Twisted Games of Revenge (Sinners of Ravens Hollow #3)

Chapter 20

“Can’t you stay a little longer?” Geovani groans sleepily as I slip back into my clothes from the day before.

I glance over my shoulder at him. It’s not like him to sound so needy, but I guess when I was staying with him I was trapped there, so he knew where I was all the time. “Sorry, I have a thing.”

He captures my hand and pulls me back to him, my body slamming up against his bare chest. “A thing with Sloane?”

I sigh heavily, not wanting to go, my body already on high alert knowing what I need to achieve today. What if her stuck-up friends don’t want to talk to me, then we’re back to square one. “I have high tea with Valentina Moretti. And you have training to do with Maddox.”

He runs his hand through his short hair, looking at me like I have lost my mind. Then he rolls on top of me, so I’m pinned underneath him. He’s glaring down at me, and I know I have a fight on my hands if I want to leave this room alone today.

“Vivian is her latest project. She wants me to meet her friends,” I try to explain.

“I don’t want you to go anywhere near that woman, she’s just as dangerous as her husband.”

I shove him, trying to get him off me. “We have been over this, Geo, I have measures in place to keep me safe. The Strykers will be able to hear everything through a cuff earpiece I’m wearing, and the boys have a tracker on me so they know where I am at all times. I’m safe.”

He caresses my face, his fingers tracing the line over my jaw so tenderly it throws me off kilter. I was expecting him to fight me. “It’s not enough. What if something happens and no one can get to you fast enough.”

“Then it’s lucky you taught me how to protect myself so well.” I roll out of his grip, and he lets me. He’s still not his normal self, and something in that scares me. “Come on, you need breakfast,” I tell him with a smile and an outstretched hand.

Reluctantly he takes it and lets me pull him out of bed. I watch as he throws on a pair of sweatpants. Nearly drooling at the sight of his bare chest, I know I will never get used to how fucking hot he is. When he pulls a T-shirt over his head, I move over to the vanity to fix my wig back in place.

He comes to stand behind me, watching me in the mirror. “You’re really going to keep this up?” He flicks the wig.

“Until we have dealt with Enzo, yeah.”

Something washes over him, and I turn back to him, worried.

He pulls me toward him and hugs me close. “Don’t get hurt, Red. I need you,” he whispers into my hair before placing a delicate kiss to the top of my head. I hold him close, enjoying the warmth of his body. I really have missed him.

“Thank you for supporting me. Part of me thought I might wake up chained to your bedpost or something.” I laugh, trying to lighten the heavy mood between us this morning.

“I did consider locking you up,” he says more seriously, and I know he’s not joking. “But I can see this is what you need. You’re determined, and I know I would be the same. Enzo Moretti deserves everything he gets, and I will happily help you put a bullet in his head.”

I pop up on my toes and kiss his lips, glad we’re past the controlling shit and he finally trusts me to take care of myself. Well, kind of, because he’s at least letting me leave the boys’ place without him this morning.

“Don’t forget that when you’re done with all this, there is still the matter of your papa’s businesses for you to run.”

I sigh heavily, preferring to block it from my mind right now. “Marco can take care of them; they should have been left to him in the first place, he’s the first-born son. Isn’t that how it’s supposed to work?”

“But they weren’t. Your papa wanted you in charge for a reason, Red.”

My head drops, sadness washing over me when I think of the predicament my papa was in when he signed them over to me. “Only because he thought he had to.”

“Do you really believe that? We both know you’re more than capable of running them.”

I place a hand to his chest, not wanting to discuss this anymore. I can’t think about what my papa wanted right now. “Geo, stop. I trust Marco to take care of it all.”

He nods once, even though I know he doesn’t agree with me. He wants me back in his office working alongside him where he knows I will be safe.

“Just so you know, though, Marco can’t know I’m around. If he or Dani finds out, it just makes this more complicated. For now just you boys, okay?”

“Okay,” he agrees, wrapping his arm around me, as we walk toward the kitchen, the smell of bacon and eggs wafting through the air.

Ricky is sitting at the kitchen island chatting with the boys’ new chef while he eats a bacon-and-egg roll. He’s just in sweatpants, and based on the amount of perspiration coating his sculptured abdomen, I’m going to assume he’s fresh out of the gym.

The chef smiles at us warmly. What was his name again? I return his smile, feeling a little awkward.

