Page 37 of Dangerous Games of Trust

“I bet she does. Keep going.”

She types away again. “There is no sign of her ever checking into any rehab centers or hospitals with anything drug related at all. Normally, if a person has substance abuse problems, there would be some medical history before they suffer a fatal overdose. Hmm,” she mutters, staring at her screen more closely. “This might take a while. Leave it with me and I’ll let you know what I find.”

I glance over to Geovani’s desk and see he’s watching us. Of course he fucking is. “Thanks.” I offer her a half smile, taking my chair back to my desk. Hoping she really will come through with the goods. I just know there is more to her story.

After a couple of hours, an email notification pops up on my screen, and I check it, hoping it’s from Dani. She’s been furiouslystaring at her screen since I left her to it, but when I open it, it’s from Geovani. Details for me to make up an invitation for an event he has this weekend. I print out the attachment so I can work on the invite this afternoon. But, as I glance over the details, I find myself inhaling sharply. It’s for an underground fight at the old theatre we met Elisa and Catherine at. Geovani and some dude I’ve never heard of before,The Beast.

He has another fight! Why does that make my heart flutter and my stomach sink at the same time. I shouldn’t care at all. What does it matter to me if he gets handed his ass in some stupid fight. But deep down, I know it does. These fights have few rules, and the last one I witnessed ended in spectators being shot and killed because of the Morettis. I care, even if I don’t want to.

With way too much adrenaline still pumping through my veins, I stand in a rush and stride over to his desk. “You can’t be serious about this.” I slap the scrap of paper on his desk.

He glances up at me, brow raised casually. He’s cooled down since this morning, back to his normal self. Well, good for him. I haven’t. “Deadly.” He grins, all teeth, his arrogance pissing me off even more.

“Oh, and it’s me who’s going to get us all killed,” I snip with a roll of my eyes. “This is the most stupid idea ever. And for what, so you can prove what a big man you are? Fuck that. Right now, we have no idea where your pa is, but we know he wants us dead. And Enzo is also clearly after us, if last night is anything to go by. Why not give them a fucking location to find us at? And better yet, make it a crumbling building so we can all be buried in rubble when it falls to the floor after they attack.” I know I’m being dramatic and this all probably sounds ridiculous to him, but I need him to see what a hypocrite he is.

He rolls his chair back and stands in a rush, getting up in my space. “Are you finished?”

I glare back at him, hands on my hips as I tilt my head up to meet his steely gaze. “No. You are unbelievable…”

“I can’t just pull out of a fight because Carlo has gone haywire and the Morettis are throwing a tantrum because they didn’t get their way. This fight is important.” He cuts me off, his temper rising back to boiling point. “Dani, Marco, now would be a good time to leave,” he instructs the others, and they promptly vacate the office space. Dani’s eyes meet mine for just a second as if to say,girl, you’re in trouble now.

I shake my head. It pisses me off how he snaps his fingers, and they just do what he says.

When they’re safely out of the room, his eyes lock with mine again. “Precautions have been taken to make sure the location is secure; we also have a massive security team who will be manning the place. There is no way either Enzo or Carlo will be able to infiltrate the theatre. I take my job extremely seriously, and I don’t take risks with my safety or yours.”

“What was last night then? We thought that was a brilliant idea until it wasn’t.”

A growl escapes him, and I take a step back, wobbling a little on my new heels. “I took that risk for you! Because you asked me to in the hope the boys might be able to lead us to Carlo. You never did tell me if you got Alex to agree to helping us.”

“He agreed to let me take back control over all Havardi operations, so long as when the time comes, our people will turn on Enzo and help him rise to the top.”

“Sounds like him. Hope you got everything you needed from the boys last night because you won’t be seeing them again any time soon.”

Adrenaline and anger course through me. How dare he dictate who I see. “Ha. Oh, I get it. That’s what this morning was all about. You’re pissed about me reconnecting with them.”

His glare intensifies. “That’s what we’re calling it?”

“You want to go there?” I smirk cruelly, enjoying this way more than I should with a man I know is so deadly. “You’re jealous that your cousins took turns fucking me, Geovani? Does it get you all worked up that Alex’s cock was buried so damn deep inside of me I can still feel where he was this morning?” I ask smugly. I can see he’s about to lose his temper, but I can’t stop myself. He tipped me over the edge and I’m bringing him flying down with me. “Is that why you treated me like shit this morning when we’re supposed to be in this together? Well, I’m glad! Now I know your true colors. Be fucking jealous all you want. Hope you’ve got all those creepy videos of me recorded somewhere safe to keep you company late at night, because it’s all you’re going to have of me from now on.” I turn to stride away from him. I’ve said my piece, and now I’m sick of looking at him.

He lashes out and grabs me by the arm, spinning me back to face him so fast it makes my head spin. He stares me down, his breathing ragged like an animal about to strike. “You don’t get to block me out,” he snaps, his words pure venom.

I tilt my chin, trying to act braver than I feel right now. “No, you’ve made damn well sure of that, trapping me in this apartment with you.”

“Stop being such a spoiled brat, Harley. I’m doing this all for you.” His anger vibrates through me. “You are not my prisoner.”

“You’re suffocating me. I can’t take a fucking breath without you knowing about it. You see everything I do, hear everything I say. And now you want to dictate who I see as well. I won’t go without seeing the boys, they’re important to me. This war you four have going on has nothing to do with me, and I won’t be stuck in the middle of it. I thought you were different, but you know what? You’re worse than Alessandro and my papa combined. You’re a fucking control freak, and I’m done with it.” I shove his chest, wanting to get away from him.

His jaw tightens, and I hear the grinding of his teeth. “It’s not about control…”

“Then what the fuck is it, Geo?” I bang on his chest again. “I might have been locked up behind bars with the boys, but at least I knew where I stood. This place looks like the lap of luxury, but I feel the invisible chain I’m shackled to. It’s the same old prison, just disguised in a different way. And to top it off, you’re practically stalking me! It’s too much, I can’t take it anymore!” My body shakes with all the anger and frustration I have been holding on to.

“I already lost someone I loved. I’m not losing you as well,” he snaps, his voice rough, a tremble in his hands he can’t mask.

I stare back at him in shock. “Bianca?” I whisper in question.

His head drops, and he takes a step back from me, collapsing into his office chair. He stares at the floor blankly, and I just stand here watching him, not sure what to say or do. “I wasn’t there for Bea when she needed me. I didn’t see the signs. Fuck knows I should have, after what she had been through, but I thought she was safe with me, she should be okay. Alex was right, she died because of me.” His voice is barely a whisper, but it sends a chill down my spine.

“How?” I squeak, feeling like my chest is going to combust. I never in a million years expected him to actually open up to me and show some vulnerability.

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