LIFE BEFORE DAMAGED VOL. 10 (THE FERRO FAMILY) by H.M. Ward Read Free Book Online

could you? You dumped me in the middle of nowhere and left!” I shout over the roar of the engines.
    Constance’s eyes are hidden behind massive movie star sunglasses. She walks toward me spine straight, chin up, and unashamed. She hooks my arm and pulls me toward the limo waiting on the tarmac. “It’s nice to see you alive and with some color in your cheeks. Where’s the bodyguard I hired for you?”
    “You mean the totem pole masquerading as a stuffed suit?” I jab my thumb in Mr. Chit’s direction, where he stands a discreet distance away from us. “He’s close, following me like a shadow as usual.”
    She nods and Mr. Chit slides into the limo as well, but he sits in the front with the driver. I inch across the seat and close the door on my own, pissing off the valet. “I want to go home, Connie. Right now!” I’m so furious I’m shaking. “You can’t keep me here. Pete will find out!”
    Constance lets out a sigh and removes her sunglasses. She tucks them into her designer bag and places it next to her on the leather seat. “Peter isn't looking for you. He held you in his arms until you died. Dead is how you’ll remain as far as he’s concerned. I’m the one who saved you, and I suggest you listen to me now because I won’t do it again. Only God can save you if you defy me and cause the death of one of my sons in the process.”
    The way she says it makes me shut my mouth even though I want to bite her head off. Since I’ve been here, wherever I am—no one will tell me—I’ve been denied access to a phone, computer, television, or anything that might allow me to contact Pete.
    Constance crosses her ankles and stares at me. “Until now, I’ve kept you in a private hospital and prevented you from communicating with Peter. What you do from here on is up to you, but I advise you to proceed with caution. The feud you created between the Gambino family and mine was satisfied by your demise. If you alert Peter to the fact that you recovered and then go back to him, you’ll be placing him back in danger. I cannot protect that boy when it comes to you. He’d die for you, and there’s nothing I can do to save him. Except this.”
    The limo has been winding through narrow palm-lined streets, past brightly painted houses. The yards are mostly clay with very little grass. The terrain is fairly flat, and an endless expanse of turquoise water stretches beyond the trees. The car pulls into a long driveway and stops in front of a structure resembling an old plantation. Its huge white columns stretch three stories high.
    Decorative rocks and pointy looking plants adorn the xeriscaped clay grounds surrounding the main house.
    The driver opens the door, and I slide out, Constance following closely behind. She rushes up the brick steps and into the house. A team of staff members stands at attention in the grand foyer ready to take orders.
    “Viola, tea please.”
    “Yes, ma’am.” The older woman has dark skin that sags under her eyes. She seems to respect Constance, which shocks me. They share an unspoken understanding, and then the woman is gone.
    Constance gives the others their orders then pointedly announces we’ll be waiting in the library.
    I follow her through the house, getting the distinct impression Connie hasn’t been here for a very long time. She walks into the library and heads over to a sofa, where she sits down quickly and kicks off her pumps.
    I blink as if Hell froze over. Decorum is her thing. She can’t act casual. She kidnapped me! I don’t sit, even though I feel weak. “As nice as this is, and I do appreciate you saving me, I just don’t see why—”
    “For once in your life, shut up and listen.” Constance pinches the bridge of her nose for a long moment, breathing slowly. Finally, she drops her hand to her lap and looks at me with tired eyes. “Pete can recover from a broken heart, but if he ends up with a bullet in his back, there’s little I can do.”
    “It should be