, coal deposits estimated to be one seventh of the world’s
total, 200;
extent of pure bred cattle and dairy industries, 208.
Alberta Railway and Irrigation Company, pioneer in Alberta
irrigationwork, 207.
Alfalfa, largely produced in southwestern Saskatchewan, 176.
American “branch plants” in Canada, 104.
American capital and investments in Canada, 105.
American owned pulp-mills and timber tracts in Canada, 96.
Americans, number of, in Canada, 2, 193.
Anderson, Charlie, his lucky strike in the Klondike, 275.
Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia’s apple-growing district, 34.
Anyox, British Columbia, copper mines at, 223.
Apples, largely grown in Annapolis Valley, Nova Scotia, 34;
in the Okanagan Valley, 223.
Asbestos, most of world’s supply produced in Thetford district,
Quebec, 47.
Astrophysical Observatory at Victoria, British Columbia, 225.
“Athabaska Trail,” poem by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 205.
Automobiles, American, in Canada, 104.
Banff, finest mountain resort of Canada, 215.
Bank of Montreal, one of the world’s great banks, 73.
Banks and the banking system of Canada, 69, et seq.
Banting, Dr. F. G., discoverer of Insulin, 99.
Barley, production in the Winnipeg district, 149;
large crops at Edmonton, 200;
in Peace River Valley, 202.
Baseball, popular in Nova Scotia, 35;
in Toronto, 101.
Bassano, great irrigation dam at, 206.
Battleford, Saskatchewan, noted for its fur trade and lumber mills,
179.
Beach, Rex, in the Klondike, 278.
Bears, abundant in the Yukon, 234.
Beatty, E. W., first Canadian-born president of the Canadian Pacific,
165.
Beaver, the first fur exported by the Hudson’s Bay Company, 169;
abundant in the Yukon, 234.
Beck, Sir Adam, at the head of Ontario Hydro-Electric Commission,
110.
Bell Island, visit to the Wabana iron mines on, 26.
Belle Isle, Strait of, 4.
Big game of the Yukon region, 253.
Black, George, demonstrates to Ottawa Parliament possibility of
winter automobile travel in the Yukon, 239.
Bonsecours Market, at Montreal, 66.
Boyle, Joseph W., successful gold-dredging operations in the Yukon,
271;
the story of his career, 281.
Branch plants, American, in Canada, 104.
Bras d’Or Lake, an inland sea, 39.
Bright “Dickie,” a character of old-time Calgary, 211.
British American Nickel Company, operators of mines at Sudbury,
130.
British Columbia, timber resources of, 90;
production of silver in, 124;
agricultural and mineral resources, 220 et seq.
Buffalo, last wild herd reported to be near Fort Vermilion, 202;
largest herd in America at Wainwright Park, Alberta, 217.

Cabbage, as raised at Dawson, Yukon, 265.

