When Cassie got to apartment, she was startled to see that Amato was nowhere in sight. He must be sleeping, Cassie thought to herself. Putting the groceries on the kitchen counter, she took off her jacket and began looking for a solo cup to put her cereal and milk into. As she munched down she reached for yesterday’s paper and out of it slipped a piece of paper. Picking it up, Cassie noticed it was a legal document of some sort. Curiosity killed the cat and she read it, to her shock it was a will, Amato’s will. It read:
I Jonathan Amato of Brooklyn, New York, revoke my previous wills and condicils and declare this to be my last will and testament. Article I I am married to Irene Butler and all references in this will to my spouse are references to Irene. Article II I direct that all my just debts; funeral expenses and expenses of my final illness be first paid from my estate. Article III All remaining tangible properties shall be distributed to Irene. If Irene is unwilling or unable to accept this property then it shall be distributed to my favorite charity Blue Heroes.
Cassie’s hands trembled, she had forgotten about Irene. Were they still married? How could that be? He told her that…
Immediately Cassie’s face burned with anger as she realized she had fallen for the oldest trick in the book, the old: I’m gonna leave my wife bullshit. If she didn’t have a head wound, she would’ve slapped herself silly for being so naïve. Hearing Amato starting to stir in the next room, Cassie tucked the will back into the newspaper, pretending that nothing happened. As she sat there mindlessly munching on her generic Cheerios that she purchased at the gas station, Cassie wondered what was the point of risking her life for someone who wasn’t on the up and up with her? Maybe she had fallen for the blue uniform, many women do. She of all people should have known better, cops are no better than the mob. Maybe years spent amongst the mafiosos made her desperate to believe in something or someone good.
As Amato made his entre into the kitchen area, Cassie remained silent as she bitterly ate her crap breakfast. In only his sweatpants and tank top, he yawned his way over to the stool in front of her. Seeing the newspaper, he pushed it over to the side and grabbed the box of cereal and looked at it, “Ah Cherrios, nice choice,” he said.
Not able to contain herself anymore, Cassie said without any emotion, “When were you going to tell me?”
“Tell you what?”
Grabbing the newspaper Cassie shook it and out came the will. “You said you and Irene were through.”
Rubbing his jaw, Amato said, “We were but…”
“But what?” she growled, throwing the paper down in front of him knocking over her cup of cereal.
“It’s not easy ending a marriage Cassie.” He said completely defeated. “I loved Irene once upon a time and I owed it to her to at least try to fix our relationship!” It was an honorable answer but it stung nonetheless. “Jesus John, where’s your wedding ring?” she asked outraged.
Pulling it out of his pocket, he stuck it in her face. “What do you take it off when you want to get a girl in bed?” she yelled.
“I took it off when she filed for divorce three months ago!” He yelled back at her. “Three months ago? That was when…”
“That was when you happened!” he shouted.
Stunned all Cassie could say was, “Oh.”
“Oh?” You turn my life upside down and all you got to say is “Oh?”
She could sense he was holding back and so she finished it for him, “If it wasn’t for me, you and Irene would still be together, huh?” Looking away, Amato’s silence condemned him. Not knowing whether to feel flattered or guilty, she did the Catholic thing and went straight with the guilt. “Sorry,” she said softly as though someone had died.
“Don’t be, most cops get divorced,” he informed her, then to her surprise, he hooked her chin with his finger and lifted her face kissing her. “When I saw you two years ago, I knew I was done. I thought I could be professional and play the role but I was just a chump.” Kissing her again he continued, “Irene knew something was up but if I told her the truth, it would’ve killed her. I mean what else was I gonna do, tell her that I fell in love with a mafia princess?”
“Yeah but…” Cassie said breathless. Pressing his finger to her lips he shushed her, “I couldn’t tell her our marriage was a mistake so I had to play the two timing bastard for her sake. I didn’t want her to think it was her fault.”
Looking up at him, Cassie stroked his face and said, “God this is a mess,” then kissing him softly on his lips she ran her fingers through his hair igniting a passion he hadn’t felt in years. Just as things were getting hot and heavy, there was a pounding at the door. “Just my luck!” Amato said beyond irritated. Cassie however sensed something was wrong and ran to get her purse and her dad’s gun. “NYPD! Open up the door!” They both froze in terror, this was not how a kiss was supposed to end.
