by C. A. Szarek
Was she going to tell him?
When?
They’d been alone together for two days. She’d had ample opportunity. They’d worked together a few days before that, to boot. Hell, he’d cornered her in the closet that first day. She could’ve told him then.
He really should be pissed as shit.
Gio was known for his hot, short-fused temper. His whole life. Where was that now?
He shrugged and buried his hands in his jeans. “I have a few questions, but I’m not sure now’s the time.”
She shook her head, making her gorgeous locks flow over her shoulders. “I can’t tell you how sorry I am, and…I’ll tell you anything you want to know.” Her expressive eyes—something he’d always loved about her—went misty, and his gut clenched.
“Don’t cry, Mads.” He darted over and put his hand at the back of her neck, bringing her closer, and urging her into an embrace.
Maddie pushed against his chest. “Just…stop it.”
“Stop what?” He didn’t release her, but he loosened his hold, gripping her upper arms lightly.
“Stop being so great. I did you wrong. For years. I didn’t tell you about your kid. Then I let you in Thursday and fucked you. I didn’t tell you then, and you came back Friday. I fucked you for two more whole days, still without telling you. Be mad at me, yell at me. Cuss at me. Push me away. Something. You’re being too nice.”
Gio smirked and thumbed her tears away. “What did I tell you about that?”
“What?”
“It’s never been fucking. This weekend sure as hell wasn’t. Every. Time.”
Maddie blinked. “You don’t regret this weekend?”
“Hell no.”
Although, everything she’d said were valid points.
I must be batshit crazy.
She stared up at him, her lips slightly parted.
“Besides, with all the other shit fucking up my life, my dad’s cancer. My sister looking guilty right beside him. The casino. The case. What the fuck? One more thing to heap on. I can take it.”
She snorted.
He cupped her face and tilted her chin up, then took her mouth. Kissed her until she went limp in his arms and clung to his chest.
Until his dick was hard, and his zipper took a bite. Gio pulled away only because he needed air. Hoped to alleviate the ache in his balls, because he wasn’t getting laid again right now. He wanted to, but they needed to talk. “Were you going to tell me about Jake, Mads?”
“Yes,” she panted.
“Then, that’s all that matters. For now.”
“Stop it,” Maddie begged. “You have a bad temper. Is this a trick? Will you be psycho later?”
Gio chuckled. “No.”
Her pretty eyes raked his face. “Why?”
“I’ve changed a lot in the last eight years. We can’t go back to change the past. I’m sad I missed a lot of his life. But I can’t focus on the hurt, at least not now. We can only go forward.”
“That’s too grown up to be what you really think.” She sagged against him.
He sighed.
She was right.
He was shocked, too, but everything he’d said was truly how he felt.
Maybe it would hit him later.
Concerning his dad, he was already rocking the fuck my life thing, so why scream and holler about the little boy who resembled him much he couldn’t deny him if he wanted?
“I can tell you one thing I regret.”
“What?” she whispered.
“Losing you.” His heart was getting a workout this morning, because it stuttered as that new bit of truth fell out. Gio should’ve told her so last night when he was in her bed, or the night before. Or hell, even Thursday, the first time he’d done doorstep duty. He’d felt it from the first kiss at the PD, really.
Now, it seemed to matter more, since they had a son.
Maddie stared. So long and hard he wanted to squirm from the way she was looking at him.
Hell, he didn’t have a clue why he hadn’t exploded.
A kid?
He’d knocked Maddie up eight years ago?
Gio had to pant to fill his lungs. His head spun. Maybe wobbled on his feet a little.
She grabbed his arm. “Oh shit. Now it really just hit you,” she whispered.
“Yes,” he confessed.
“Hate me yet?” She scrunched up her face like she was going to cry again.
He shook his head because speaking wasn’t going to happen. Still wasn’t sure why, but the expected rage wasn’t born.
I’m better than my father.
“He’s really great, and he…well, you noticed.”
“He what?” Gio croaked.
“Looks just like you.” Maddie averted her eyes.
“Yeah, I did notice. But he has your nose.”
Her eyes welled with tears and spilled, and he cupped her face and wiped them away.
His chest was still tight.
Flight, fight, or freeze was supposed to be instinct. Fight was Gio’s usual go-to.
However, as the woman who’d fled from him stared up at him silently all over again, his heart shot to his throat.
“What do you want from me, Mads?”
“I…don’t know.” More tears misted over, but the low statement was like a gut shot in a dirty fight.
“You don’t know?”
She shook her head, and he wanted to run his hands through her hair.
Gio’s emotions didn’t make sense. His mind circled it all again, as if the cycle of confusion couldn’t help but start over.
Repetition didn’t clarify it, either.
He should be angry. He should be hurt.
Why wasn’t he?
Hurt, check. But…not for the reasons he should be.
Sad, yes. He’d missed every day of his son’s life until today.
He was more crushed at the idea that Maddie might not want him.
“What did this weekend mean to you? Nothing? Because it sure as hell meant something to me.” Gio winced as the confession tacked itself onto what should’ve been a demand. It’d all come out pained whisper. Not something he wanted to show her.
