Chapter 4
4
Giselle
Iwas in the middle of singing when I felt something—off.
At first, I thought it was just me. Or maybe a small rodent or animal had gotten in and was making noise.
That didn't really bother me. I’d just mention it to Carlo, and he would deal with it later. As long as it didn't spook the horses, we’d be fine.
I loved it out here. Brushing Carmen and the other horses gave me a sense of peace that nothing else ever did.
I had people I loved in my life—whom I loved right back.
But not one thing in the world gave me serenity like being around horses did.
And that was why I ignored my gut reaction to flee as soon as I heard a noise.
Everything in my body told me to run. That it wasn’t safe.
But I didn’t listen.
I kept on belting out that tune like it was my sole purpose in life.
Until he stepped in front of the gate.
Then I stopped.
Dead.
This time, I was prepared. I dropped the body brush on the ground. “What do you want?” I asked my father.
He had a smug-looking smile on his face, and it made me want to dropkick him right here in the stable.
“I work here now, Bella. Thought I told you that last time. Before one of your hot shot billionaires interrupted our little visit.”
I spoke in a calm voice. “You need to quit and get the hell out of here,” I told him in a calm voice. Which was the exact opposite of how I was feeling.
His slimy smile grew, and he stepped closer. “Oh, I’m not going anywhere, Bella. Not now,” he took another step, “not ever.”
I carefully shuffled backward. Carmen let out a loud neigh like she knew the man in here was a dirtbag. Probably because he was.
“I’ll scream if you don’t leave me alone.”
My father let out a disgusting little laugh that sent chills up my spine. “You do that, daughter of mine,” he leaned a bit and squinted his eyes, “and I’ll have to tell your billionaires exactly who you are.”
I straightened up and stared at him. “Maybe I don't care what you tell them.”
My father’s shoulders shook. “Oh, you care, Bella. I’ve seen you with them. Watched Carlo fuck you from behind the other day. Right out in the goddamn open. Jesus, girl.” His face twisted with revulsion. “Never thought you’d spread your legs for another mafioso. And not just anyone—Carlo fucking Sovrano, the new king.” He cocked his head to the side. “Or at least he will be when Marcello keels over. From the looks of it that won’t be too far off.”
If someone had thrown me into a pool filled with ice water, I wouldn’t have felt any more shocked.
Did he just say—
Yeah.
He did.
Carlo was in the mafia?
That couldn’t be.
But just in case—I wasn’t going to ask my father about what he’d just said. This was not the time to clarify my fiancé’s choice of jobs.
“What do you want from me?” I asked with absolutely no emotion in my voice at all. I didn’t want him to get even a hint of how much he’d rattled me.
He crossed his arms and smirked. “Well, the way I see it,” his eyes looked me up and down, “you’re fucking two of the deadliest mafia men in the country.”
My guts tightened and I found it hard to breathe.
“So, you’ve got a lot to give. I see they’ve put good money into you. New tits, cheekbones, and other shit rich assholes care about.”
I concentrated on breathing and didn’t think twice about discussing his assumptions. I mean, he was right. I had changed a lot of things about my body and my face when I started working for Ilona.
He didn’t need the ins and outs of all that, though. The less we spoke and interacted, the better.
“You want money,” I blurted out the obvious.
His grin doubled in size. “Good guess. You always were smart. That’s why I didn’t fucking believe it when word came out that you’d been spotted hanging around the Sovrano brothers. That was one stupid fuckin’ move, Bella. What do you think Sergio’s going to do when he finds out?”
Just the mention of Sergio’s name made me instantly want to vomit. And imagining him finding me at all made me want to instantly go into hysterics.
“How much do you want?” I asked, completely bypassing the other horrifying things he’d said. I’d deal with that later.
Right now, the bigger threat was standing right in front of me.
He shrugged again. “I don’t know,” his voice dragged out. “How about we start with a couple of mill and go from there?”
Was.
He.
Fucking.
Unhinged?
Well, yeah, he was.
This shouldn’t surprise me.
