ENTANGLED: Guzzi Duet, Part Two
by Bethany-Kris
Guzzi Duet #2
Publication Date: August 7, 2017
Genres: Adult, Mafia, Romance, Organized Crime
Gian Guzzi has everything a mafia boss could want, but it comes with strings. He shouldn’t be wasting time on a redhead he can’t have, when men like him are not allowed to be affected by silly things like love. A boss’s job is never done, and Gian has far better things to worry about—what with someone wanting him dead, and someone else wanting him in prison for good. Yet, he keeps risking it all for one more taste of Cara Rossi.
A man without love is no man at all.
Cara Rossi is left devastated by the things Gian Guzzi didn’t say. She also can’t forget all the things he did say. She needs to focus on moving on from him, not falling right back into his bed once more. Then again, reality has a way of ruining those plans with far more beautiful, unexpected things. Even if it means Cara is forced to question everything, from her morals to her reputation. All to be one woman to one man.
A woman without respect is a dirty word.
Duty. Legacy. Love.
Always in that order.
Or … that’s how it should be.But life is messy, when entangled with love.
Rules don’t apply.
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Excerpt from Entangled
It was possible to be entirely alone in a room full of people.
Gian Guzzi had never had that experience before, but now it was all too common. He had wrongly assumed that taking the highest seat in his Cosa Nostra family would leave him with very little time to consider or wallow about his personal problems, but that couldn’t be further from the truth.
Already, it was August. A hot, humid summer month that Gian had planned to spend with someone else, ignoring the heat as best he could. Three months had passed since his last encounter with Cara Rossi, but not a single fucking day went by where he wasn’t reminded of her in some way.
Part of that was by his own hand, of course.
Being a boss, on the other hand, forced Gian to keep his personal issues quiet. He certainly couldn’t afford to let the men around him think that he was distracted by his emotions, never mind a woman that he could no longer have. He needed for them to think that at all times, he was on his very best game, no matter what.
Duty first.
Legacy second.
And only then, love.
Gian finally understood what his grandfather, Corrado, had been trying to tell him for years. He had assumed that it was a sacrifice all made men needed to make for the sake of la famiglia, but he was wrong.
Only the boss made that sacrifice.
Cosa Nostra had to be his one constant. He had to breathe the business. He had to bleed the life. He was the one who was expected to repeat the rules and enforce them. He was the only one who was looked to when something needed to be heard. His voice spoke for everyone.
That was what a good boss did. Then, if he did his job well, the boss’s men would never know that he was just like them, affected and ruined by silly things like love and a woman.
Duty. Legacy. Love.
Always in that order.
Always.
Oh, yes.
Gian understood those words perfectly well now.
It was better to listen to the people around him, let them talk, and then form his own opinions and give orders from what he learned. He learned that quickly enough as a boss. It also left him with too much time, when he was alone with his thoughts.
All he ever did was think.
“Happy birthday, boss!”
READ WHERE IT ALL STARTED IN UNRAVELED, GUZZI DUET: PART ONE!
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Unraveled
Guzzi Duet, Part One
Cara Rossi’s life has been a mess ever since her identical twin was killed. She blames the mafia, its ways, and the people within the caustic culture for a painful reality that turned her world on its side. In an attempt to momentarily pause her misery, a night out puts her on a path with a man she shouldn’t get involved with simply because of his last name—Gian Guzzi.
He’s the kind of man that makes it hard to say no.
Gian Guzzi’s problems are piling up fast. A murdered grandfather, an unpredictable mafia, and a new boss that threatens both his family’s legacy and his life. As a Cosa Nostra underboss, Gian has a duty. First to la famiglia, and only then to himself. In the midst of the violent uncertainty that has become unrelenting in his days, Cara Rossi should only be a distraction for him to enjoy.
She’s a happiness that he was never allowed to choose before.
His lies.
This life.
Their love.It all unravels eventually.
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Excerpt from Unraveled
“So …” Bambi said, drawing the word out for much longer than what was necessary.
