Page 2 of Dangerous Games of Trust

The parking lot around us is filling up quickly with scared patrons running for their lives, cars speeding in every direction to escape the total riot inside the stadium. As we move through the chaos, Marco is searching for something. We dodge moving vehicles and scared onlookers with the call of sirens filling the air, their constant whoop, whoop causing me to keep forging ahead, even though I have no idea where we’re moving to.

“Over there,” Marco calls to us, and I see what he’s talking about. A stretch Hummer in matte black with dark tinted windows sits parked on a side street. “Lana. I’m so sorry for all this,” he mutters, but it’s the pain in his eyes that haunts me more than his words. I get a sinking feeling, a falling feeling. Like I’m being dropped down a rabbit hole headfirst, and I’m not going to like the outcome of this chaos tonight.

But with no other choice, I hurry toward the car alongside them both. Whatever is in there can’t be as bad as the havoc going on out here. The door flies open when we’re close, and Marco shoves me inside first. Dani follows, then Marco, pulling the door shut behind us, blocking out the noise and utter anarchy we left behind.

My heart pounds out of control in my chest, its rapid rhythm echoing in my ears. Adrenaline surges through my veins,electrifying my every nerve. The coarse pavement has cut up my feet, sending sharp jolts of pain radiating through them, and my muscles feel like I’ve been hit by a truck, throbbing in a way I’ve never experienced. Gasping for air, each breath feels like a desperate struggle to fill my lungs. Waves of nausea churn in my stomach, a sickening reminder of the horrors I’ve witnessed tonight.

But nothing can match the sheer terror that consumes me when I meet Geovani’s haunting green eyes from across the vehicle. What is he doing in here with us?

Chapter 2

Before I have timeto escape, I’m thrust back into the plush leather seat, the force of the driver’s sudden acceleration making me grip on for dear life. Gravel from the side street kicks up behind us, filling the air with a gritty whirlwind as we scream away from the arena. Two strong, well-dressed men occupy the front seats of the Hummer. One man confidently takes the wheel while the other firmly grips a firearm, telling me my idea of escaping this moving vehicle is going to be impossible.

Dani reaches out for me, her fingers intertwining with mine, a silent gesture of unity. I take a closer look at her, her ripped cocktail dress splattered in what could only be blood. Her dark hair’s a tattered mess; the once perfectly sleek ponytail our hair stylist did for her has fallen out. She looks like she’s been through some serious upheaval tonight. I’m dying to ask her what on earth happened since I saw her last, but with Geovani across from us, I know there would be little point.

We used to be kind of close in the months I spent working with her at the diner, but I don’t think she’s my friend. I’m pretty sureshe’s the one who drugged me. She was the one who handed me the champagne I drank right before I blacked out. It was just the two of us in the suite at the time, so unless someone drugged it before she poured the drink, that’s the only explanation that makes any sense. But even then, she would have passed out as well, and I remember her catching me as I went down. Nope, it had to have been her. It’s the only explanation. I pull out of her grip, distancing myself.

“What the fuck happened back there?” Marco growls menacingly, his eyes locked onto Geovani. I can feel the anger radiating through him, mixed with the adrenaline from having to save us from whatever was going down in that stadium.

Geovani’s lips curl into a slight grin, adding a hint of playfulness to his expression. He thinks this is somehow amusing, and I’m even more confused by the man I thought I knew. “My guess is Enzo.”

Marco moves forward, his deathly glare intensifying, sending shivers down my spine. I feel Dani flinch beside me, sensing his aggression. “Your fucking guess. You said you had this situation under control. Why the fuck would Enzo have turned up here tonight? Isn’t he supposed to be hosting a wedding?”

My foggy head can’t process what they’re talking about. Why is Marco talking about Enzo like he doesn’t know what’s going on? Doesn’t he work for Enzo? And why the fuck are we sitting just inches apart from Geovani, a man they all warned me was extremely dangerous?

“Maddox,” is all I can get out through panicked breaths. My head spins, and I find myself resting it in my hands, desperately trying to avoid losing consciousness. I can’t shake this odd feeling that has taken hold of me. My skin is cold and clammy at the same time. If something has happened to him… I can’t let my mind go there. I need to know he’s alright.

