Love and War 2 Read Online Free PDF

lived in New York almost five years and never met any of these people until this week. Why was he keeping me a secret?”
    Nico sighed heavily and pushed his seat back. He didn’t want to have that conversation with his sister, that’s for sure, but it had to be done.
    “Dad wanted to keep you safe. He didn’t want you involved in what we do. By introducing you to his friends and associates, he was putting your life in danger.”
    “But they’re my family!” Caprice protested. “I should be able to know my family.”
    “Not this family. When word gets out that Domani Bonatelli has a daughter, and it will, every enemy that we have will be gunning for you. Your gender makes you vulnerable. I needed your help with Aries, and it took everything to convince Dad it was the right move. We both were wrong, and now protecting you is going to be a full time job.”
    Caprice was quiet for a minute. She didn’t want anyone, especially Nico and Domani, to feel like she was a burden. She was doing what she could to earn her place in the family. She wasn’t weak and didn’t need twenty-four hour armed security. She just wanted to be treated as an equal, gender be damned.
    “That’s why he’s sending me to Jersey, huh? He doesn’t just need me to open the casino. He doesn’t want me in New York.”
    Nico nodded. “It’s a little safer and gives you something to do.”
    “Great,” Caprice muttered, feeling slightly defeated. She thought she’d made an impression on her father; that he believed in her abilities, not that he was stashing her away for protection.
    “Don’t worry about it,” Nico said. “You’re going to do fine with the casino. When Dad gets back, things will be different.”
    “Yeah sure. That’s why he wants me to marry Rocco, because things are going to be so different.”
    Nico stiffened at the mention of his best friend’s name and the part about marriage. Rocco was never going to marry Caprice, not while Nico was alive and breathing. He didn’t deserve the honor of marrying a Bonatelli.
    “You’re not marrying anyone. That’s the end of that. Change the subject.”
    “Okaayyy,” Caprice said. “I like Gina.”
    “Of course you do,” Nico smiled. “Everyone loves Gina. You talked? You seem a lot better than you did last night.”
    “I’m fine.”
    It felt like the hundredth time Caprice had said those words, but it was the first time she actually believed them. Spending the night with Gina was the best thing that happened to her. She was able to be open and honest with her father’s best friend. She told her about what happened at the St. Albans house, the real story about Diesel and Rocco, and how scared she actually was when she shot Aries. Gina had listened with a comforting ear and had given her advice in a way that Domani or Nico never could.
    “ You have to toughen up, girl ,” Gina had said, “ You can’t love with your heart or act with your emotions. Use your instincts and your head. Aries is a done deal, and Diesel and Rocco are just pawns on the chess board. Use them how you need to. One day, you are going to run this family. Up until then, every decision you make has to be made with that in mind .”
    Until Nico revealed that Atlantic City wasn’t anything but her safe house, Caprice had been excited about Gina’s endorsement. She wanted to walk in her father’s footsteps. She didn’t feel afraid of what was to come.
    But after Nico’s revelation, Caprice was more determined than ever to prove herself. She hoped that Domani stayed away long enough for her to achieve enough clout to convince Fausto that she was good enough and have Paolo go away quietly.
    It was definitely an ambitious goal, but she had spent her entire life watching her mother power her way through the fashion industry. She’d watched her mother build successful businesses while managing her own modeling career. Mahogany had a way with words that could make grown men crumble. Plus, Caprice has