Awkward.
Finally, Cara’s mouth decided to play catch-up with her brain, and work. All she managed to say was a confused, “So.”
Bambi didn’t look offended over Cara’s lack of response to her presence, never mind her lack of enthusiasm at conversing like a normal human being. No, if anything, Bambi looked happier, her smile growing all over again.
And then Cara had to go and open her mouth to ruin it with, “What exactly are you doing here?”
Bambi’s smile vanished instantly, replaced by a hurt dancing over her pretty features. “I’m sorry. Am I not allowed to visit a friend?”
First, Bambi had always been more of a friend to Lea than Cara, for the most obvious reason … being Bambi’s lifestyle. For lack of a better word, Cara thought.
She could be brutally honest—Bambi liked her made men. Mafia men were just her thing. But the second reason why Bambi should not be knocking on Cara’s door?
Cara looked at the clock on the wall. “It’s eleven-thirty at night.”
Jesus. Was it really that late already? Hadn’t she been talking to her brother that afternoon?
Well, shit.
Cara had literally slept her day away. She’d missed another round of classes. An exam. An assignment that was due. A lecture.
And she needed groceries.
Fuck.
She was a mess.
She didn’t even know how to go about fixing it. Or even if she wanted to.
Bambi only stared at Cara as though she had suddenly grown a second head in the span of seconds. “What are you talking about?”
Cara pointed at the clock. “It’s late.”
“Yeah, if you’re fifty.”
“I have school in the morning.”
Bambi cocked an eyebrow. “Tomorrow is Saturday, and I remember Lea saying once that you don’t have classes on Saturdays.”
Was tomorrow Saturday?
What was happening to her life?
Cara rubbed a hand over her face. “What do you want?”
“I was in the neighborhood. I thought you might like to see a familiar face.”
“You thought wrong.”
Cara could have softened that blow, but she didn’t have the patience to. Bambi didn’t seem all that offended. In fact, she looked as though she had expected that.
“Yeah, seems I’m not the first person you’ve chased off with your nasty attitude lately. People talk, and others tend to take notice and listen. I know we’re not the greatest friends, but your sister looked out for me a lot, and I’d like to think that Lea would be super pissed at me if I didn’t offer the same to you.”
Cara cleared her throat, more uncomfortable than ever. “I’m fine.”
“Well, that’s a lie.”
“Bambi—”
“You look like shit just came over and took another shit on your head.”
Ouch.
“Okay, that’s enough,” Cara said, grabbing the door to close it in the woman’s face. “It’s time for you to go.”
“Wait.” Bambi put her body into the doorway, effectively stopping Cara from closing her out. “One night, Cara. You can take one night to get out of this apartment, away from this …” Bambi waved at the darkness behind Cara. “Whatever this mess is, and do something. Maybe it’ll be fun. Maybe you won’t have to think for a while. Maybe you’ll even smile. What would it hurt to try?”
It could hurt a lot.
“I’m not even dressed or done up,” Cara said weakly.
Bambi smiled slyly, gesturing at herself. “That is why you have me.”
“I can dress and do my own makeup, thanks.”
“And I will be right here to make sure you actually do it. A new club opened up three blocks away, last week. I happen to know the owner is a great guy, and throws an awesome fucking party. Give it a chance.”
Cara was too mentally tired to argue. Or maybe it was that she wanted to feel normal for a minute. Even if that meant using alcohol and deafening music to do it.
That was that.
“All right,” Cara said. “Give me fifteen minutes.”
Bambi looked her over. “Twenty, at least.”
“You could be nicer.”
“You could look less dead.”
Bitch.
About Bethany-Kris
Bethany-Kris is a Canadian author, lover of much, and mother to three young sons, one cat, and two dogs. A small town in Eastern Canada where she was born and raised is where she has always called home. With her boys under her feet, snuggling cat, barking dogs, and a hubby calling over his shoulder, she is nearly always writing something … when she can find the time.
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