Page 35 of Dangerous Games of Trust

“He offered me a way out. Enzo was sending me back to Italy, and when Dani come to me with a better life for us, I took her up on the offer. The possibility of continuing something ourpapa had started that was safer and could also get you out of the Morettis’ clutches, it was a no-brainer. I have known Alessandro, Ricky, and Maddox my entire life. I would take a bullet for any of them. I won’t follow them blindly while they insist on leaving Enzo at the top. He will destroy all of us. I wasn’t going to let him hand you over to Carlo for him to use you to get to our family legacy or worse.”

Sickness fills me from his expression, and I swallow the lump forming in my throat. “What doesor worsemean?”

“You’re going to need to ask Geovani about that as well; what his pa is involved in is his story to tell.”

I nod, understanding and feeling so naïve still. I thought I knew what was going on, but there is so much more at play. Taking my seat again, I stare back at him.

He runs a hand through his curls. “I don’t understand how someone worked out you were at The Precinct last night. I called the bar and made that booking myself. No one knew except the four of us in this apartment, the boys, and the manager at the bar.” He turns back to me. “You should have been safe.”

“Then why was someone there to attack us?” I throw back at him, trying to understand why he would put me in that kind of danger.

Someone in our close circle betrayed us last night. I want to know who the fuck it was. I don’t think it was my brother, but could he be hiding stuff from me? Yeah, definitely. “Do you trust Dani?” I close the gap between us. “What about Geovani? Someone told Carlo’s men where we were, so who was it?” He knows what I’m asking him, does he trust Geovani?

“Razor is on the Moretti payroll,” Geovani’s cool voice comes over us as he enters the room wearing just a pair of gray sweatpants. Jesus Christ, those things should be illegal. I stare at him, my heart fluttering. “Just got off a call with Maddox. After we left last night, Alex went on a rampage. Your friend—themanager—finally choked out in the early hours of this morning who was buying his loyalty.”

“Fuck. So much for neutral territories,” Marco mutters. “Enzo has control of this whole damn city.”

A shiver runs down my spine. If he’s worried, I know it’s bad. “Where are the boys now?” I ask, my voice shaky, wondering what upheaval Alessandro caused.

Geovani narrows the distance between us. “Staying at the Pink Flamingo apparently.” He fixes his gaze on me, and I start to question what I might have done to provoke such a reaction, given the unpleasant expression in his green eyes. “It seems Alex doesn’t trust the safe house anymore.” In one quick move, he reaches out and snatches me up to my feet by the wrist. I’m forced to stare right into his unsympathetic eyes. My heart races like crazy and not in a good way. “What did you do, Red?” He stares me down and I feel the color drain from my face under his scrutiny. “Did someone slip up and say a little too much last night?”

“For fuck’s sake, Lana,” Marco spits angrily, striding from the room in a huff. It seems I’ve pissed him off as well. I’m surprised he knew about Geovani’s stalking. But he didn’t seem that bothered when I tried to bring it up, so I shouldn’t be.

My lower lip quivers. Get your head together, Harley, you’re not scared of this man, even if he looks mighty threatening right now, with his arms bulging as he holds me. “What did you expect me to do? They were going to take me back to the safe house after we escaped from the madman at the bar. I wasn’t going back there so Enzo could find me, how stupid do I look,” I spit back, giving him the same fire he gave me. Fuck him.

He shakes his head in disappointment, making me feel like a five-year-old about to be sent to my room. Right now, I would welcome the space from him. This kind of intensity is too much. His hands move from my wrists to my arms, lifting me so my feetdangle off the ground, showing just how much power he has over me. “I told you Enzo gets censored videos now, he’s not getting a live feed of anything of value.” His face contorts with anger as he growls, his words dripping with fury.

The tightness of his grip sends waves of pain throughout my body, making it hard to breathe. “Pfft, like I was taking that chance. You don’t know that he hasn’t found another way,” I throw back at him, trying anything I can to get out of the madness I’ve landed myself in.

“And you don’t fucking know that he’s not spying on them at the club.” His grip on me tightens, his fingers digging into my skin. My stomach sinks as I stare back at him, the memory of what I did with Alessandro and Ricky in their office last night weighing heavily on me. “You know what I would do to anyone else in my organization who betrayed me the way you did last night?”

The overwhelming fury in his voice sends my heart into a frenzy, as if it’s on the verge of giving out. I thought I had seen him furious before, but that was nothing compared to the deathly look in his eyes right now. But I didn’t betray him, not really. “I thought I was doing the right thing,” I whisper, not sure what else to say.

“Those boys are your weakness, Red. They will get you killed,” he spits angrily before letting me fall to the concrete floor below, discarding me like I’m a piece of trash. Asshole.

My body aches with fresh bruises bleeding to the surface of my skin. I glare back up at him, my heart beating out of my chest. I feel so out of control. This hellhole is no better than being stuck with the boys. Both spaces are utterly suffocating, ruled by cruel leaders who believe they can manipulate and control me through their constant threats and stringent regulations.

His ragged breath and hardened expression meet my gaze. It seems as though he is struggling to determine how to handle thehelpless inconvenience in front of him. That’s all I am, a thorn in his side. I half expect him to pull a gun from behind his back and put me out of my misery. But he doesn’t, he just glares at me, his nostrils flaring.

“What would you do to them?” I finally ask. I need him to show me who he really is.

“They’d already be dead,” he spits out.

And I knew that’s what he was going to say, but something inside of me needed to hear it. Needed proof that he is the ruthless motherfucker I already knew he was. Now that I have it, I can stop painting him as some fucking hero that he’s clearly not. “Who’s Bianca?” I hiss back, my emotions getting the better of me.

He slides his hand down his face. “I’m not having this conversation with you this morning, Red,” he snaps before striding off toward the gym, leaving me alone in a crumpled mess of limbs on the cold floor.

Eventually I pull my knees up into my chest, hugging myself as I stare out the picture window, looking down at the casino below with Maddox’s necklace tightly gripped in my hand, wanting to call for help. I need to escape this apartment. The walls are starting to feel like they’re closing in on me. But landing right back in the arms of the boys isn’t going to help me.

My gaze remains fixed on the ground in front of me, taking in every crack and pebble. I won’t cry over this asshole anymore. He showed me who he is. This is a good thing. Now I harden the fuck up, just like the rest of them, and work on a way out. I have more money than a small country, I should be able to get myself out of this fucked-up mess. I just have to work out how. Bringing Enzo down is at the top of my list.

Chapter 18

“Hey, girl, look whatarrived already.” I quickly glance over my shoulder and see Dani strutting confidently into my room, pushing a clothing rack filled with clothes and shoes. “There’s a shit ton more of these out in the hall as well. You’re going to be all dolled up and feeling like a queen in no time.” She claps her hands together, ready to work on her latest project.Me.

I stare at the reflection I see in the mirror, trying to get my breathing under control, hanging onto the side of the vanity for support. But it’s no use, I feel like I’m having a panic attack, drowning in the fear that’s consuming me. I couldn’t care less if some fancy new clothes have arrived. I didn’t want them in the first place. All I want is my old life back, where I can be the naïve, carefree college kid I’m supposed to be at this age. I don’t want to know the truth about this world. Or be a gazillionaire. I just want to be free.

She reaches my shoulder. “You okay, baby?” she asks softly, giving it a squeeze.

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