Page 59 of Dangerous Games of Trust

The way she says it makes me feel ill. Is she doubting how much we can trust Geovani? She couldn’t be, she adores him. But there is a question in their eyes that tells me they’re not so sure about anything anymore. And I don’t like it.

“The person I met with had been questioning our papa in the weeks leading up to Enzo ordering us boys to take care of him. He said he was ready to turn on Enzo and give him everything he knew.”

“Then Enzo comes to you, telling you some elaborate story about how our papa betrayed him and sided with Carlo. He was manipulating you the entire time and you believed him.”

Dani shakes her head. “Everyone believes him, it’s his word or you’re fucking dead.”

“Lana, I talked to our family lawyer about that contract he supposedly had drawn up, handing you over to Carlo. Papa never met with him. It was a fake. From what I can see, our papa never had anything to do with Carlo D’Amico at all, he didn’t promise him anything. He was scared Enzo would come for him and find what he had been working on with the casino, our legacy, and that’s when he transferred it all to you. And hid the evidence in that safety deposit box. He knew his days were numbered.”

“Why didn’t he come to us for help?”

“Maybe he thought it was too dangerous, better to keep us in the dark than give us information that could get us killed alongside him.”

My heart aches. My life seems so back to front and upside down. Everything I knew to be true is a lie. All orchestrated by fucking Enzo.

“Enzo faked that whole thing, figured if Carlo had you, you would be out of his way and no threat. My guess was when Alex came to him with his plan on how to deal with our papa the traitor, he included you as a part of the deal. Alex has been obsessed with you for years, and the only thing keeping you from him was our papa. And Enzo would have known it was a bad idea to have the daughter of his first spy anywhere near his family. I think that’s why he sent me away. Keep me close, still working for the family, but far enough away that I couldn’t figure any of this out until it was too late. And when you escaped that night, Enzo couldn’t have been happier, because you were out of his way as well. He didn’t count on Alex’s obsession being so strong he didn’t give up on searching for you, even when you were thought dead.”

I stare at my brother, letting his words rattle around in my head. It all makes so much sense. For the first time in nearly a year, everything makes sense. Except for one component. One that worries me. “How did Geovani know about the safety deposit box?”

Dani answers for him. “Carlo would have been in with Enzo right from the beginning with a promise of information if he got hold of you. It would have been over drug territories.”

“Yeah, but how did Carlo and Geovani know about the safety deposit box in the first place. Enzo didn’t know anything about it.”

Dani looks me over, nibbling her bottom lip, and I can see she’s wracking her brain, fear creeping in just like it is with me. Can we not trust Geovani? What’s his game here?

A knock comes at the door, and I jump, my nerves on edge. Alessandro opens the door and raises a brow toward me. “We ready to go?”

I cast a quick glance back to my brother and Dani, and they give me a nod. Deal with one problem at a time. Tonight, we get our people to side with Alessandro, tomorrow I will deal with Geovani.

Chapter 30

Whispers amongst our menare that Enzo is going crazy. They’re calling him the mad king. And the decision to support Alessandro was unanimous. Today the house has been abuzz with energy, with Marco and Dani moving in and the excitement of waiting for Enzo to concede.

I collect the black slip dress Alessandro hung on the back of my door yesterday and look it over. Nope. He doesn’t get to dictate what I wear, we’ve already had this fight. I go hang it back in the walk-in and flick through the selection of cocktail dresses all lined up. Dani brought over the clothes we picked out, and a flash of red catches my eye. It’s a showstopper. A red more vibrant than my hair in a velvety fabric that hugs my curves and shows a little cleavage. This is the one. I slip it on and fix my make-up so my lips match the dress.

I hurry into the elevator, seeing that all the other rooms already have their doors closed. I’m running a little late after spending way too long on my computer trying to find anything I possibly can about Enzo and his connection to my ma. I need tounderstand why she was working with him. Why would she put our family at risk like that?

When Alessandro said everyone would be expected at dinner at eight, I didn’t think he meant all of Ravens Hollow would also be joining us. I was imagining just the boys, my brother, Dani, and me. But when I step out of the elevator, dance music travels through the lower floor of the boys’ house, its beat mingling with the chatter of conversations from more than just the seven of us. The scent of something delicious fills my nostrils, moving me forward even though my better judgement tells me to retreat straight back to my room. I might be in a fancy dress, but I’m not prepared for a proper party. I didn’t even bother putting on shoes tonight, assuming I would just eat dinner then escape back to my room to do more research on my ma.

One of the security guards I’ve come to know greets me at the end of the hallway. He opens the barrier and gives a subtle nod as I pass him. “Um hi, what on earth is going on here?” I ask him. I feel like I just walked into the Flamingo Hotel with a roped-off zone and all.

“Enjoy your night, Miss Havardi,” he says with a nod, not answering my question. I will never get used to having heavies around us all the time who are seen but not heard; it feels so unnatural.

The lighting through the main living room and kitchen is set to low, and I search the sea of faces mingling around for someone I know, feeling awkward. Who are these people?

Out of nowhere, Dani comes barreling toward me, her arms wrapping around my shoulders like she’s about to tackle me to the floor. “Hey, girl,” she squeals with excitement. Her pretty eyes sparkle with mischief, and I would say that glass of champagne in her hand isn’t her first of the night.

“What the fuck is going on?” I call loud enough for her to hear me over the music.

“Haven’t you heard? I thought one of the boys would have filled you in by now. Enzo’s stepped down. Alessandro is officially boss!” She motions in the direction of the living room, and I find his eyes across the busy room.

Alessandro was watching me walk in, I should have known. And he tilts his head in question, a smug smile playing on his lips as he downs the amber-colored liquid in his tumbler. But I’m not sure what he’s asking me. Am I impressed that he knew Enzo better than I did, maybe? Or maybe he’s inviting me to come and join him and celebrate. He already has a girl resting her ass on the arm of the chair he’s sitting in. As she observes our interaction, she leans in closer to his ear, whispering something. A loud, infectious chuckle escapes from him, filling the air with laughter, drawing some other skank over from across the room. She’s in a hot pink mini dress with legs that go on for days. Irritation crawls under my skin. His eyes haven’t left mine, but I sure don’t want to keep watching him shamelessly flirt with these girls. He’s the big boss man now, just like he always wanted to be. Guess things did work out for one of us. And now he can have the life he wants.

I turn away from him, not wanting to deal with his cocky attitude or the skanks. “Where can I get some food?” I ask Dani. That’s all I’m here for. I have no intention of partying tonight. I have work to do if I’m going to figure this mess out. I’ll just wrap something up in a napkin then sneak back upstairs.

With a gentle grip, she clasps my hand and guides me toward the inviting aroma wafting from the kitchen. A man, dressed in a black chef’s outfit, carefully removes trays of golden, crispy balls from the hot oven. That must be what I could smell when I came in. “They got a chef?” I raise my brow inquisitively toward Dani.

“Sure did. He’s going to be here permanently; Maddox can’t do the cooking while he’s recovering, and I guess Alex decided with so many of us here now, it would be best to get someone in.”

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