“It wasn’t nothing.”
“Good.”
Silence fell and they stared at each other.
“I know something I want.” Maddie spoke finally, but the whisper was tremulous, as if she was being more brave than honest.
“What?”
“I want you to be involved in Jake’s life, but I need you to want to be there.”
“Done.”
She tried to stifle a sob, but it exploded from her mouth at the same time new tears cascaded. She covered her mouth with one hand.
Gio’s whole body stuttered and he drew her to him, rubbing her back over her silky robe. Minutes that felt like hours passed and he comforted her, trying to breathe normally as he put the whole morning under a microscope in his head.
Maddie pulled back gently and swiped at her cheeks. “Just like that?”
A flash of irritation darted up from his gut and he swallowed so he wouldn’t yell, as the negative emotion finally made itself known. “Newsflash, I would’ve been there from the start, if I’d known about him, so do me a favor and don’t sound so damn surprised.”
Maddie winced and regret replaced the frustration.
He hadn’t meant to hurt her.
“I’m so sorry,” she blurted. She clung to his chest, her arms tight around his middle. “I know you would’ve. No matter what happened between us, I know you would’ve been there for Jake. I’m so sorry.”
Gio sighed and closed his eyes. “I don’t want to make you feel like shit, Mads.”
“I already do. There’s pretty much nothing I can say or do to make up for it.”
“That’s where you’re wrong.”
She blinked. “What d’you mean?”
“I want something, too.”
“What?” Maddie squeaked.
“You w
ant me to be in Jake’s life, and I want that, absolutely. But I want to be in your life, too.”
Chapter Nineteen
Gian’s burner phone rang, wrenching his mind from its obsession about the stupid ledger that was firmly in the hands of law enforcement. He jumped, dug the device from his breast pocket, and cursed as he brought the small device to his ear. “Yeah.”
“I got you a gift.” His uncle’s gravelly voice sounded pleased.
“What’s that?”
“You’ll need a pen.”
“Gimme a second.” He opened the top drawer of his desk and tugged out sticky notes with the casino’s logo on them, along with his favorite Montblanc.
“Go to this email, but only if you’re on a secure connection.” Uncle Dino rattled off an address and the password.
“What will I find?”
The old codger chuckled in his ear. “You’ll see. And you’re welcome, nipote.”
With that, his uncle hung up.
They always tried to keep their calls short and to the point, but ghosting with no info was a bit ridiculous. Gian had never been a fan of riddles, either. He was too impatient.
He cursed as he unlocked the bottom drawer of his desk and tugged out an iPad he kept there, because it wasn’t safe to keep in the penthouse. Elise didn’t know about it, and it was encrypted, complete with its very own internet connection; one separate from the casino’s.
It only took a few touches of the screen to pull up the email Uncle Dino had directed him to.
There were two unread messages, and the ‘from address’ was listed as ‘unknown sender.’ Both emails had no subject.
Curiosity got the best of him, and he opened the first one. The text was short and sweet and didn’t have a signature, any more than the specific sender.
US Marshal running the taskforce.
Gian opened the attachments, which were a series of photographs of a fair-haired woman. One had to be a driver’s license or work ID picture, with the standard blue background and not much of a smile.
Other shots were of her in what appeared to be a conference room, and another of her crossing a populated street with a takeout coffee cup in hand.
Several depicted a badge around her neck on a chain, and a gun holstered at her hip, but she was dressed mostly in khakis and dark long-sleeved button-downs.
The woman was really pretty, probably in her early thirties, with wavy, honey-colored hair kissing her shoulders. Most of the shots had her locks bound in a ponytail, and in only a few she wore it free.
The close-up shot revealed hazel eyes, a heart-shaped face, and a full mouth that could do some damage to the right man.
The last two pictures showed her holding the hand of a small dark-haired boy. A third person stood beside them, a younger woman with blonde hair a few shades lighter than the marshal.
Was the kid hers? Who was the girl?
The shot was from a distance, so it was hard to judge age on either additional party, but if she had people she cared about, and he could identify them, it could help in the long run.
None of the images had been taken in Vegas. He recognized downtown Chicago. He’d know the city he’d grown up in from any distance. Knew those streets like the back of his hand.
So the cat chasing his mouse was from Chi-town?
Pity he’d never run into her before. Blonde was his type, after all.
Gian opened the second email. The little paperclip indicated another attachment.
When he touched the icon, a PDF opened instead of a picture. “Madison Granger, huh?” he whispered, and kept reading. “Senior Investigator, Organized Crime Drug Enforcement Department.”
The document was a complete dossier, including her residential address and ID for the two others in the photos.
The kid was her son, Jake, and the girl, her sister, Jamie.
Her address was local.
Google told him it was an apartment building off the strip, but only a ten minute drive.
“Thank you, Uncle Dino.” He grabbed his miraculously re-located cellphone and snapped a photo of the dossier and two of the photos before stowing the iPad and locking the drawer.
He probably shouldn’t do it on his regular phone, but it wasn’t like the device wasn’t password protected, and the burner phone had a shitty camera. On his iPhone, he could zoom if he wanted to reread the marshal’s stats.