Author Bio:
Rachel Rueben is author of the bestselling YA novel “Hag” and “The Eternal Bond Series” both available on Wattpad. To keep up with Rachel, you can sign up for her frighteningly entertaining newsletter here.
When Cassie got to apartment, she was startled to see that Amato was nowhere in sight. He must be sleeping, Cassie thought to herself. Putting the groceries on the kitchen counter, she took off her jacket and began looking for a solo cup to put her cereal and milk into. As she munched down she reached for yesterday’s paper and out of it slipped a piece of paper. Picking it up, Cassie noticed it was a legal document of some sort. Curiosity killed the cat and she read it, to her shock it was a will, Amato’s will. It read: I Jonathan Amato of Brooklyn, New York, revoke my previous wills and condicils and declare this to be my last will and testament. Article I I am married to Irene Butler and all references in this will to my spouse are references to Irene.
Through the dirty window only a sliver of sunshine pierced the dimly lit hallways of the abandoned apartment building Detective Amato was now using as a hideout. Leading Cassie through the maze of littered corridors, they came to a staircase that went up 4 stories. In the stairwell, they encountered a homeless man sitting on the steps with his dog on his lap. Looking up at her, he smiled a toothless grin which Cassie returned rather nervously.
In complete silence she followed Amato until they reached a beige steel door with the number 42 written in worn out brass. It became obvious why Amato chose this place, it was a government housing project. These places were well built to endure the abuse doled out by tenants and the neglect from building managers. If he was ever compromised, this place would give Amato the precious…
Not wanting to let go, Fiona, held on to her daughter Cassandra as they embraced on the stoop. “Come back home, you hear me?” she said still hanging on. “Got it ma,” Cassie answered, as she let go of her mother’s hand. With everything she needed, Cassandra had to find Detective Amato and save him from himself.
It was going to be a tough task since he hadn’t responded to her calls in weeks. The only clue she had was an envelope of cash with her name on it. This alone, showed just how dire his situation was. Cassie was no fool, she knew things with his brothers in blue had gone sideways and he was most likely in the wind. Now all she had to do was find out where, but if she failed, the consequences could be fatal. It was only a matter of time before…
Romance and suspense, who would’ve thought those worlds would go so good together? I had never even heard of the term romance suspense until I was given “The Ninja Tattoo” and Immediately I was hooked. Over 15 years ago, I just stopped reading romance because the genre had become too formulaic. You were either in two camps, bodice ripping or family oriented storytelling. Being in my early twenties, neither appealed to me, let alone, spoke to me. That all changed just last year, when I was introduce to a real story which happened to have a romance element in it. So you bet your butt when the next book came out this past week, I HAD to have it! “Conduct Unbecoming” picks up where The Ninja Tattoo leaves off, with action, thrills and of course, romance.
So Teague McMurty is back and this time he has to help his friend Nadeya (an old army buddy) after she is caught in the middle of a military conspiracy. After her boyfriend is brutally killed, Nadeya goes on the run and has nowhere to go and no one to turn to. Little does she know, her friend Aileen, reaches out to Teague on Nedeya’s behalf. To complicate matters, Aileen is an old ex of Teague’s!
Whether Teague likes it or not, his friends are at his side to make sure justice is served. However, it won’t be easy, the people hunting Nedeya aren’t amateurs and will stoop to anything to make sure Nadeya’s silenced once and for all. To complicate the mission, Nedeya doesn’t want to be found. Not knowing who to trust, Teague has to be careful not to lead Nedeya’s killers to her front door. But he’s Teague, he’s got this…
I give Conduct Unbecoming 5 ♥♥♥♥♥ hearts and recommend you buy this book! Today, Conduct Unbecoming is available on Amazon for .99 cents and if you haven’t read The Ninja Tattoo, what are you waiting for? Here’s an excerpt on the Cereal Author’s Blog and links on where to purchase it are posted below.
Join us today at 9 p.m. EST (US) for the Fantastic Blog Hop Facebook Event. Yes, we’re doing it again, and bigger than ever! Join authors; Karen Vaughan, Dellani Oakes, Marta Moran Bishop, Joan Hazel, Ruth Davis Hays, Dominica Malcom, Joan P. Lane and Juli Morgan for fun, games and possibly Fabio? 🙂
The event will last from Thursday 9 p.m. until Friday 11:55 p.m. so come on over, and have fun. I plan on giving away a copy of my novel Hag as well as post a few teasers for my next book, “Eternal Bond.”
