Page 40 of His Vicious Desire

Her eyes run over me distrustfully.

I take out my money clip, peel off two hundred-dollar bills, and offer them to her.

She frowns at me.

Interesting.“She won’t tell me in order to protect the fucker who hurt her.You think they deserve to be protected?”

Taking the money, she shakes her head.“She went out with a friend from school.The girl set her up—if you ask me.They leave the club and call the girl’s brother to pick them up since they both were drinking.She never explained how they ended up at his place instead of him taking them back to their dorm.Alls I know is she said, the brother tries to get into bed with your girl at his place.When she told him no, he threw her out of his apartment.She’s begging for her purse, and neither of them will give it to her.Doesn’t even have her keys.He tried to take her phone out of her hand.But Bianca bit him.”

“I take it the apartment is around here?”

She nods, pointing towards the large apartment complex I can see across the busy street.

“You got an address by any chance?”

“Not an address.She said it was a big, white, jacked-up truck, and the apartment was on the ground floor with the truck headlights visible from inside the apartment.Apparently, he went outside when they first got there and sat in the truck for a while.”

“Thanks.”

In my car, Bianca has the heat on.It’s two weeks out from Christmas in Vegas.While it might be warmer than most places during the day, the desert at night can be freezing.I keep my eyes off her.There’s enough light coming into the car, and she would see far more than I want her to.

“You want to tell me what happened?”I keep my voice low and even.

“Only if you don’t tell Sandro.”Her voice wobbles.

I shake my head.“Princess, you are many things.But worth dying over, isn’t one of them.”I lie.Death would be the easiest way out of the hell I’ve been in since I laid eyes on her.“If Sandro finds out I hid this from him, he’ll spray my guts over the desert.”

Rubbing her hands over her eyes.“It’s not a big deal.Please drop it.”

“Where’s your purse?”

The tears start all over again.“Gaetano…”

I sigh to cover the way my whole body turns to stone at hearing her say my name.That isn’t how I want her to say it—I want it low and filled with need, not fear and tears.

“All right.We forget your purse.You want to go back to the hotel or dorm?”I let the silence fill the air between us.“That’s right.You can’t go to either place because you don’t have the keys to get in.And when Sandro asks you what happened, what are you going to tell him?”

She’s shaking her head.

“So that means you’re coming home with me.And we’ll just wait until Sandro comes home tomorrow from handling the shelter for Luca.He can take you to go get your purse and keys.Because it sure as hell isn’t going to be Bobby who handles this.It’s me now or Sandro tomorrow.What’s it going to be?”

Sniffling, she nods.“Now, and you.Please don’t do anything crazy.”

“Why don’t you tell me what happened, and I’ll decide if I’m going to do anything crazy or not.”I invite.

Exactly as I knew she would, she lies—downplaying it as a misunderstanding.I find the white truck and the apartment easily.It’s Friday night in Vegas, so even though it’s almost one in the morning, there are still lights on in several apartments.Not good.Depending on the people in the complex to not be nosy isn’t a great part of any plan.

“What’s her name?And his?”

“Destiny and Gary.”Her hand goes down to the door handles.

I shake my head.“No, you’re staying in here.Don’t get out of the car.”

Sighing, she sits back.

There’s an apartment directly across from this one, two more down the breezeway, and four more on the second floor.One good thing I’m seeing is a lack of those damn cameras everyone has.Along with no cameras in the parking lot is a good thing—for me.

I pound on the door, covering the peephole.“Open up, Gary.”

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