His uncle had done his homework, but that info packet on Marshal Granger was definitely not from a PI, or the like. Uncle Dino had mentioned everyone had a price, and it looked like that held as truth.
Be it FBI or the Marshal’s Service, someone from the inside had provided the information, and perhaps the pictures of the woman trying to catch him laundering money.
Well, she wasn’t going to succeed, because he was too smart to get caught, and now…well, he could turn the tables on her.
Oh, the things he could do with these details.
Gian leaned back in his chair, grinning.
“Knock, knock,” Elise called from his open door. “It’s nice to see you smiling. Get good news or somethin’? I could use some about now.”
“Just thinking about you, tesoro.”
His fiancée cocked her head to one side, as if trying to decide whether or not to believe him, but her answering smile was sweet. “That’s better than worrying, I suppose.” She sauntered into his office and plopped in the single chair on the other side of his desk.
Sitting hiked her already-short black skirt mid-thigh, and his mind went to the forbidden. They hadn’t had sex in forever. Her mind had been on the investigation, and he hadn’t been able to convince her to relax enough to let him inside her.
For the first time since he’d been with her, Gian was tempted to get laid elsewhere.
He was stressed, too. Needed a release his hand couldn’t satisfy. Maybe he’d give her one more chance before he did something ‘drastic.’
It wouldn’t take much effort. He could order an escort; there were even some girls that worked The Giovanni, but something was holding him back.
Funny, his relationship with Elise Giovanni wasn’t real, despite his intention to go through with the marriage, but with past girlfriends, genuine ones, he’d never been faithful.
Sex with one woman had been a foreign concept. He’d only been with Elise since he’d been in Vegas. Nine months. One pussy.
It was a wonder he’d not grown tired of her, but she was sensual and responsive, and it kept his blood at a constant simmer. A constant want. He could barely keep his hands to himself.
“What’s up?” he asked, to distract himself from stupid ideas, along with a half-hard cock.
“Did you finish compiling the finance reports Paul’s team wanted?” She smiled again, as if to let him know her question wasn’t really a demand, but it was.
“Sure did. I was about to get them from the printer and bring them to the conference room. Are they still in there?”
“They should just be getting back from lunch. Did you eat?” Elise’s brows drew tight, her instant concern on him.
“I’m fine, baby. I was hoping you and I could grab dinner together later. Let me take you out on a date.”
She frowned. “Oh, I dunno, there’s so much to do—”
Gian leaned across his desk and grabbed her hand. “You need to get your mind off things. Let me help.”
Let me in your bed again. In your body.
He seriously needed to get laid.
Her expression softened. “You’ve already helped so much over the past few days. If I didn’t have you by my side, I wouldn’t be able to handle this stuff. Seriously.”
He forced a smile. “Happy to help. But I want to help you on a more personal level.” Gian waggled his eyebrows and was pleased when she managed a small laugh. “Let me pamper you, tesoro.”
“The past three days have been hell,” she mused. Elise let out a little sigh, but her smile widened. “I suppose I could do with some pampering.”
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He’d won. Gian told himself this was all about getting laid, but he loved that look on her face. In his direction.
Adoration.
“Well, I don’t call you my treasure for nothin’,” he teased. “You have standards to maintain. You need shined and buffed once in a while.”
His fiancée rolled her eyes, but her delectable mouth was still curved up. “Thanks, Marco, I don’t know what I’d do without you.”
“Don’t think on it. It’s not a possibility.” He kissed the back of her hand. “You’re holding up wonderfully. Running this place, and dealing with this investigation. No one can tell how stressed you are. You’re a queen, really.”
Her obvious relief sagged her shoulders and lifted her gorgeous tits with a large audible inhale. “Oh, good. I’m falling apart. I still haven’t been able to tell my dad what’s going on. I just can’t. The doctors have him stable and say no stress. This wouldn’t help at all, and he can’t do anything anyways. Dom and Sam are as pissed at Gio, as am I.”
“Have you talked to him yet?” Gian was dying to have her ask her cop brother about the ledger, but he couldn’t justify why he’d want to know something that was none of his concern. How the hell had they found it so easily when he’d searched several times and managed a whole lotta nothin’?
She’d said it had been in Big Tony’s office.
Damn, he wished he could’ve seen it just once.
Elise frowned again, and it was full of sadness. “No. Paul still thinks no contact is better for now. I don’t really know what I’d say to him anyway. Dad always worried Gio’s career choice would come between the family, and…” She shrugged. “I guess he was right. For something we’re not even guilty of. Dad would be heartbroken. Will be, when I finally break down and tell him.”
Why did Big Tony worry about having a son in law enforcement? Maybe he hadn’t forgotten his roots after all? Had he really been running a completely clean business all these years?
Gian couldn’t remark on it, of course, but it certainly gave him things to ponder. From what he’d understood, Big Tony’s falling out with his eldest son had been years ago, not long after his wife’s passing. Had it been because he was a cop?
His fiancée had never been decisive in her explanations. It was another thing he couldn’t ask for clarification on.