Amato went to the rendezvous point at the 52nd street junk yard to meet New York’s infamous investigative reporter, Javier Marín. It was an unusual cool June morning but Amato wasn’t the least bit nervous in fact, he was determined to get this done. Feeling the breeze on his face, he brushed his over grown black hair out of his face. He grew it out to throw off the cops, he also grew a beard in case he wound up on the street and needed to blend in with the homeless. Amato spent most of his days planning the next move.
In his new persona, he managed to sneak into his old apartment and discovered it was ransacked. Someone was obviously looking for something however, they left his plasma T.V. and the wireless speakers untouched. Meanwhile his desk drawers were pulled out and their contents spilled…
Nervously Amato looked out of his window, before answering the door. He wasn’t safe as long as his heart was still beating. They wouldn’t quit until he and Cassie were dead which made his situation dire.
It was just the manager wanting his money. Quickly he shoved the $300 into the old man’s outstretched hand and hastily shut the door. Amato always made sure to pay cash because he didn’t want to be traced. He knew the boys in blue were watching his accounts and waiting for him to make a mistake. It had been nearly a month since he had been ambushed at the hospital parking lot and he had spent it laying low and watching his back.
Since his exile from his beloved Brooklyn, he spend his time amongst the junkies and prostitutes who made their nests in the dingy Palais Motel. It…
I interrupt your usual posts for an important announcement: Author K.S. Thomas has released a new contemporary romance novel called, I Call Him Brady and to celebrate, she’s doing a giveaway. Mrs. Thomas is no stranger to this blog and I’m glad to have her back to announce her latest novel. So on to the details…
Born the only son to one of Hollywood’s most prominent power couples, Jack Cole’s life is damn near perfect. With women lining up to be with him, movie parts most seasoned actors would die for and the freedom to live above the rules, Jack’s life is going completely according to plan.
Until Embers…
Embers doesn’t have time to waste on any more dirt-bags. Too busy trying to take care of herself and her daughter to take any more chances on romance, she’s limiting her love life to daydreaming about one hot and sexy, Jack Cole.
Except her surefire way to keep her heart safe goes completely awry when her dream guy and her reality suddenly collide.
A master of recreating the human emotions he’s never allowed himself to feel, Jack must now deal with the consequences of offering his heart to someone who may be too scared to keep it.
Enter to win a signed paperback of I Call Him Brady HERE ~
Dog Lover who likes her pastries full of cream and sugar…oh…and I write some 😉
Aside from being an author, I am also a mom to a beautiful little girl. I tell everyone I named her after my great-grandmother (because that’s the mature answer), but really, I named her after my favorite princess – just so happens I got lucky and they had the same name…If I wasn’t a writer, I would work on a horse ranch – I’m an animal lover (in addition to dogs, horses are at the top of my list). I wear flip-flops pretty much everywhere I go. I would rather stay awake until 5 am than get up at 5 am (years of bar tending have left their mark), if I can, I’m going to the beach AND I will always be nice to people who bring me chocolate…or coffee…if you bring me both, I’ll probably love you forever.
A gypsy at heart, I write the way I live, following the story wherever it may lead, always ready to start the next one. This is clearly reflected in my body of work which to date includes everything from Children’s Lit to Thrillers.
I happily reside in sunny Florida (for now) and can be contacted via my blog, my website or the following social media sites ~
As the morning sun struggled to pierce through the grey clouds, Detective Amato tried to make sense of what happened in Xavier Park. 24 hours ago it would have been inconceivable that a woman was able to take down one of the Mob’s up and coming stars. Now the question remained, for what? Cassandra was clearly paying the price for her role in her brother’s demise.
Clinging to life for the last several days, she nearly pierced the veil into eternity on three occasions. Each time, the doctors and nurses were able to bring her back but for how long? It was a question that went through Amato’s mind as he watched from a steel folding chair across the room. It was the kind of Karmic justice where no good deed goes unpunished.