And I had to play along and not let him know exactly how scared he had me. I’d been dealing with my father’s bullshit forever. I knew how to play this.
“Oh, just a couple million dollars? Is that all?” I narrowed my eyes. “I’ll go ask Carlo to write me out a check. Or maybe I’ll break open Dani’s piggybank.”
The grin slid from his face. “You’ll do what you’ll have to do to get it.”
I shook my head and rolled my eyes. “I can’t get that kind of money from them.”
A familiar angry expression covered his face. One I remembered well. It often came with swats and slaps.
Sometimes a fist or two.
“I suggest you figure it the fuck out,” he gritted through clenched teeth. “Or the Sovrano brothers are about to get an education on exactly who they’re fucking every night.”
Keep calm.
There was no way I’d win a battle with this man right now. I had to outsmart him.
But how?
I needed to get back home so I could leave and start a new life somewhere far, far away from Carlo and Stefan. And I needed to do it as soon as possible.
“Fine. But I can only get that much money at home. It’s impossible to steal that kind of money here. I don’t know my way around.”
His frown grew deeper. “You know how to speak fucking Italian. Do you think I’m stupid? You can get me the money here. Or I’ll have a convo with your lovers.”
I took a breath before I spoke again, “I know I speak Italian. I haven’t forgotten that. What I don’t have are their account numbers here. I only have access to that information in the States. The banks here are strict. And they don’t know me like the ones back in Chicago.”
It seemed like he was mulling this over in that tiny brain of his. I crossed my fingers and hoped he’d buy it.
Because there was no way in the world I was going to steal anything from Carlo and Stefan. Or anyone else.
Not anymore.
That part of my life was over.
I made that deal with myself a long time ago, and I wasn’t going back.
Nope.
My father would just have to find someone else to terrorize and bribe.
Because his scare tactics didn’t work on me. Not now. Not since I knew it was time to get away. To leave. And never come back.
His threats didn’t matter.
Well, they did until I got back home. Once I was back in Chicago, then I could pack us up and move on to the next place. And then the next place. And so on, and so on. Until—
Well, until.
I couldn’t think that far ahead. All I needed to do was stay one step ahead of Sergio. I’d succeeded with that for a good while, now.
I knew I should have moved on before, but—
Yeah.
But.
I got sucked in.
Big time.
By people who genuinely cared for me. And loved me.
And Dani.
Being surrounded by Eve, Nick, Carlo, and Stefan—had muddled my brain and made me soft. For the first time in my life, I was around people who loved me. And I liked it. A lot.
Add in the fact they all adored my daughter—and no wonder I hadn’t left by now.
But I shouldn’t have listened to my heart when I needed to listen to my head.
If I wanted to stay alive, that is.
“And just when exactly are you and your Sovrano lovers going back to Chicago?” my father asked.
I felt relief run through me. He was buying my story. “Soon. Any day, now. Carlo said he’s got business to take care of.”
My father snorted and uncrossed his arms. “Yeah, you mean he’s got businesses to steal and people to kill.”
From the look in his eye, he didn’t appear to be lying. He believed what he’d just said. And that made me more than a little afraid.
Afraid of the men I was currently staying with.
Who I was currently in love with.
I’d think about that later.
Much, much later.
Once my father was no longer trapping me in.
Once I was far, far away from him.
And the people I loved.
His hands slipped to his hips. “You’ve got three days to talk them into leaving. And then my lips start getting loose around your boyfriends. Understand?”
Three days?
I wasn’t sure if I could accomplish that goal in such a short time. “That’s a tall ask. I’ll see what I can do but I’m not guaranteeing anything.”
He scoffed and shot me a nasty glare. “I guess you better figure it the fuck out. Maybe whisper it in their ears the next time you’re sucking them off at the same time.” After he spewed those parting words, he turned around and left me—shaking in the horse stall.
I placed both hands on Carmen. Then I laid my head on her warm, wiry hair. Her breathing and soft noises calmed my erratically beating heart and my racing mind.
I was going to miss her when I was gone.