Cabot, Sebastian, reported that fish obstructed navigation on
Newfoundland coast, 13.
Cabot Tower, commemorating discovery of Newfoundland, 6.
Calgary, Alberta, huge irrigation works of the Canadian Pacific
Railway at, 206, 207;
the city and its industries, 209.
Camping and hunting in Ontario province, 139.
Canadian Bank of Commerce, established in the Klondike, 280.
Canadian Banking Act, provisions of, 72.
Canadian Banking Association, of semi-official status, 73.
Canadian Klondike Mining Company, established by Joe Boyle, 284.
Canadian National Railways, eastern terminus at Halifax, 31;
extent of, 158;
work abroad to induce immigration, 190;
transcontinental route from Prince Rupert to Halifax, 229.
Canadian Northern Railway, growth of, 162.
Canadian Pacific Railway, eastern terminus at St. John, N. B., 41;
extent of its railroad and steamship service, 158, 160;
work abroad to induce immigration, 190;
begins huge irrigation project near Calgary, 206, 207;
leads in exploiting Canada’s scenic wonders, 218.
Canadian relations with the United States, 85.
Canso, Strait of, railroad trains ferried across, 39.
Cantilever bridge, world’s longest at Quebec, 45.
Cape Breton Island, port of province of Nova Scotia, 38.
Cape Race, chief signal station of the North Atlantic, 3.
Cape Spear, most easterly point of North America, 6.
“Card money,” circulation of, 74.
Caribou, abundant in Newfoundland, 11;
in northern Ontario, 140;
in the Yukon, 234, 253;
meat sold at butcher shops in Dawson, 253.
Carmack, George, discoverer of gold in the Klondike, 274.
Carrots, a successful crop at Dawson, Yukon, 261.
Cartier, Jacques, early explorations of, 45.
Catholicism, Quebec the American capital of French, 57.
Cattalo, cross between buffalo and cattle, raised in large numbers at
Wainwright Park, 218.
Cattle, pure bred, in Alberta, 208;
transportation of, on the Yukon River, 242.
Cattle ranches being supplanted by farms in Alberta, 206.
Château Laurier, government railroad hotel at Ottawa, 81.
Chaudière Falls, source of power for Ottawa manufactures, 80.
Chicken Billy and his ten-thousand-dollar potato patch, 259.
Chinese labourers, not admitted to Canada, 190.
Chippewa, immense hydro-electric development at, 113.
Chisana, abandoned town on the Yukon River, 244.
“Circle tour,” the Canadian Rockies, Yellowstone Park, and Grand
Canyon motor route, 215.
Clay Belt, the Great, agricultural possibilities in, 139.
Clergue steel plant, at Sault Ste. Marie, 135.
Climate, at Edmonton, 200;
at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, 228;
at Dawson, Yukon, 256.
Coaker, Sir William, organizer of Newfoundland Fishermen’s
Protective Union, 21.
Coal, great importance of the Sydney mines, 39;
amount saved by development of Canada’s water-power, 108;
 Alberta’s deposits, the greatest in the Dominion, 200;
immense deposits, near Crow’s Nest Pass, 221.
Cobalt, Ontario, world’s richest silver deposits at, 119.
Cobalt, immense production of the mineral at Cobalt, Ontario, 125.
Cochrane, “Billy,” breeder of “wild” cattle at Calgary, 210.
Cochrane, Senator, owner of large cattle ranch in Alberta, 207.
Cod fisheries, of Newfoundland, 13;
of Nova Scotia, 36.
Coffee, George T., lucky miner in the Yukon, 266.
Coke ovens, at the coal deposits near Crow’s Nest Pass, 221.
Columbia River, source of, in the Kootenays, 220.
Conservation of forests in Canada, 89.
Copper, rich deposits in Newfoundland, 12;
in the Kootenay country, 221, 222.
Copper sulphate, by-product of Sudbury mines, 130.
Cornwallis, Lord, city of Halifax, founded by, 32.
“Country banks” of coal, the settler’s recourse, 201.
Creighton Nickel Mine, largest producer in the world, 127.
“Cremation of Sam McGee,” poem by Robert Service, 257.
Crow’s Nest Pass, railway line through, 217, 220;
immense coal deposits near, 221.
Cucumbers, a hot-house crop, at Dawson, Yukon, 261.
Curling, a popular game in Canada, 68.

Dairy cattle and products of Alberta, 208.

Dawson, the capital of the Yukon, 250 et seq.
Deer, plentiful in Nova Scotia, 57.
Divorce, no laws for, in Newfoundland, 9.
Domestic servants, scarcity of, 192.
Dominion Agricultural Department, originates improved wheat
varieties, 183.
Douglas fir, principal timber of British Columbia, 91.
Doukhobors, fanatical colonists from Russia, 194.
Doyle, Sir Arthur Conan, poem, “The Athabasca Trail,” 205.
Dredging for gold in the Yukon, 267, 269.
Dunsmore, Lord, as a pioneer names town of Moose Jaw, 179.

Edmonton, Alberta, the gateway to the northwest, 197 et seq.

Electric current, low cost of in southern Ontario, 106, 108, 111.
Electrically heated water for winter mining in the Klondike, 285.
Elevators, how conducted in the Canadian wheat belt, 186.

