His: Tony: The Sabatini Family by Fiona Murphy (sneezy the snowman read aloud TXT) 📕

I did for nursing. It helped with the medical terms. When I was going through nursing school, it was my elective in college. I can read it and understand most of it but speaking it...not so much.”

He’s pleased, and I have no idea why. “Maybe try that book to familiarize yourself with the language again.”

“Hm, maybe it will help me learn Italian.”

He goes still. “I’d like it if you did.”

“Really?” Wait, I’ll be around him long enough to learn a language? “That wouldn’t put a crimp in you being able to have discussions with people so I don’t understand you? What did you tell Carmella today?”

He does that exhale thing that’s almost a laugh but not really. I want to hear him laugh, really laugh. It doesn’t feel like it’s something he does often. The hand on my lower back moves up as he presses his lips to my cheek. “Don’t worry about what I told Carmella. Read the book you have, see how comfortable you still are with Latin. Have a seat. I need to let my man in so I can get down to business.”

Annoyed at him, I take the book and settle into the couch on the other side of the large room. My ass still burns, but there’s a hint of pleasure to the pain I never believed possible. It feels good enough to pull a sigh from me. Blushing, I do my best to focus on the book. Studying it, I frown as I realize it’s a biography on Archimedes. I usually hate biographies, they’re always so dry and boring.

I’m proud of myself for how much I remember and how easy it is to read. The low murmuring of Tony and the guy he’s talking to barely makes an impact. It takes almost an hour before I even become aware there’s music on in the background here again and only because it’s switched between classical to jazz. What is it with the music, I wonder, before getting pulled back into the interesting story.

“Come on, piccolina, business is done. It’s time to go upstairs.” Tony is standing over me.

“Already? I’m almost done with this. Can I stay here?”

Shaking his head, a hand goes around my wrist and pulls me up to him. “No way in hell am I leaving you down here with my men. I don’t want to have to kill anyone for looking at you when I understand why they would. That reminds me, hold on.”

He pulls out his phone and makes a call. I sit back on the couch and go back to reading the book. I hear him say the name Carmine a couple of times before he ends the call. Shaking his head, he hangs up and puts his cell back in his pocket.

“What’s the matter?”

A sigh, “Joseph isn’t happy I gave him the order to kill Carmine.”

My stomach drops. “Is it because of what I did? I’m sorry.”

“No, this isn’t about what you did. It’s about what he did and didn’t do. I made it clear he was to protect and keep you secure. He didn’t do that and he left you bleeding and in pain. I’ve killed men for less over women who weren’t under my protection.”

I press my hand against my stomach that’s still twisting at the idea of someone dying because of me.

“Hey,” Tony tugs me up and into his arms. “I need to ensure every man who works for me follows instructions exactly. If I don’t it’s a weakness to me, the family business. It was about you but it wasn’t because of you. Do you understand?”

It wasn’t just talk, Tony protecting women. Sitting up there tied to the bed in pain for three hours wasn’t something Tony would have allowed any woman to go through. I nod.

“Good, come on.” His hand is at my back again as he guides me through the office and back up the stairs.

He introduces me to an older woman with greying blonde hair who tells me to call her Charlie, even though Tony introduces her as Charlotte. She’s nice and laughs a lot as she shows me around the bookstore. Tony goes behind a computer to review orders and open sales he’s considering buying from. Once the tour is over and I’m sitting in the office, a much smaller office that looks a whole lot like the one downstairs, Charlie offers me some tea which I happily take.

After I finish the biography, I go hunting for Tony. He’s in the used side of the bookstore looking for a book that’s been sold online and needs to be mailed out.

I’m barely twenty feet away when he turns. “Finished already?”

I nod. “It was good. I don’t normally like biographies, but he was a fascinating guy. Can I do anything to help?”

“Hm, not really. You can pick out another book if you want. There are a few things for me to do then we’ll go home. Dominic comes over. We eat, his breakfast, my lunch and discuss business.”

“Dominic?” I don’t know why I get scared. Why I take a step back from him.

“What’s the matter?” Tony reaches out, and both hands go around my arms.

“Your son, the man who would...you want me to meet him? Are you going to tell him what I tried—what happened?” Oh god, how embarrassing. I’m shaking and can’t stop.

“Hey, no.” Tony’s arms are around me holding me tight. His heat seeps into me. I cling to him. “Shh, don’t worry. I’m not going to tell Dominic. I haven’t told anyone, and I won’t.”

“No one?” I mumble, confused.

He stiffens as he sighs, his hand runs up and down my back. “No one. I would have told Vito and Joseph, but I figured since the plan was to leave you overdosed in your place, they didn’t need to know. There was no part for them to play in it.”

Hearing him lay it out all over again, how he was going to kill me, makes me weaker. His arms tighten around