Ricky glances over his shoulder and grins cheekily when he sees me approaching. “We could have used your expertise this morning. Last time we let you sleep in,” he says to Geovani, with a lightness to his voice that implies he’s trying to get along with him for me and somehow make all this work. I was surprised when the boys said Geovani would be training Maddox for the fight he has coming up, but it makes a lot of sense if Maddox really wants to make a go of this career. He is the best trainer around.

“Back to work tomorrow,” Geovani agrees. “If Maddox has time this afternoon, there are a few things I would like to discuss with him.”

“I can make that work,” comes Maddox’s voice from the doorway. “Where the fuck have you been?”

“Maddox,” I chastise him for being an asshole.

He strolls into the kitchen and picks up one of the rolls, leaning into the counter as he bites into it.

Ricky slides two more plates our way. “I had Antonio make you guys breakfast as well.

“Thanks.” I smile at our new chef.

“Thought you might need it after locking yourselves away for the better part of sixteen hours.” Ricky’s attention comes to me, but he’s not pissed about it. He looks hungry, for more than just his breakfast. Jesus, was he listening outside the door?

“Who was counting.” I smirk at him, teasing just a little. Shrugging out of Geovani’s grip, I take the stool at his side, biting into the scrumptious brioche roll.

Geovani joins us, eating his food in silence. The last twenty-four hours have been a lot to take in. I’m sure he’s still trying to wrap his head around everything. I offer him a half smile, really hoping I can trust him to keep my little secret. I know how close he is to Dani and my brother, but I hope he can see it’s better this way. If it was up to me, none of them would know what I was up to. But I can’t say I regret the last few days. The sickness that’s been sitting at the pit of my stomach has settled, and even though I know what we have planned is going to be difficult to pull off, I do think us doing it together will be better than me going alone.

“Antonio can you give us a minute,” Ricky asks their chef.

He offers a nod and takes out a smoke heading out onto the patio.

“Are you ready for today? You know what you have to do?” Ricky checks in, snapping me from my thoughts.

“Get to know Valentina’s inner circle.” I see the sparkling ring on my finger and remember what I really have to do and cringe. “And make sure they all know how smitten Alex is with me.”

“You lot are really happy to send her off to the wolves,” Geovani growls out, making sure everyone is clear on how he really feels.

I look back at him, loving that he cares so much but hating it at the same time. It’s like he knows he has to let me go to get the revenge I need, but he can’t quite work out how to let me out of his sight long enough for me to do it. “Geo, we have been over this, I will be fine. What’s the worst that can happen at high tea?” I laugh, but the serious expressions on all their faces stop me.

“Alex will drop her off and collect her when the event finishes,” Maddox tells him.

My eyes flick back to him. This is not what we talked about. “What? I have my own car; I don’t need you lot driving me around.”

Maddox moves across the kitchen and comes to stand on the other side of the kitchen island, crossing one arm over the other as his eyes meet mine. “If you want to leave this house, you won’t be doing it without one of us at your side.”

I stand in a rush, ready to fight them on this. “I don’t need you lot babysitting me.”

Ricky takes my hand, his eyes meeting mine as he strokes it softly, trying to calm me down. “We know you’re more than capable of taking care of yourself. But what we’re about to do is extremely dangerous, and it would make us feel more comfortable if you weren’t alone if you don’t have to be. Don’t take it personally, even Sloane has a bodyguard, and she’s badass.”

“You guys don’t understand what it’s like to be a girl,” I say, knowing I won’t be able to change their minds, but it just sucks.

“Don’t look at it like we’re being overprotective so much as you’re playing a part and you need to look like my fiancée, and my parents both know how protective I am of what’s mine.” Alessandro strides into the room, already dress in a sharp suit. “They wouldn’t buy it if we didn’t make it look legit,” he adds, kissing my forehead.

“Fake yours!” I add with a sly smile, still not ready to admit to anything.

“Whatever you need to tell yourself to keep this up is okay with me, sweetheart.”

“Keep telling yourself that, boss.” I shove him in the chest as he advances on me.

Behind me I feel Geovani stand as well, anger radiating off him.

Alessandro looks over me at him. “Good to have you back, cousin. Now we can finish what we started.”

I expect Geovani to start throwing punches, but instead, he kisses my lips. “Be safe today, Red,” he says with more of a kick in his step than he had yesterday, before walking back toward his room like a man on a mission. I narrow my eyes, watching him, wondering what he’s up to?