Interlude (Rockstar #4) Read Free

them. When her breath catches again, I know she's feeling the same thing I am.
    She's so familiar, so comfortable. Do I know her? I look at her through narrowed eyes.
    "Have we—" I pause and shake my head. Nah. We've never met. There's no way in hell I'd forget this girl.
    I smile and slowly run my knuckles down the side of her face. When they reach her jaw and hit air, I turn and walk away before I do something stupid.
    Just before I step into the tunnel, I look back, her friend’s pulling her in for a hug. Shit. What the hell just happened? Her friend sends me a wink and I force a small grin.
    Me and the guys make our way to first class and I plop into the seat.
    "What was that, man?" Ruben asks.
    I shake my head. "I don't know."
    Ruben doesn't say anything, and when Kal takes his seat I don’t hesitate to turn around.
    "Who are they?"
    "I caught a glimpse of their tickets when they were boarding. Luciana Russo and Serafina Manzini."
    I nod.
    "Traveling with Lucy's mom and brother I believe. He made a comment about Lucy needing to change her panties after seeing you," Kal tells me with a laugh.
    I grin.
    "She's not the only one," John mutters.
    "Fuck off, man."
    "Hey, she's hot. I don’t blame you."
    I don't know why, but him talking about Lucy like that pisses me off. "Don’t fucking talk like that about her. She's not like the rest."
    "And you know that how?" Ruben asks with a lift of his brow.
    "I don't know how I know, I just know I do." I look out the window. "She's different." So fucking different. And too young. This life would eat her up—what the fuck am I thinking here? I'm not ready to settle down. Not right now. But when I am, it's going to be with someone exactly like Luciana Russo. Maybe she and I will get a chance to meet again some day. If there's a way to make that happen in a few years, I'm going to move heaven and earth to do it.
    My vision blurs as I stare out the window, not seeing anything, just thinking about the gorgeous girl back in coach. I half wish she'd sneak up here, and the other half is grateful she's not going to. She won't. Not a girl like that. Not Lucy.
    She's different and she's someone I won't ever forget.
     

Chapter Three
 
 
 
Cage
Past
     
     
    “I’m telling you Gio, it’s those fucking Manzinis.”
    I knock on the door and hesitate before walking in. Ernesto waves me over, Giovanni looks pissed. He’s not sitting as he normally does. He’s standing behind the desk, hands balled into fists.
    “What did they take this time?”
    Ernesto doesn’t hesitate to answer his boss, and father. He rattles off a long list of weapons that were stolen from last night’s shipment.
    Giovanni swears. “We need to stop these fuckers.”
    Ernesto nods in agreement. Giovanni looks over.
    “Do you know who was in charge last night?”
    “It was Massimo, he was working with Cesare.”
    Gio throws his hands in the air. “Cesare, always Cesare. I hate that prick.” Ernesto grunts in agreement. I stand here, wondering why I’m included in this conversation. Normally Ernesto gives me my assignment and I’m gone. But I know better than to say anything so I just stay quiet.
    Ernesto steps forward. “Do you want me to take a couple guys and handle this?”
    Giovanni hesitates. “You know what it will mean if we do. If we kill him, it’ll be more than stealing. It’ll be about more than territory. It’ll be about blood.”
    “It already is,” Ernesto says. “And now they’re making it about money.”
    Giovanni nods.
    “You know as well as I do Gio, they’re overstepping their bounds, and if we don’t stop them they’ll just keep stepping further.”
    Giovanni sits down in the chair. Elbow resting on the arm, his hand coming up to his mouth where he absently runs a finger across his lip. Contemplating, thinking, weighing all angles of what he’s about to do. I’ve seen him do this before and it ended very badly for the Manzinis.
    Giovanni leans forward. “You take the