All Chapters of The Pensive Gentleman: Chapter 31 - Chapter 40

AngelicaAdjusting his jacket securely around me, I walk slowly away from the door, careful not to make a sound and disturb the men. One of whom I met during the family brunch. The other two are unfamiliar but quick with their assessment of Marciano’s body.“You have scratches all over,” one of the men says, and Marciano grunts. “The shard is still in there. I suggest we move him somewhere more comfortable. This couch won’t do.”I tiptoe to the other side of the room to the stairs so I wouldn’t disturb them, and sit, listening. Instead of going back to my room.“Kitchen,’ Marciano orders, and the men comply.A few grunts and deep-pained sounds emerge from the kitchen, and after a while, it ceases.“What about Sergio and the others he was supposed to bring for backup?” Marciano’s accented voice is strained when he speaks, evidence that he’s in more pain than he’s letting on.There’s silence instead of a reply. “What happened?” “He’s at the hospital,” another accented voice says. “He

AngelicaThe music is so loud I feel the thumping in every cell of my body. Almost as if I'm drowning in it.Unlike Inferno, the interior of this place has more colors than just red, and it's packed.I step back a little, attempting to pull my hand from Marina's grip, but she turns to me, eyes full of concern.We're just at the entrance, and I already know I can't go in.There are so many people that I can't see the other end of the room, just bodies grinding on bodies. The air is dense and it smells like sweat, liquor, and sin. I suspected it would be this way with the throng of people outside, but I didn't think it would be this bad."I can't go any further. I think we should just go home,' I yell over the deafening music. Marina's frown is immediate, but her face relaxes just as quickly."We haven't even gone in yet," she reasons. "Look, I already made some preparations, so you have nothing to worry about, okay?" she says with a wiggle of her brows. I narrow my eyes at her, becaus

AngelicaBrrr‘Why is it so loud?’Brr My eyes crack open to the stabbing sound of my phone ringing.Why would anyone call so early in the morning?I squeeze them shut again as my fingers search for my phone on the bedside table and on the bed around me. I don’t feel it, and the ringing doesn’t stop. So I sit upright.I’m severely exhausted, my throat is dry and my lips feel chapped. Just how hard did I party last night?With a groan, I force them open. My phone is by my legs, right next to my purse, just sprawled there like I threw them without thinking. My gaze trails up to my body. My dress is intact, along with all my jewelry and accessories I’d worn last night. I must’ve dove straight into bed the second I came in.I release a heavy breath and throw my legs off the bed. However, the moment I stand on my feet, my head spins so hard and so fast that I fall back on the bed.“Oh, God…” I clutch my head, breathing through the pain.When I try to stand again, bile surges up my thro

Marciano“We have a mole among us.”My voice reverberates through the walls. The room is as quiet as a graveyard save for the whirring noise of the air conditioner. Clouds of smoke dance in the air and the room smells like weed and alcohol.“And until we find that mole, all our efforts will be pointless.”Grunts and whispers follow, the five men in the room talking between themselves, clearly dissatisfied with the current happenings. Anyone would be. It’s never been this bad.“Our Don is right. Since when has this family been one that people mess with and walk free?” Uncle Enzo asks, his voice very similar to mine.He’s the closest thing I have to a father. He was very brutal in his prime and likes to joke that God gave him three girls to teach him patience and kindness. Maybe God should’ve given him five.“I have one capo lying unconscious in the hospital,” I tell them, twirling the scotch in my glass. “I won’t have another.”“Yes, Don!” They chorus.The bomb blast put a lot of thi

Angelica"And who the fuck gave you permission to bring strangers into my house?"I swallow. Hard."I warned her, Signor," the old maid cries from behind the glass doors. Marciano arches a brow."You think yourself the mistress of this family now, do you?"Excuse me?"What do you mean?" He presses forward, taking one more step forward. He's so close all I can smell is him; his minty and musky scent, and even the anger rolling off him—which I can't believe is aimed at me.It's not like I deliberately brought her here knowing she's his partner."Answer me!" He takes another step forward and I'm forced to take one backward, until my back presses against the wall, trapping me."I've never thought myself as anything. I just wanted to—" I pause. Why do I have to explain myself when he's the one having extramarital affairs?I stand straighter, my back still pressed on the wall, but I no longer feel trapped."I'm just trying to learn a skill. I wouldn't have brought her here if I'd known she