Farm labour, how obtained for the Canadian wheat fields, 184.
Farmers, American, movement to the Canadian wheat belt, 193.
Farmhouses, well built in Nova Scotia, 38.
Farming, on the edge of the Arctic, Fisheries, of Newfoundland, 13;
of Nova Scotia, 36.
Fisheries of British Columbia, extent of, 230.
Fishermen, Newfoundland, their hard lives and small incomes, 20.
Fishermen’s Protective Union, activities of, 21.
Flax seed, production in the Winnipeg district, 149.
Fleming, Peter, plans harbour development of Montreal, 62.
Floating dry dock, at Prince Rupert, 229.
Flour industry, location of principal mills, 186.
Football, popular in Toronto, 101.
Forest fires and protective measures, 89.
Forest reserves, set aside by government of Ontario, 139.
Forests, denudation of Canadian, 88.
Fort Garry, present site of Winnipeg, 151.
Fort McMurray, on the route to the new oil fields, 203.
Fort Norman, trading post for the new oil region, 203.
Fort Smith, capital of the Northwest Territories, 203.
Fort Vermillion, last herd of wild wood buffalo reported near, 202.
Fort William, the great wheat centre, 135, 141.
Fox, Black, price of fur declining since advent of fur farming, 173.
Fox farms on Prince Edward Island, 40;
near Indian Lorette, Quebec, 44.
Fraser River, gold discoveries on, the first in British Columbia, 223.
Freighters, Lake Superior, 146.
French, dispute British claims to Newfoundland fisheries, 14;
attempts to hold Nova Scotia, 15;
driven from Cape Breton Island, 39.
French, the language of Quebec, 49.
French Canada—Quebec, 42.
French Catholicism, Quebec the American capital of, 57.
Fruit growing in the Okanagan Valley, British Columbia, 224.
Fundy, Bay of, the forty-foot tides of, 38.
Fur, and the great organizations concerned in its marketing, 166 et
seq.

Gas, natural, at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, 180;

at Medicine Hat and near Edmonton, 201.
Gates, Swift-Water Bill, his great strike in the Klondike, 277;
partnership with Jack London, 278;
partnership with Joe Boyle, 282.
Glace Bay, first transatlantic cable landed at, 39.
Gold, but little found in Labrador, 11;
production of, in the Porcupine district, 125;
in the Kootenay country, 221;
first discovery in British Columbia, on the Fraser River, 223;
supply being exhausted in the Klondike, 250;
the wonders of the Yukon, 266.
Gouin reservoir, immense water-power development in Quebec, 47.
Government ownership of railroads, how brought about, 162.
Governor-General, the, his position in the Canadian government, 84.
Grain-carrying ships, of the Great Lakes, 146.
Grain elevators, at Port Arthur and Fort William, 141 et seq.
Grain sacks, manufacture of, a leading industry of Montreal, 63.
Granby Company, miners and smelters of copper in British
Columbia, 222.
Grand Banks, the cod fishing grounds, 4, 19.
Grand Forks, British Columbia, smelter closed down after a record
production, 222.
Grand Trunk railway, growth of, in Canada, 162.
Grande Prairie, largest town in the Peace River Valley, 202.
Great Divide, crossing the, 213.
Great Slave Lake, on the route to the new oil fields, 204.
Grenfell, Dr., sailors’ mission of, at St. John’s, 8.
Gulf Stream, its influence on Newfoundland, 4, 5.

Halibut, large production of the British Columbia fisheries, 230.

Halifax, chief city and capital of Nova Scotia, 31.
Halifax explosion, one of the greatest ever known, 33.
Hamilton, Ontario, prosperity due to cheap electric power from
Niagara, 117.
Hayward, Edward, his murder near Lesser Slave Lake, and the
running down of his murderer, 295.
Hematite ore, in the Kootenay country, 221.
Hidden Creek copper mines, largest in British Columbia, 223.
Hill, James J., prediction of Canada’s future population, 189.
Hockey, the great game of Canada, 68.
Hogs, raised at Dawson, Yukon, 260, 262.
Hollinger Mine, largest gold mine in North America, 125.
Holt, Renfrew and Company, great furriers at Quebec, 171.
Homesteads in the Yukon, 265.
Horse raising, in Alberta, 209.
Hot-houses for cucumbers and tomatoes at Dawson, Yukon, 261.
Hudson Bay, railways projected to, 155.
Hudson’s Bay Company, history of, 166 et seq.
Hudson Strait, chief difficulty in navigation of Hudson Bay Route,
156.
Hull, wet suburb of dry Ottawa, 80.
Hunting, in Newfoundland, 11.
Hunting and camping in Ontario province, 139.
Hydraulic mining, in the Yukon, 267.
Hydro-electric Commission, work of, in Ontario, 102, 103, 106, 107.
Hydro-electric development in Quebec, 46;
of Niagara Falls, 106;
of Welland River at Niagara Falls, 113;
at Sault St. Marie, 134.
Hydro-electric development and the paper and pulp industry, 96.
Hydro-electric plant, supplying St. John’s, 15.
Hydro-electric project at Ogdensburg proposed for furnishing power
to United States and Canada, 100.

