Page 29 of Dangerous Games of Trust

I turn to Ricky. “You don’t understand what we did.” More tears fall as I imagine what will happen to the boys if Carlo gets his hands on them?

“Who?” Alessandro grunts.

“Me and Geovani. He will kill him if he knows.”

“What did you do, baby doll?” Ricky whispers, taking my face in his hand, brushing hair out of my weeping eyes as he takes me in.

My stomach churns uncomfortably, knowing this one I have to keep to myself, even though I wish I could tell them. I feel as though they would be able to help us. They may not like Geovani,but I’m just as deep in this as he is, and I know they would help me. “Not anything I can tell you about,” I answer sadly. I hate keeping secrets; I know how much it hurts me when they keep stuff from me.

His thumb dusts down the side of my face. “You leave our protection for a week and you get yourself into all sorts of trouble.”

Alessandro pulls into the back parking lot of the Flamingo Hotel and parks his car. For a second he stares out the windshield, and I see by the tension in his body he’s about to snap. Abruptly he shoves open his door and strides toward the guard at the back door of their club.

Ricky opens our side, and I awkwardly stumble out. He stays close by my side, draping his arm around my shoulders, and we follow Alessandro past the guard who’s openly glaring at me. We go in the back entrance with Ricky shielding me. He hasn’t stopped touching me since we ran from that place. I have so much I need to say to him. I’m still so angry at them, but also the comfort of his touch on me is everything I need right now.

Alessandro finishes talking to the guard then joins in on the other side of me like a protective barrier as we walk through the partying clubgoers like it’s a normal Tuesday and we are not on the run from a fucking madman. We don’t stop until we’re safely inside Alessandro’s office with the door closed.

My heart races for a different reason now. I’m alone with the two of them.

Ricky doesn’t skip a beat before pulling me into him and kissing my lips with so much desperation I feel it right down to my toes. He holds me so tightly to him I can’t breathe. “I thought I lost you,” he whispers into my lips, his hands running down my back.

“I’m right here.” I offer a half smile, the best I can muster, but I’m not here. I’m back at the bar, wondering where the otherboys are. If anything happens to them it will be all my fault. I’m the one who demanded this meeting tonight. I risked all our lives because I needed to see them, to tell them about this secret in person.

I push off him, needing space. Needing to clear my head. “Ricky, you fucking hurt me.”

His head drops. “I know… I thought—”

“You didn’t think, you followed Enzo’s orders, and you both nearly got me killed. If Carlo got his hands on me that night, if Maddox and Marco didn’t get me out of there, I wouldn’t still be here today.” I shift my angry gaze to Alessandro. “You would stop at nothing to get to the top, including lying to me and using me for your own gain. Your motherfucking papa is the one with all the power, moving you all around like pawns in his game. After tonight, can you finally see what he’s doing? He couldn’t give a shit about any of you. He rants on about the family, but he’s betrayed all of you,” I spit out at him. He needs to know the damage he could have done. The hurt he’s caused me.

His hands ball into fists, rage radiating off him. I’m not done. I move toward him, shoving him in the chest, my furious eyes locked with his.

“Enzo stole my life from me. My ma died because of his drugs; my papa died at Marco’s hands ordered by Enzo. Marco and I are trapped, locked up in a fucking tower so he can’t get to us. He stole my family, my life. He’s done awful things to you all, and for what? To help himself become more powerful, so he can get more money. How can you stand by and let him destroy your lives?”

“Our girl is right, Alex. Enzo has stolen so much from us all. I’m his fucking son, for fuck’s sake. He needs to pay for the shit he’s done. This is what Maddox has been trying to tell us. Things have to change, and we have the power to knock him off his perch.”

My phone starts vibrating in my pocket, to answer the call. Only two people have this number, Geovani and Dani, and my heart skips a beat when I see his name lighting up the screen. “Geo,” I call his name, elated he’s still alive.

“Where are you?” he seethes, a darkness to his tone that scares me.

“Flamingo Hotel, with Alessandro and Ricky. Is Maddox with you?” I choke out, a little taken back by his tone.

“Yes,” he grunts.

I look at the other two, both hanging on my every word. “You’re both okay?”

“We’ll live. Stay there, I’m coming to get you.” Before I can say another thing, he disconnects the call.

I stare at my phone, my stomach churning. He’s pissed. My eyes rise to meet the others. “They’re both still alive.” I offer a half smile, relief filling me as I swipe the tears I didn’t even realize I was crying from my cheeks.

“You have a phone?” Ricky takes the device from me, inspecting it like it’s an alien creature.

“Most people do.” I snatch it back. “If you’re asking if Geovani has the same control issues as you three, the answer is clearly no. Since leaving your control, I have a phone, my own money to buy new clothes, a job even. Surprising, isn’t it, that little old me can stand on her own two feet after all.”

“Didn’t take long for the snippy attitude to return.” He smirks in a way that makes heat flush my cheeks. He’s such a beautiful man, and when he looks at me with those adorable puppy-dog eyes, I can’t help but melt into a puddle all over the floor. “Harley, you are right about it all. I didn’t know what Enzo had planned the night of the wedding.”

“What about Elisa, were you really going to marry her just because he told you to?”

“No… I don’t know. I wouldn’t have loved her like I do you. It would have been an arrangement, to strengthen the family, that’s all.”

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