Twisted Promises

TWISTED PROMISES MESSINA CRIME FAMILY BOOK THREE LILIAN HARRIS CONTENTS Content Warning Glossary of Names and Phrases I. One Year Ago Chapter 1 Chapter 2 Chapter 3 Chapter 4 Chapter 5 Chapter 6 Chapter 7 Chapter 8 Chapter 9 Chapter 10 Chapter 11 Chapter 12 Chapter 13 Chapter 14 Four Days Later II. Present Day Chapter 15 Chapter 16 One Month Later Chapter 17 Chapter 18 Chapter 19 Chapter 20 Chapter 21 Chapter 22 Chapter 23 Chapter 24 Age 14 Chapter 25 Chapter 26 Age 17 Chapter 27 Chapter 28 Chapter 29 Chapter 30 Chapter 31 Chapter 32 One Week Later Chapter 33 Chapter 34 Chapter 35 Chapter 36 Chapter 37 Chapter 38 Chapter 39 Chapter 40 Chapter 41 Chapter 42 Chapter 43 Two Weeks Later Chapter 44 Fernanda & Patrick’s Wedding Also By Lilian Harris About the Author This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, organizations, places, events, and incidences are either products of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. © 2023 by Lilian Harris. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced, or stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the express written permission of the publisher. Editing/Interior Formatting: CPR Editing Proofreader: Judy’s Proofreading Cover Design: Cormar Covers CONTENT WARNING Please be advised this book contains graphic violence, torture, mild dubious consent, and instances of panic attacks. GLOSSARY OF NAMES AND PHRASES Dear Reader, I hope this helps, especially for the fun names I chose. (LOL.) Iseult – “Ee-salt" Eriu – “Air-ooh” Tynan – “Tie-nan” Cillian – “KILL-ee-in” Fionn – “Fee-yun” Bratva – Russian organized crime or Russian Mafia Pakhan – Head of the Russian Mafia “Kak zhal', chto ya dolzhen ubit' takuyu krasivuyu zhenshchinu” – It’s too bad I have to kill such a beautiful woman “Nu da, moya dorogaya.” – That’s right, my dear. “Zatknis', malen'kaya suka!” – Shut up, bitch! “Oni zdes.'” – They’re here. “Khorosho” – Okay “Boodym zdarovy” – To health “On kak sobaka.” – He’s like a dog. “Privet, moya dorogoya. Ya skuchal po tebe. Ne mogu dozhdat’sya, kogda my snova budem vmeste.” – Hello, my dear. I’ve missed you. Can’t wait until we’re re-united again. “Zamalshi, suka!” – Quiet, bitch! “Malinkiya suka” – Little bitch “Privet, dorogaya.” – Hello, darling. “Ya ih ubyu.” – I will kill them. “Krasavitsa” – Gorgeous “Idi prover.” – Go check it out. “Lodna” – Okay “Vazmi yeyo.” – Take her. This book is dedicated to Jackie Walker, author and friend. It’s thanks to you Iseult had the time of her life with Mr. Tongue. This is what friendships are made of. PART I ONE YEAR AGO CHAPTER ONE GIO Two weeks ago, I lost my best friend, Bryce. He was gunned down in some dark alley like an animal. The man they arrested, Donny, confessed to the whole thing. The gun was retrieved from the nearby dumpster. His fingerprints were on the weapon, him on the scene. It was all perfect. Too perfect. So much so that neither my other friend, Grant, nor I believed Donny had actually done it. Didn’t stop me from putting out a hit on him in prison, though. Just in case. He’s still awaiting trial, but a lot can happen between now and then. Stepping into my Bugatti Chiron, I hit the road and head toward Grant’s company, Westfield Enterprises—named after his grandfather, who started it. Grant makes a shitload producing the most popular cell phone and memory chip that’s currently on the market. He’s got his hands in AI tech too. The most impressive thing about Grant, though, is his ability to hack anything and find anyone. Grant, Bryce, and I met in business school. We were pretty close, knew all the fucked-up shit each other did. There were no secrets between us…as far as I knew. But I still don’t know why Bryce was in that alley near some exclusive dance club. He was supposed to meet Grant and I at one of the bars my family owns, but he never showed and never returned our calls. Several hours later, I got a message from one of our police contacts, telling me they’d found his body and arrested someone. There was nothing to go on other than the confession and the evidence, which was all the detectives cared about. There were no cameras in the area to catch what happened, either. At least none that we’ve found so far. It could’ve been just about anyone who did it. Anyone Donny is covering for. Bryce’s family has plenty of enemies. They’re oil tycoons or whatever the hell you call those people. I know we’re missing something. So when Grant called telling me to come to his office to look at some evidence he found on Bryce, I dropped everything. A car honks when I veer into the right lane at an accelerated speed. This is me going slow. They don’t want to see this car do the max at 273 miles an hour. Rolling off the highway, I make it to Grant’s office building and ease my car into one of the reserved spots. The elevator ride is quick to the thirtieth floor, and I greet his secretary, Tamila, whose rosy cheeks get even rosier when I pass her by with a grin. She flicks her shoulder-length auburn hair back and answers the ringing phone as I head to Grant’s office. The only reason I haven’t fucked her yet is so I don’t mess shit up for Grant. Otherwise, I’d have her on her knees sucking my dick by now. I don’t even knock when I enter, finding Grant leaning back in his chair talking to someone on the phone. The view of the city is brightly lit behind him, visible through the floor-to-ceiling glass windows. “I don’t deal with pussies, Tyson,” Grant chides. “If he can’t handle a twenty million investment, then I don’t want him.” There’s a long pause.