Ibex Range, as seen from the Yukon trail, 236.

Ice Palace, formerly erected each winter at Montreal, 68.
Icelanders, a colony of, near Winnipeg, 152.
Immigration, Canada’s desire for, 188 et seq.
Indian Head, government forestry experiments at, 178.
Insulin, specific for treatment of diabetes, discovered at University of
Toronto, 99.
International Joint Commission, approves project for improvement of
St. Lawrence waterway, 100.
International Nickel Company of Canada, Ltd., owners of rich
Sudbury mines, 127.
Iron, one of the world’s largest deposits in Newfoundland, 12;
the wonderful Wabana mines, 24;
in the Kootenay country, 221.
Irrigation in Alberta, 206;
in the Okanagan Valley, 224.

Japanese labourers, not admitted to Canada, 190.

Jasper Park, greatest of Canada’s western game and forest reserve,
217.
Keeley Mine, rich silver veins of, at Cobalt, 124.
Keno Hill, new silver district in the Yukon, 124.
Kicking Horse Pass, where the railway crosses the Great Divide,
216.
King, Charles, his capture and conviction of murder by the Mounted
Police, 295.
King Solomon’s Dome, in the centre of the Klondike gold region,
274.
Kirkland Lake gold district, production of, 125.
Klondike, the supply of gold being exhausted, 250;
romances of the, 274.
Kootenay country, resources of, 220, 221.
Kootenay Lake, steamer trip through, 221.

Labrador, cod fisheries of, 19.

Labour, how obtained for the Canadian wheat fields, 184.
Lac Beauvert, a mountain resort of the Canadian National Railways,
217.
La Chine Rapids, so-named by Cartier, 61.
Lachine Canal, near Montreal, 64.
Lacrosse, one of the most popular Canadian games, 67.
Lake of the Woods, a beautiful camping and hunting district, 139.
La Rose, discoverer of silver at Cobalt, 122.
Land grants to the Canadian Pacific Railway, 190.
Laurentian Mountains, oldest rock formation of the continent, 48.
Le Roi Copper Mine at Rossland, British Columbia, 222.
Leacock, Stephen, at McGill University, Montreal, 63.
Lead, in the Kootenay country, 221.
Left-hand driving, the custom in Newfoundland, 25.
Life insurance, amount held by Canadians, 78.
Lignite coal, in Saskatchewan, 180.
Live stock, transportation of on the Yukon River, 242.
Live stock production in Newfoundland, 11.
London, Jack, in the Klondike, 278.
London, Ontario, greatly increased consumption of electricity due to
low price, 112.
Louise, Lake, in the Canadian Rockies, 216.
Lumber, production at Sault Ste. Marie, 135;
production of the Saskatchewan province, 176, 179;
immense quantities shipped from Vancouver, 225.
Lumber industry of Canada, the, 88 et seq.

Manitoba, extent of the province, its topography and resources, 154.

Maritime Provinces, of Canada, the, 31.
Marquette, Father, establishes first Jesuit mission in the new world at
Sault Ste. Marie, 135.
Marquis, valuable variety of wheat originated by Dominion
Agricultural Department, 183.
Matches, manufacture of, at Ottawa, 80, 88.
Medicine Hat, natural gas wells at, 201.
Mennonites, at Winnipeg, 153;
colonies of, from Russia, 194, 195.
McGill University, Montreal, 63.
Miller, Joaquin, in the Klondike, 278.
Mine props, cut in Newfoundland for use in English and Welsh
mines, 11.
Mining wonders of the far North, 266.
Mond Nickel Company, operators of mines at Sudbury, 130.
Monel metal, how produced, 129.
Montreal, Canada’s largest city and financial centre, 60 et seq.
Moose, plentiful in Nova Scotia, 37;
in Ontario province, 140;
in the Yukon, 234, 253;
meat sold at butcher shops at Dawson, 253.
Moose Jaw, an important commercial centre of Saskatchewan, 179.
Mosses, along the Yukon trail, 236.
Mother’s pension, in Ontario, 103.
Motor tourists, welcomed in Quebec, 50.
Mountain goats, abundant in the Yukon, 253.
Mountain sheep, abundant in the Yukon, 253.
Mount Robson, highest peak in Canada, 217.
Mount Royal, from which Montreal is named, 61.
Municipal ownership in Port Arthur and Fort William, 143.
Muskrat, a valuable fur when dyed and prepared, 172.

