Page 51 of Dangerous Games of Trust

I blink back up at him, a little shocked. Is Alessandro Moretti apologizing to me?

“Things have gotten so far out of control with Enzo and Carlo. I was hyper-focused on getting revenge, making them see who was really in charge of Ravens Hollow. And I didn’t pay attention to how that intense situation would have been making you feel.”

“Are you okay?” I ask, sounding super sarcastic, but I’m in shock. When does he apologize for anything or give a shit about how I’m feeling.

For a second, he closes his eyes and leans his forehead into mine, and I start to really worry. Is he broken? “We nearly lost one of our own last night, and that’s on me. I won’t let it happen again.”

I hold him close, knowing it’s what he needs. He may not be my favorite person right now, but that doesn’t mean I want to see him hurting. “Alessandro, we’re not all your responsibility. We’re adults who make our own choices, good or bad.”

His fingers dig into my sides as he hugs me tighter. “I won’t lose someone else I care about. Not again.”

I move my hand up his body and gently cradle his face, and he kisses it. His heart is shattered and haunted. We are all tortured souls just trying to survive. “Come on, we better not keep him waiting. He’s likely to start dishing out punishments.” I take one of his hands in mine, and we walk from the room. I could havestayed in there with him all day pretending the rest of the world didn’t exist, but we both know it does.

“I don’t want to know what you mean by that.” He presses the button for the elevator, his face hardening, and we step in. His mask is firmly back in place. In my room just now, he was just a person, Alessandro, not hardened mafia boss.

“No, you don’t,” I mutter under my breath, a small tingle running through me at the memory of Geovani and his belt the other day. Alessandro would go ape-shit crazy if he knew.

Alessandro moves in behind me, his arms wrapping around my front as we take the elevator down to the lower floor. His lips drop to my ear. I glance in the mirrored door to see the two of us together. Bruised and battered from the fight last night, we both look like shadows of our former selves. “I could think of a few good punishments for you myself after what you did.” His lips twitch up at the side, and I know he’s imagining just what he would do to me right now. My insides clench at the thought. What is wrong with me?

The doors ping open, and our reflection is gone. “I’m sure you could.” I chuckle lightly, glad we can still have some playful banter between us. Maybe all isn’t lost after all.

He takes my hand before I can leave. “Princess, if you ever scare me like that again, I will kill you myself.” His words send a cold shiver over my body because I hear the truth in them. It’s not a threat, it’s a promise.

My hand moves to his solid chest, our eyes meeting. “I scared myself. I can promise you now, I will never run from you again. Thinking Maddox could die because of me…” I shake my head, trying to remove the memory of the horror I felt last night. “I will never…” The words get caught in my throat. “You all mean too much to me.”

His eyes hold mine, and I know that’s what he needed to hear. We don’t really do the mushy stuff, but I need him to know I’mnot that stupid. “I promise you, if you come to me again scared, I will hear you and make sure you feel safe. You’re mine to protect in every way.”

Now it’s my turn to smile. “Thank you. But just so we’re clear, I’m not yours, boss.”

His hand moves down my side, finishing on my ass. “I think we both know you are.” He moves in to kiss my lips, claiming me with a heated kiss that makes my heart race and my toes curl. The tension between us is so twisted. He has the uncanny ability to turn me to liquid with a few flicks of his tongue. My hand twists into his shirt, and I cling to him as our kiss deepens.

When we both pull back, I’m panting and breathless. “Let’s go deal with the consequences of you signing some contract before discussing it with me first.” His bossy tone is back, and the lust I was just feeling for him is gone in an instant. Evaporated into thin air.

I roll my eyes. His kindness lasted all of five seconds. He snakes an arm around my shoulders as we enter the living room and kitchen. Goosebumps rise over my skin, unease filling me, when I glance toward the patio area where the wall blew up and that man tried to grab me. The trauma is still way too fresh in my mind.

“It’s all fixed. Like nothing happened,” Alessandro says quietly, sensing my discomfort of walking into the room where it all happened last time we were here. The glass door is in one piece, and the marble has been scrubbed clean of any evidence that the blown-out brains of that dude would have left. It’s back to normal.

Geovani stands in the spacious kitchen. His piercing gaze fixes on us, his strong arms folded tightly over his chest. The faint aroma of freshly brewed coffee lingers in the air. His face is covered in dark, painful bruises, with one eye nearly swollenshut. I will never understand why he enjoys fighting when the result looks so fucking painful.

I’m at a loss for what to say to him. It feels like so much has changed since yesterday before his fight, when the two of us last shared a kiss and a moment alone. Part of me wants to check in with him, see if he’s okay after what he and Alessandro did to his pa, but I can already see today isn’t going to be that day.

I distance myself from Alessandro, feeling awkward and not wanting this to turn into a pissing match between them. Instead, I head for the glass sliding door and stare out at my old favorite sunny spot. The lounger is in full sun and looks mighty enticing. I also can’t believe how normal the rest of the patio looks. The wall is rebuilt, and if I didn’t live through it, I wouldn’t believe that only a few weeks ago, this place had been totaled.

“Red, we need to talk,” I hear Geovani’s voice, raspy and worn out, which comes as no surprise given my knowledge of him. He rarely gets enough sleep, and last night would have been no exception. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out he hadn’t slept at all yet. How could he, knowing he killed his pa.

I let out a weary sigh, bracing myself for the inevitable confrontation. Slowly I turn back toward them. Alessandro has made himself useful and poured me a coffee and a plate of food, with some fresh berries, yoghurt, and muesli. It looks delicious. I take a seat at the kitchen island where he’s left it for me.

The kitchen is filled with an eerie silence as both men watch me, their presence palpable. “What, you guys are freaking me out,” I say, popping a blueberry in my mouth, trying to act normal even though I don’t feel it. Having them in the same room is scary. There is too much testosterone or power or something. I’m not sure how to handle it.

Alessandro leans into the opposite counter. “Geovani and I have come to an arrangement that works for us both,” he finally says.

The sound of Geovani cracking his neck echoes loudly in the kitchen. “I’m moving my operations in here, including Dani and Marco, until we sort this trouble out,” he adds, and my eyes go wide in surprise.

Maybe Ricky was on to something last night. “We’re all going to play happy family. Okay?” I agree, but I still don’t really believe it.

“Harley, take this seriously!” they both snap at the same time, then glare at each other.

I cover my mouth, trying to stop myself from laughing out loud, but this is the funniest thing I have seen in a long time. I always knew they were similar, but now they know it. Now they’re both giving me a fierce look, arms tightly crossed. “Nope, if you could see what I do right now…” I burst out laughing, seeing the hilarious side here. “You would be laughing as well.” I’m not sure if I’m delusional from lack of sleep or what the fuck is going on. Every time I try to stop giggling like a schoolgirl, I start again. And the funnier I think it is, the angrier they get with me.

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