“He’ll be fine.” Geovani’s laughter fills the air, a chilling sound that sends a wave of unease through me. What the fuck was that? He sounds crazy. Maybe he’s high as a kite on painkillers or something after his fight, but I can’t make sense of his behavior; it’s nothing like the man I knew. This man looks like he’s putting on a performance for us.

I won’t be convinced that Maddox is alive and well until I witness it firsthand. But something tells me I’m not going to see Maddox any time soon. I run my eyes over the shirtless man sitting in front of me.

He tilts his head, his lips twitching up at the sides. “Been way too long, Red.”

My expression turns icy. He can fuck right off if he thinks this is going to be a pleasant reunion. I hate him for the way he lied to me. If anything, it’s his fault I’m in this mess in the first place. If he had been honest with me right from the beginning instead of hiding so much stuff from me, things would be very different right now.

Dani’s arm wraps around me, pulling me into her warm embrace. “You’re okay, girl, I’ve got you.”

A tremble runs over me and the inside of the car spins, and I blink rapidly, trying to get myself together. When my focus returns, all I see are Geovani’s green eyes, locked onto mine with an intensity that takes my breath away and sends an icy shiver right down my spine at the same time. Not because his gaze is cold or mean, but because I know too much about him now. He’s not the man I thought he was. He’s also not a man I want anywhere near me, especially when I’m dressed in practically nothing and feeling weak and vulnerable. If I ever saw him again, I wanted to be ready for a fight. Ready to demand he tell me why he lied to me and tricked me. I certainly didn’t want to be stuck in a moving vehicle with my brother, my ex-bestie, and what looks like two oversized heavies.

The last time I spent any time with him, we had just slept together in his gym. I was confused and sad after thinking I had lost my entire family. He had me fooled into thinking he was my savior, Ian, an undercover detective. I was falling for him more and more every day we spent together, and I had thought maybe he felt the same way. But this shirtless man in front of me, covered in blood and sweat, isn’t the man I had grown to adore. I don’t recognize him at all.

As Dani strokes my hair softly, I sink into the plush leather seat, my muscles feeling like jelly. Marco’s gaze meets mine, his brow furrowed in a mix of confusion and rage, leaving me shaking my head in disbelief. Is this what he was sorry for? What did he do to land us in the same getaway car as Geovani?

Startled by the sudden weight on my lap, I quickly turn my attention to Geovani, who has inched closer. It’s his jacket that now covers my bare legs. “You’re freezing, Red, put it on.” There is a no-nonsense quality to his voice, demanding attention and respect.

It instantly makes my hackles rise. Why the fuck would I do anything he says? I glare at him, my expression telling him everything my mouth can’t. With a determined shake of my head, I make it clear that I won’t accept anything he has to offer. I don’t care how fucking cold I am.

Sensing the impending tension between us, Dani moves aside.

Geovani grabs the jacket and forcefully slides it onto my shoulders, disregarding my resistance, his rough touch igniting a flutter within me. A memory of the same gesture the night my papa was killed. But it’s not like that night. Looking back, I naïvely believed that I could trust him. Thought he was someone safe, but now I know he’s not. I nervously wring my hands in my lap, my eyes rising. “I will never forgive you,” I spit out through the gut-wrenching tension eating up this car ride, making sure to meet his gaze with all the hatred I’m feeling toward him rightnow. He’s just another male in my life who has let me down. Lied to me and tricked me.

He relaxes back, propping his boots up on the seat beside me as he slides his hands behind his head, closing his eyes. “I can live with your hate, Red,” he mutters, sounding exhausted.

What the fuck does that even mean? He doesn’t care if I hate him? He should. I care. How could he just relax back and have a little nap? There is so much adrenaline running through my veins, I don’t know what the fuck to do with myself.

I scan the massive interior of the car, searching for a way out. I want to reach for the door and throw myself out of the car. My chances against the road are probably better than surviving with him and wherever he and my brother are taking me. But I can’t get to the door without going over him. Or back past Marco. I’m trapped.

“Let me out of this fucking car,” I snap, my frustration hitting a new level.

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