Since Cassie was in critical condition, visitors were monitored by the…
As an ER nurse took Cassandra’s vitals, a doctor was sedating her, in order to prep her for surgery. In this foggy state, Cassie saw her life flash before her eyes, people, places and events all merged into one big final trip down memory lane. Just as she was about to let go, she heard a voice saying, “I don’t think this one’s gonna make it” and suddenly fear struck her heart. She still had a job to do and a promise to fulfill. Reluctantly, Cassie fought her way back to the physical world and when she did, the pain was excruciating. Though the doctor managed to remove both bullets, she was in so much agony she found it hard to breath. For the next 12 hours Cassie lapsed in and out of consciousness.
When she finally started to wake from the anesthesia, she found it hard to put sentences together. It was important that she talk, she had to warn Amato he was in danger but all she could do was babble incoherently. Upon seeing this, the nurses gave her more medication thinking she was in pain. This went on all night long.
Meanwhile, Detective Amato spent the night making a call to a cop he knew worked for the Cosimo family but he wanted nothing to do with Amato. So he reminded the young patrolman, “Listen Lieutenant, if you don’t want your wife finding out where you spend your Fridays, you’ll send the message,” he said before hanging up on the now very scared cop.
Immediately, Amato started digging up old files he had encrypted in his own computer just in case he needed them one day. He had tons of dirt on Dominic as well as several other city officials who were on the Cosimo payroll and he was ready to play his hand, if it got to that point.
Just as he was considering his options the phone rang, knowing who it was, Amato picked it up and heard Dominic’s lackey say, “The boss will see you at Xavier ‘round three.”
“Done” Amato responded and hung up.
At 3 o’clock on the nose, Amato showed up to Xavier Park in Brooklyn. Entering the gates, he saw none other than Dominic Fenetti smoking a cigar and chatting up some red haired floozy at a bench. Upon seeing him, he smiled at Amato and dismissed his fidanzata (girlfriend) with the snap of his fingers.
“There are some pretty babes in BK, I should come here more often.”
“You never learned from your hero Capone, did ya?”
“I’ll have you know Brittany is an accomplished dancer,” Dominic said with a sleazy wink.
“Yeah, I’m sure she makes more than the other puttanas (whores) at the strip club,” Amato said taking a step closer to Dom.
“I know Dom, you never went anywhere alone as I recall.”
“Where did I go wrong with you?” Dominic asked. “I gave you everything, money, cars, women, and you piss on it like a God damn rat.”
“You gave him everything?..” a voice said coming from behind the trees. Turning around, Dominic was stunned to see the big boss, Carmine Cosimo in the flesh. The older gentleman made a signal and immediately Dominic’s own men came out of hiding with their guns turned on him.
As if that weren’t enough, Cassie emerged from the circle of goons like a ghost from his worst nightmare. Looking worse for the wear, Cassandra’s head was still heavily bandaged. Having fought her way back from death, she discharged herself against her doctor’s wishes in order fulfill an oath she made to her father.
Unsteady on her feet, she held on to Carmine’s arm, “Ya see Dom, papa taught me some things; one, loyalty is never guaranteed, and two, always hide the evidence,” she said taking a manila envelope out of her long coat. Dumping the contents on to the ground, out came a ledger Dom was hiding from the boss along with several pictures of him with rival crime bosses.
As Dominic’s face went pale, Cassie went on, “You cooked the books Dom, and when papa found out, you had him executed. Your own damn father!” Cassie said with disgust.
Shaking and sweating, Dominic knew his time on this earth was up. “You can’t believe her, she’s crazy!” he said pleading with Carmine. However, Carmine just rose his hand silencing Dominic.
As their final act of revenge, Cassie joined Amato, and turning their backs, they slowly walked out of the park. As they exited the gate, they heard multiple gun shots but never looked back.
When they got to the car, Amato saw Cassie losing her color. “What are you crazy leaving the hospital like that? You’re going back.”
“Doesn’t matter, I kept my word,” she said as she slid down the side of the car and to the pavement. Amato sprung into action and got her in the car and called ahead to the hospital. Seeing he didn’t have that much time, he raced through the streets nearly hitting a delivery truck.
Pulling up to the emergency room parking lot, he kissed Cassie on the cheek before several orderlies put her on the gurney. Watching as they disappeared into the hospital, he had this awful feeling that this was the last time he’d ever see her again.
Author Bio:
Rachel Rueben is author of the bestselling YA novel “Hag” and “The Eternal Bond Series” both available on Wattpad. To keep up with Rachel, you can sign up for her frighteningly entertaining newsletter here.
Pic by Jon S. via Flickr 
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