Names, fanciful, in Newfoundland geography, 12.

National debt of Canada, greatly increased during the World War,
188.
Natural gas, at Swift Current, Saskatchewan, 180;
at Medicine Hat, and near Edmonton, 201.
Nelson, British Columbia, in the heart of the mining country, 221.
New Brunswick, its resources and industries, 40.
New Caledonia, nickel production of, 127.
Newfoundland, size and strategic importance, 4;
population, 7;
education and church activities, 7;
political relation to British Empire, 8;
system of government, 9.
Newspapers in the early Klondike days, 280.
News-print, production of the Sault Ste. Marie mills, 134.
Niagara Falls, hydro-electric development of, 106, 113.
Niagara Falls Railway Arch Bridge, cost of lighting American half
more than double Canadian, 108.
Nickel, largest production in the world at Sudbury, Ontario, 127;
the different uses of the metal, 131.
Nickel-steel, the many uses of, 131.
Nipissing silver mine at Cobalt, 122.
Northcliffe, Lord, built plant in Newfoundland for supply of pulp wood
paper, 11.
Northwest Company, opponent of the Hudson’s Bay Company, finally
absorbed, 170.
Notre Dame, Church of, at Montreal, 65.
Nova Scotia, travels, in, 31 et seq.

Oats, production in the Winnipeg district, 149;

large crops at Edmonton, 200;
in Peace River Valley, 202.
Oats hay, a farm crop at Dawson, Yukon, 261.
Ogdensburg, N. Y., site of proposed hydro-electric plant for supplying
Canada and the United States, 100.
Oil fields, the new operations along the MacKenzie, 203 et seq.
Okanagan Valley, famous as fruit-growing region, 223.
Ontario, Province of, richest in mineral and agricultural wealth and
industrial development, 103;
the frontier of the province, 137.
Ontario Hydro-Electric Commission, work of, in Ontario, 102, 103,
106, 107.
Ottawa, capital of the Dominion, 79 et seq.

Paper, Quebec leading producer of, 46;

greatly increased production of, in Canada, 92;
process of manufacture, 93.
Paper mills, at Ottawa, 80, 88.
Parliament buildings, at Ottawa, 82.
Peace River, the town of, 202.
Peace River Valley, agricultural possibilities in, 202.
Petroleum, in Alberta, 201;
the new field along the Mackenzie, 203.
Petty Harbour, typical Newfoundland “outport,” 16.
Phoenix, British Columbia, copper mines at, 222.
Pilgrimages to Ste. Anne de Beaupré, 52.
Porcupine gold district, production of, 125.
Port Arthur, the great wheat centre, 135, 141.
Port Nelson, projected terminus of the Hudson Bay Route, and port
for wheat shipment, 155.
Portage la Prairie, a prosperous farming section, 175.
Potatoes, success with in Dawson, Yukon, 259.
Poultry raising in the Arctic, 260.
Prince Albert, Saskatchewan, noted for its fur trade and lumber mills,
179.
Prince Edward Island, smallest but richest province in the Dominion,
40.
Prince Rupert, northern terminus of Canadian National Railways and
nearest port to the Orient, 226 et seq.
Public ownership, in Toronto, 101 et seq.;
success of the Ontario Hydro-Electric Commission, 107.
Pulp wood, chief product of forests in Newfoundland, 11;
great production of Quebec, 46;
Canada’s resources in, of great importance to the United States,
91, 96.
Pulp mills, at Ottawa, 88;
great increase in numbers of, in Canada, 92;
at Sault Ste. Marie, 134.

Quebec, and its history, 42;

population, 46.
Queenston Chippewa hydro-electric plant below Niagara Falls, 113.

Radio, fisheries of Nova Scotia controlled by, 36.

Rabbits, destruction of trees by, 234.
Railways, in Newfoundland, 10;
transcontinental, of Canada, 157;
government-owned in Canada, 162.
Rainfall, excessive, at Prince Rupert, British Columbia, 229.
Regina, the capital of Saskatchewan, 177.
Religious denominations in Newfoundland, 7.
Remittance men, in Calgary, 210.
Revillon Frères, chief competitor to the Hudson’s Bay Company, 170.
Rideau Canal, at Ottawa, 80, 81.
Rideau Hall, residence of the Governor-General, at Ottawa, 84.
Rockies, Canadian, beauty of the, 213.
Rocky Mountain Park, finest mountain resort of Canada, 215.
Royal Bank of Canada, connections abroad, 77.
Royal Canadian Mounted Police, training camp at Regina, 177;
district headquarters at Dawson, 251;
the story of the service, 288 et seq.
Russian church, at Winnipeg, 153.
Rye, production in the Winnipeg district, 149.

