Page 34 of His Captive
“You still have to ask if you can trust me?” she questions, looking slightly offended.
“No,” I concede, getting up from the couch.
I trust her. Probably more than I should. But Sarah is a problem. She wouldn’t be the first armchair detective to poke around, and my family would handle her if necessary, but now isn’t the time. There’s too much at stake and too many lives on the line.
I walk into my bedroom, open the safe, and remove Lea’s phone. It needs a charge, but her screen is full of messages from Sarah. I take the phone into the living room without reading them.
“Okay. Here is your phone,” I bark, handing it to Lea. “But choose your words carefully,bambina. Make it clear you are not in any danger. You’re on vacation, remember? You don’t have time for her foolishness.”
“I understand,” Lea replies, swiping her finger across the screen.
I sit down and watch, but I reach for my drink and sip it while Lea reads the text messages. I can tell by the look on her face that she’s concerned by what she reads.
“I need to call her,” Lea sighs. “She’s been alternating betweenare you okayandcall meall day. Only way I can get her to settle down is to call her.”
“That’s fine.” I nod in understanding. “I trust you, so if you want privacy, you can go to your bedroom.”
“No, that won’t be necessary.” Lea hits a button on her phone and puts it to her ear. “Hey, Sarah. No, I’m okay. Things didn’t go very well last night. I’m sorry I couldn’t call.”
Lea isn’t a liar. She looks uncomfortable telling half-truths. Or maybe she’s just getting an earful from her best friend. That’s what it sounds like, but I can’t make out everything.
“There’s no story. I asked and… there’s nothing. His wife was killed, but he didn’t have anything to do with it.” Lea pauses,glancing at me with discomfort in her eyes. “I could tell. Like you said, it’s a cold case. If the cops couldn’t figure it out, you’re just wasting your time.”
I don’t care if Sarah makes a podcast about my wife’s murder. There are no sources that will talk to her. Speculation is all she will have, and there is plenty of that to go around. Speculation won’t get the attention of my family.
“I wish I could have been more helpful, but I’m just going to enjoy my vacation and forget all about Massimo Morandi.” Lea glances at me and there’s a half-smile on her face. “I’ll call you soon and give you all the details. I promise.”
They say their goodbyes and I let out a sigh of relief. One problem solved. I wish all of them were this easy.
“All set?” I ask.
“Yeah, she’s disappointed, but she’ll be okay,” Lea sighs. “She’s been investigating your wife’s murder nonstop since I talked to her. She gets a little obsessive, but there’s no information out there for her to find, right?”
“No,” I confirm. “But I’m a little worried.”
“About what?” Lea’s eyebrow shoots up with concern.
“Well, you said you were going to forget all about me,” I chuckle. “You don’t get to do that until the end of the week.”
Lea looks down and shakes her head. “I’ll never forget you, Massimo, but I had to tell her something.”
I smile and motion to her glass. “Ready for another?”
“No,” she answered, biting her bottom lip. “I’m ready for my spanking.”
“Oh, really?” I laugh, feeling my cock twitch. “You sure about that? You don’t want to have dinner first?”
“I don’t want to wait,” she says, and I can tell she’s trying not to grin.
“Alright, then. Get up,bambina.” I motion to her, scoot to the middle of the couch, and point to a spot on the floor between my feet. “Stand right there.”
If she wants a spanking, she’ll get one.
But this isn’t punishment and we’re both going to enjoy it.
CHAPTER 15
Lea
