Page 12 of Dangerous Games of Trust

Confused, I cast a quick glance in her direction, then over to Geovani to see if he’s watching us. He looks preoccupied with something on his computer screen, and he’s wearing earphones, so I would say he’s not. “What do you mean?” I ask, dying to know every detail of what happened after I took off.

“Geovani. He would have stopped at nothing until you were back here with him safe. I mean nothing. He tried to come after you, but I left it too late to call him and you had too much of a head start. By the time he got to the caves you were already inside. Did you know he and Alessandro got into it? Geovani came back here all busted up and shit.” She sighs heavily. “It was my fault. I shouldn’t have let you leave the diner, but you looked so panicked after you saw Ricky and Maddox, I thought you weretaking off to go home and hide, not chase after them with a death wish.”

“You knew who they were?” I ask, confused. She’s an excellent actor because I had no idea.

“Yeah, that’s why I pointed them out to you. I wanted to see if you recognized them. You shocked the shit out of me by running after them. That was the last thing I thought you would do.”

“Alessandro and Ricky are going to go ballistic when they find out I’m here with Geovani,” I whisper, knowing he’s not going to give me up easily and neither is Ricky. Maddox must have been desperate to protect me, or I know he wouldn’t have left me here with him.

“That’s why you need something for yourself when they come for you. Do you want to live your life for a man who only wants to control you, or do you want to be like me and learn how this place works? Get some power back? I can show you everything I know. You are smart, and I know you’ll pick it up quickly.” She hands me a pen. “Sign it. It will be the best decision you could ever make, trust me.”

Trust her? I’m not so sure about that anymore, but I know I really have no choice. She’s right, I don’t want to end up some thug’s arm candy. I want my independence. “Can you get this contract amended for me? I want Marco’s name on there as co-owners of all the Havardi businesses.”

“If that’s what you want.”

“It’s his legacy as well.”

“Sure, sign these for me so we can get started. I will talk with our attorney and have your brother included in the contracts as well.”

I pop the top off the pen and sign away my life, feeling a flutter of excitement, knowing I was able to make this decision.

“You’re going to make more money than you know what to do with, girl.” Her eyes sparkle with excitement as she takes the contracts and NDA from me.

Nervously, I let out a forced laugh. Money has never been my number one concern, as long as I have enough to get by. But these last few months have taught me some tough lessons. Money makes you powerful in this world. I want the threat of Enzo and Carlo dealt with before they have a chance to hurt my brother or me. I might just need a little money to influence the help I need.

She bumps my arm, looking in Geovani’s direction. “Let’s face it, girl, you may have lost the Moretti boys, but we both know how you feel about Geovani, your hot, older trainer.” She winks at me.

I cringe, covering my face with embarrassment, feeling like I’m back in high school. Why did I ever tell her I was crushing on him.

She giggles, taking my hand and pulling me up to standing with her. “Come on, girl, we’re already behind for the day.”

I follow her to her messy desk. There are books piled high on either side of the computer and notepads with scribbled handwriting. Hanging on the wall over it is a pinboard with images, names, and locations pinned on it. It looks like something you would see in one of those detective movies, where they keep all the evidence of a crime. “What’s all of this?” I motion to the board.

“Everything we currently know about Carlo.” She smirks. “We have everything, from who he fucked, to what he ate for breakfast the next morning. At least we did until the night he tried to take you, when he disappeared. He’s not using his cell, and his car is still sitting in a heap on the side of that swamp.”

I look over the images and scribbled notes more closely. There are even bank statements. “How do you get this kind of information on someone?”

“Geovani’s a whiz at tracking people.”

“I bet he is,” I say with a little too much sarcasm in my voice. “If you lost him, what do you do now?” I ask, a little fear creeping into my voice. This all only works if we can track Carlo and he can lead us to Enzo.

She gives me a reassuring smile. “Geovani thinks Enzo’s hiding him. But don’t worry, it won’t be long before he works out where. Geovani has eyes and ears everywhere, especially on the Morettis.”

I look at the women he’s pictured with, their smiles radiating joy and warmth. They all looked so young and beautiful, and it makes me feel uneasy for them. “What do they find so captivating about him?”

“Money, girl. It’s all about money. Don’t ever think it’s not with girls like these.”

I blink back at her, wondering what she’s implying. “Is that why you’re with Marco?” I ask, keeping my voice low so he can’t hear us. Across the room, he remains engrossed in his phone, oblivious to the two of us.

“Nope. I’d be into him even if he was broke, babe. Marco’s someone special.”

Her voice carries a conviction that makes me believe every word she says. She is completely infatuated with him. Maybe Geovani was wrong and love still exists. “He is,” I agree with her. “When did you meet him?”

“That night you invited me to the Flamingo Hotel with you and the boys.” She smiles like she’s remembering. “Don’t know what was going on with you lot, but I sure was grateful that Marco saved me. I was there for information and got a little more than I bargained for.” She laughs, taking my hand. “I’m not sure if youbelieve in this shit or not, but with Marco, as soon as I looked into his big brown eyes, I knew I was his and he would be mine.”

I can’t help but smile back at her, touched by her sweetness. I really hope it’s all true. I glance over at Geovani, trying to gauge if he’s paying attention to our conversation. The headphones are now off, so he could be, but we’re far enough away that he would have to strain his old ears to hear us if he is. I lean in so he can’t hear me just in case. “If Carlo is out there with a new chick every night, what happened to Geovani’s ma?”

She glances his way, rolling her lips, then shakes her head like she won’t answer. Or can’t. “Come on, let me show you how to use your computer.”

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