St. Boniface, old French-Canadian settlement near Winnipeg, 152.

St. Helene Island, once owned by Champlain, 64.
St. James, Cathedral of, at Montreal, 65.
St. John, chief city of New Brunswick, 41.
St. John’s, capital and chief port of Newfoundland, 3, 5;
around about the city, 8.
St. Lawrence River, International plans for improvement of, 99.
St. Mary’s River, hydro-electric development of, 134.
St. Paul’s Church, Halifax, first English house of worship in Canada,
35.
St. Pierre Island, headquarters of bootleggers, 15.
Sainte Anne de Beaupré, the Shrine and its miraculous cures, 52.
Salmon fishing, in Newfoundland, 11.
Salmon fisheries of British Columbia, 231.
Sanderson, John, first homesteader at Portage la Prairie, 175.
Saskatchewan, greatest wheat province of the Dominion, 175 et
seq., 181 et seq.
Saskatoon, second largest city of Saskatchewan, 179.
Sault Ste. Marie, hydro-electric development of, 134;
 one of the oldest settlements in Canada, 135.
Sealing industry, of Newfoundland, 21.
Selkirk, Lord, his colony in Manitoba the first wheat farmers, 182.
Service, Robert, the poet of the Yukon, 249, 257, 279.
Settlers, Canada’s inducements to, 191.
Shawinigan Falls, hydro-electric development of, 46.
Shaughnessy, Lord, an American boy who became president of the
Canadian Pacific, 165.
Sheep, in southern Alberta, 208.
Silver in the Kootenay country, 221.
Silver mines of northern Ontario, 119.
Slavin, Frank, in the Klondike, 278;
partnership with Joe Boyle, 282.
“Soo” Canal, the waterway and its traffic, 136.
Sports, Canadian, 67;
outdoor games promoted by municipal athletic commission at
Toronto, 101.
Spruce, predominant standing timber of Canada, 91.
Steam thawing of the ground in Yukon mining, 266, 271.
Steel industries developed in Sydney district, Nova Scotia, 39.
Stock raising in southwestern Saskatchewan, 176.
Sudbury, rich nickel deposits at, 126, 127.
Sunlight, hours of, at Dawson, Yukon, 264.
Superior, Lake, the grain-carrying trade through, 141 et seq.
Swift Current, an important commercial centre of Saskatchewan,
179.
Sydney coal mines, of immense importance, 39.

Tahkeena River, crossing of, on the Yukon trail, 235.

The Pas, an undeveloped mineral region, 154.
Thomas, C. A., demonstrates possibility of winter automobile travel
in the Yukon, 239.
Thornton, Sir Henry, in charge of the Canadian national railways,
164.
Three Rivers, Quebec, largest production of paper in the world, at,
47, 92.
Threshing, methods in the Canadian wheat belt, 185.
Tides, forty feet high in Bay of Fundy, 38.
Timber, valuable tracts in Newfoundland, 11.
Timothy hay, large crops at Edmonton, 200.
Tomatoes, a hot-house crop at Dawson, Yukon, 261.
Toronto, the city of public ownership, 97 et seq.
Toronto University, largest in the British Empire, 98.
Transcontinental railway systems of Canada, 157.
Trappists, at Winnipeg, 153.
Truro, Nova Scotia, 38.
Turnips, as a crop, at Dawson, Yukon, 264.

University of Saskatchewan, efforts in behalf of agriculture and

ceramics, 179.

Valley of the Ten Peaks, in the Canadian Rockies, 216.

Vancouver, chief city of British Columbia and Canada’s most
important Pacific port, 224.
Vancouver Island, copper workings on, 223.
Van Horne, Wm., strenuous railroad builder, 165.
Veneer, manufacture of, at Sault Ste. Marie, 135.
Victoria, capital of British Columbia, 225.

Wabana iron mines rich under-sea deposits, 24.

Wainwright Park, Alberta, containing largest herd of buffalo extant,
217.
Waterfalls that work for the people, 106 et seq.
Water-power, great developments in Quebec, 46;
its relation to the paper and pulp industry, 96.
Welland Canal, building of deeper and larger locks, 99.