Page 57 of His Prize

I never thought I could find this with another woman.

And I sure as hell wasn’t giving it up now that I had.

“Can you at least give me the gist of things?” she asked.

I nodded. “We’re heading to my brother’s place. I want you to go inside, tell him you’re not going to marry him and stall for time until my signal.”

“What’s the signal?”

“Trust me. You’ll know what it is when it happens.”

She sighed. “If you say so, handsome.”

Oh, I know so. And you’re going to be terrific.

24

Bonnie

I stoodin front of Gio’s apartment door with the file folder of marriage papers clutched firmly in my grip. I stared at the door, readying my gut to knock as I saw Israel backtracking toward the elevator. I didn’t know what the hell this man was up to, but I knew he could take care of himself. I just had to stay alert. I had to wait for his signal, whatever the hell that would be.

And after my heart settled its rattling around, I raised my fist to knock.

Knock, knock, knock.

Gio’s apartment building was a bit more rundown than I figured it would be. I mean, the man wasn’t bad off with money in the first place. He worked for the Rossi family. I wasn’t quite sure what he did, but I had dug enough into him and his past to know that he was well off. So, why the nasty apartment? Why this side of town?

It almost looked like a place someone would only pay for in cash.

“Who is it?” Gio asked.

“It’s me. Can you open up?” I took one last peek down the hallway and found myself alone. So, I drew in a deep breath and steeled my resolve as the lock on the door flipped.

“Bonnie. You’re here.”

I nodded. “May I come in, Gio?”

“Of course, of course.”

The man looked like shit. His hair was a disheveled mess. His clothes needed to be ironed. I was pretty sure the red stain against his chest was red wine, but I couldn't be sure. Gio looked like a mixture of concerned, paranoid, and afraid. And it made me wonder who was right.

Was I right? Was he really this distraught about his brother?

Or, was Israel right? Was he just this good at putting on a front?

“Are you all right?” I asked.

Gio closed the door. “I mean, I’m probably as all right as you are right now.”

“From the looks of your clothes, I’m doing a bit better.”

He chuckled. “Yeah, well. Never been one to dress up unless it's necessary.”

“Obviously.”

He turned to face me. “Let me guess. You’ve come here to tell me that you can’t marry me.”

“Actually, I don’t know.”

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