Page 90 of Worth the Risk

Bella blinked as she let this new piece of information sink in. Meeting her dominant sadist boyfriend’s mother. Could her life get any more bizarre?

***

THE CAVALRY HAD ARRIVED. Angie and Lil T had gone by her place and packed some of her things, which they carried upstairs to her room. Rick lugged in four bags of groceries, went directly to the kitchen, and started putting them away. Sean arrived last, with two gigantic boxes of Texas egg rolls—deep-fried wonton wrappers stuffed with a mixture of sausage, cream cheese, pepper jack, and jalapenos—from a place called Sonny’s and a jumbo-sized to-go carton of coffee.

Even though it all smelled fantastic, Bella wasn’t the least bit hungry, her stomach too much in knots to eat. She sipped her coffee with a splash of cream and watched as the men inhaled their food.

Immediately after, the questioning began. Cap went first.

“How did you discover you were actually Marcus Pietro’s daughter?”

“I found a picture of him with my mother. On the back, she’d written the date and12 weeks along. That was pretty strong evidence right there, but then I found my birth certificate. The father listed wasn’t Lorenzo Giordano.”

“Where?”

“Pardon?”

“Where did you find it?”

As she recalled the awful evening, her hand moved automatically to the scar on her side, but it was only when Dan took her hand that she became aware of her actions.

“I found it hidden in my grandfather Conti’s steamer trunk hidden in Lorenzo’s closet. He raised me as his own because my mother had him by the short hairs. When she passed, there was no reason to keep up the charade. Except the world knew me as his daughter, and people might have asked questions. He wants the birth certificate, which is the only thing keeping me alive. If he gets his hands on it, there will be no reason to.”

The dire statement hung in the air, casting a heavy silence over the room.

“Where is it now?” Cap asked.

“In a tote at my condo.”

“That needs to be secured,” Dan said with urgency.

“Was the tote black with daisies?” Angie asked.

“How did you know?”

“Because I used it to pack. It’s upstairs.”

Without a word, Bella stood and left the room. She located her tote in one of the three boxes Angie and T had brought over. When she returned to the group, she laid it in the middle of the table. Jonas was the first to pick it up.

“This fills in a lot of blanks. If I had it before, I wouldn’t have had to go on a fishing expedition.” His eyes narrowed on Bella. “Which I’m sure is how Giordano’s men found you so quickly. I’m sorry that happened.”

“I asked you to do it, Tech,” Dan argued. “It’s not your fault. It’s Bella’s.”

The two men looked at her, frowning.

“I’m into ropes, not hard-core discipline, but when punishment is earned, I can wield a paddle as adeptly as the next dom.” Jonas’ eyes cut to Dan. “I hope you’ve emphasized the importance of complete honesty if we’re to ensure her safety.

“He has,” Bella told him.

Dan assured him, “And he will, again.”

There were a few soft chuckles from the other men. Jonas nodded, apparently satisfied her dom would take care of it.

Cap picked up the birth certificate next, studying it closely. “The only one who’s impacted if this comes to light is Lorenzo?”

“His men are loyal to him, but, if something happens to him, arrest or whatever, and another boss emerges, they’ll be just as loyal to the new don.”

“I know that look,” Rick announced, his attention on the boss. “What are you thinking, Cap?”

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