Page 17 of Game of Love
The girl…
Jia Marchesi…
Like Ethan said, she wasn’t involved and I didn’t need to involve her, so while she had the kind of face I wasn’t likely to forget I wasn’t thinking about her because I wasn’t supposed to. Out of sight out of mind.
“She’s twenty six,” I replied and he gave me an incredulous glare.
“Okay, and when last I checked, that was well past the legal age.” He raised his brows. “Also, do I have to remind you of the nineteen year old.”
I rolled my eyes at him. “She told me she was twenty five.”
“And back then you were thirty two.”
“Wes. Mission to focus on right?” This was so not the time to be talking about women.
“Right.” He chuckled and motioned to the cascading steps that led up to the Marchesi. “Mission and mission’s pretty little daughter just walked into view.”
I followed his gaze and saw them.
There they were. Live and in living color before me.
Giovanni and Jia Marchesi stood outside the entrance to The Grand Marchesi.
Giovanni looked every bit the foreboding king I expected to see. Tall in height and personality just from sight with his silver streaked hair and bad ass older tough guy appearance. He reminded me of someone like Al Pacino and Sylvester Stallone rolled into one. From here I could tell he had a nasty streak though and that was just from looking at him at a distance.
Jia was petite next to him, and I cursed myself from diverting my attention from the guy I was supposed to be checking out tochecking her out.
That image Ethan had shown us didn’t do her any justice. The real live version was the kind to steal a man’s breath away. She had a body made for sin. Serious sinning. The type I shouldn’t be looking to enlist myself in.
The petite, willowy frame was eroticized by her large, fully rounded breasts I was certain she would have gotten a lot of attention for. Along with that hair that looked brighter under the lights. It was like looking at an erotic version of Tinkerbell.
They seemed to be arguing. Giovanni said something to her and a frown creased her pretty face. He walked off and she chased after him. He got into the back of a limo and drove off leaving her standing there mid-speech.
“Trouble in paradise,” Wes commented. “These rich people always think they have problems. I’ll bet she wanted a new handbag.”
I continued to stare and shook my head.
It wasn’t that.
She wiped away a tear from her cheek and then another.
Whatever it was caused her to cry and I doubted it was a handbag.
Whatever it was, was none of my concern, yet as I watched her that desperation reached out to me. Luring me to find out what was wrong.
“Xander…” Wes called me. He said my name like he’d said something else before. I didn’t hear a word.
“What?”
“You’re thinking something.”
I was… I just hadn’t brought my thoughts to the forefront of my mind.
I gazed back to her. She was still standing there on the steps. Still there looking on, watching the spot where the limo had been.
Looked like there was trouble in paradise and I was about to add to it.
Sorry beauty, your father just became a job to me. A threat. That meant I had to take what he had and eliminate him.
