Page 64 of Dangerous Games of Trust

Eventually he looks up at me, his dark eyes meeting mine with so much intensity it sends a shiver down my spine. “Your papa protected you from all of this. He made you weak. Susceptible to horrible things because you had no idea about the world he was forcing you into.”

Confusion furrows my brow. “And you wanted to make me strong?”

“I wanted you to see our reality. So you can understand what we’re up against. That man was the reason you and your brother are stuck here in limbo with us.”

I drop my gaze away from his as I remember my conversation with Alessandro that night. “That’s what Alex said.”

“Then why on god’s earth did you fucking run from us?” His voice is laced with frustration and disgust, making me feel like a silly child. But this is on him. He forced me to run.

I stand in a rush, a fresh wave of adrenaline pumping through my veins. “Because what I saw in the man I had come to adorescared me. What if I did something you didn’t agree with and that’s how you ended me? You already threatened me once,” I yell, my voice booming off the empty gym walls and echoing back on me. My hands clench into fists, ready for a fight.

He stands as well, getting the upper hand over me with his towering height and solid frame. “What I said to you that day wasn’t a threat, that’s the reality. You do something to go against my rules, you end up dead. It’s the only way I can protect the people around me I care about. I didn’t make the rules, this fucking city did. Carlo and Enzo and their papas before them.” He’s trying to defend his actions, but I’m not having a bit of it. He doesn’t have to be like his pa or Enzo, and I’m sick of hearing the same old story.

My glare intensifies, anger radiating off me so hard my body is shaking. This situation is impossible. “But now that you boys have the reins, will things be different?”

He meets my eyes, and I see the subtle tic of his neck as he cracks it. He’s a man on the verge of losing it, and I know I should stop pushing him. But I need to understand him. That sweet caring man I first met has to still be in there somewhere, it couldn’t all have been an act, could it? And even though he scared me, I also know how hard he fought for me later that night. He killed his own father to protect me. I know I mean something to him, even if I piss him off at the same time.

“Things have been done this way for hundreds of years. They’re not going to change because we’re now on top. And they shouldn’t, because it’s how we keep chaos from raining down on our streets.”

The way he looks at me makes me want to burst into tears, but I’m not giving him the satisfaction. I bite into the side of my mouth to stop myself. “Why are you so angry with me?”

His hand comes to my face, and this time I don’t flinch away. I need to feel his hands on me. His face softens a little as hestrokes my cheek with his thumb. “I’m not angry with you, Red. I’m trying to give you space so you don’t run again.”

A lump gets caught in my throat. “I’m not going to make that mistake again. I nearly lost someone I care about because of my stupidity,” I finally get out. I find his hand, lacing our fingers together. “But I can’t stand you ignoring me, pretending I don’t exist. I fucked up. I know it. And I promise you it won’t happen again. But I need you to stop playing games with me. By keeping me in the dark at the fight, you scared me more.” Our eyes are locked, and I plead with him to understand my position.

He looks me over like he’s considering my words. Then he twists me so I’m facing away from him, and he has me in an arm hold around the waist. “If you can spar with me properly without flinching away.”

I pant desperately, the fear wanting to take over. But I can’t let it. I’m stronger than this. “Sounds like more games,” I warn him, grabbing at his hands.

“I can’t stand seeing the fear in your eyes whenever I’m close to you.” His whispered words send thousands of tiny pins prickling over my skin. He’s in pain as well, he just has a fucked-up way of showing it. And something Dani said to me earlier comes back to me.He wasn’t taught how to love like you and me.He’s grappling to keep the connection he has with me the only way he knows how.

“Tell me one thing. How did you know about the safety deposit box?”

“I had cameras watching your papa’s house and a tracker on his car. I followed him down there the night he placed it all in that box. Didn’t know exactly what was in there, but I had a pretty good idea from what I could piece together.”

The cameras on my house. I remember him telling me about how he was watching me for a long time. Maybe he’s telling me the truth. Without warning, I use both hands to pull down on thetop hand that is locked around my body, focusing on prying his grip open. When it eases, I quickly turn to face him. Bending my knees, I lower my center of gravity to make it harder for him to control or lift me. With a fierce look of determination, I step one foot out to the side and use my hip to bump into him, trying to throw him off balance. It’s like trying to move a brick wall. But I go again.

“Better, Red. Remember our training,” he coaches, loosening his grip so he can show me how he wants me to escape from the hold. “And what have I told you, if all else fails…”

“Use my knife and go for the jugular,” I recite his past instructions.

I practice it again and this time have more success. We spend the next hour running through similar techniques. And just like that, things are back to normal with us. Well, as normal as they’re ever going to be.

Chapter 33

As I walk bythe buffet, I can’t help but notice the distinct smell of deep-fried seafood in the air. Glancing over my shoulder, I hastily trail behind the boys, Geovani, Maddox, Alessandro, and Ricky, my heart pounding in my chest. The bright lights of the slot machines flicker as we move through rows of them. Every step I take feels heavy, as if the weight of my unease is pulling me down. Since meeting them, my senses have become hyperaware, attuned to any potential danger lurking in the darkness. It’s Saturday night, just past eleven, and something feels off, leaving my body perpetually on edge, unable to find its equilibrium.

“That’s him,” I hear a guy standing by the bar mutter to his friend. I watch him a moment too long, and his eyes light up. I take Ricky’s hand, needing something to stop the anxious feeling I have inside. He gives me an easy smile.

The boys are all so comfortable here, walking round like they own the place. Because they do. It practically raised them. Whereas I feel like I stick out like a sore thumb. No glittery dressand designer heels can make me feel any different. And I’m sure every person in this place knows it to be true.

As the slot machines transform into card tables, the atmosphere of the casino shifts along with the clientele. In this part of the casino, the air is filled with the rustle of fine fabrics and the clink of high heels on marble floors. As the game progresses, the tension in the air becomes palpable, with each move carrying more weight. A woman in a sleek, black gown cheekily giggles as she gives a pair of red dice a playful kiss before handing them back to a distinguished man in a business suit. It all looks so fun. Until you realize people literally lose their livelihoods in places like this every day.

We round the corner away from the crowds and head down a long corridor. “Stop fidgeting, you look beautiful,” Ricky chastises me.

I release the lock of curls that I had been twirling between my fingertips. “Remind me again why we had to come to Sinners’ Paradise tonight?”

“Business. It’s important for Alex to show his face so people know he’s really in charge now. It’s also good for them all to see him and Geovani together, shows a united front.”

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