Chapter 13
Elisa landed in Iceland this afternoon. Dani sorted out all the arrangements for her and Catherine, and they will stay there until it’s safe to come home. I breathed a sigh of relief as soon as I knew she and her friend were out of danger.
Geovani spent the day tirelessly pacing back and forth, wearing a hole in the carpet of the office taking phone call after phone call. Despite his relentless efforts, he has yet to track his pa down. We can see him entering Elisa’s apartment on her CCTV footage, and then he just vanishes into the night.
Frustration hung in the air, mingling with the scent of stale coffee. Dani did her best to help Geovani, but he’s like a ticking time bomb, so I stayed away, instead scrolling through whatever footage Dani handed me to try and locate him. I’m amazed by how effortlessly they access various surveillance footage from all over the city.
Geovani cut off all his pa’s accounts days ago and has taken over all his operations; the men who used to call him boss now all directly work for Geovani. And still we haven’t been able to track him down. Someone is hiding him, and we’re all convinced it’s Enzo. It’s why I think we need to talk to the boys. As much as Geovani doesn’t like it, they could help us. Who knows Enzo better than anyone? His sons.
With a promise that he needs to put as much trust in me as I have in him, he succumbed to my nagging and let Marco set up a meeting with them for tonight. Regardless of his shitty mood, we couldn’t wait any longer to meet with the boys. We need to know what Enzo has been keeping from us. After Geovani reluctantly agreed, Marco secured a meeting spot on neutral ground—a dingy dive bar on the outskirts of Ravens Hollow called The Precinct.
I step out of Geovani’s car, uneasiness washing over me. I’m nervous about being out of the apartment, but more than anything, I’m anxious about seeing them again. I know we’re not safe here, but this is important, and he wouldn’t permit Alessandro to come to the apartment under any circumstances, so what other choice did we have? The same two guards who accompanied us last night to meet with Elisa have resurfaced and step in line with us, one walking in front and the other behind, watching our every move with an unsettling intensity. Geovani trusts them with his life, so I have to as well.
The dimly lit bar has a moody atmosphere, with traces of its former life as a police station still lingering. The blend of gritty history and modern decor give the place an unsettling charm. Its patrons don’t help, as it’s mostly bikers in their emblemed jackets that read Iron Strykers .
I stay close to Geovani, and he wraps an arm around my shoulders protectively. “Why would Marco think this place is safe?” I mutter under my breath.
“The Precinct is run by Jagger Stryker, the leader of the Iron Strykers. If we cause trouble here, none of us will make it out of the place alive. The boys will have to behave. They also hate my pa and will shoot first and ask questions later if he shows his head anywhere near the place.”
“That seems like a really bad choice. None of you know how to behave.” I roll my eyes just to piss him off. I’m serious, how do I keep them from killing each other, let alone causing trouble that could get us killed by the Strykers now as well?
He takes my hand as if he can feel my trepidation, and we head down the back of the establishment past the bar and into a roped-off section. A guy on the door tips his head in acknowledgment toward Geovani and lets us through. “Mr. D’Amico, Pia will be in shortly to take your order,” he explains. I have no idea who Pia is, but I could do with a small drink to take the edge off. Right now, my skin is crawling with anticipation.
Geovani leads me through to a private room in the back like he’s been in this place a million times before. It’s bland as hell, all white walls and black glass with just a meeting-style table in the center of the room. I lean against the table, too nervous to take a seat and make myself comfortable. I’m not sure what to expect when I see the boys. Are they going to hate me? Do I still hate them? I don’t even know anymore. After everything Elisa told me yesterday, I think I just feel sorry for them. Especially Maddox and Ricky. Alessandro is another story, and I’m really fucking keen to see how much of this family history stuff he knew about already.
A tiny waitress with short choppy black hair streaked with electric-blue highlights waltzes through the open door. She holds an iPad close to her chest. “The other half of your reservation have been held up. Can I get you a drink to bide the time?” She bats her long dark lashes in Geovani’s direction as she approaches us, and I glare at her, irritation crawling down my spine.
“Vodka. Lime and soda,” I mutter to the chick who looks like she should be in a rock band. She glances at me, tapping something into her iPad. She has more tattoos running up both her arms than Geovani and a piercing through the right eyebrow that’s now raised in my direction.
“Jameson, thanks, Pia.” Geovani grins at her like they’re old friends.
“Coming right up, Ian,” she purrs. “Who’s your friend?” she asks him, her attention landing back on him.
“Harley.” I fake a smile, not needing him to answer on my behalf. I have a mouth.
“Bitchy,” she mutters to him playfully, a stupid smirk on her painted red lips.
His attention travels to me, his dark gaze telling me to play nice. “She’s stressed.”
She giggles as if he’s funny and leaves the room. Lucky for her because I was about to test out the new moves I have learned from Geovani this week. Calling me bitchy. How rude.
I glare at him for flirting back. Gross. He moves to stand in front of me. “Stressed, hey?” I shove him in the chest, showing him just how sassy I can be.
“You were being bitchy, or was it jealous?” His lips twitch up at the sides, the first sign the Geovani I know is still in there today.
“Fuck off, Geo. I’m fucking stressed out of my mind. I’m in some sketchy dive bar with a bunch of bikers, expecting the three men who I left on terrible terms to show up so I can drop a fucking truth bomb that will change their lives forever. Oh, and to top it off, knowing the four of you will probably want to rip each other apart. Of course we can’t cause any trouble in this place, or we all might get our heads blown off. Nothing to stress over though, is there?”
He snickers, coming in closer and placing a kiss to my forehead. “You have nothing to be jealous about, Red.” His hands move down to my shoulders where he massages the tension. “Maybe I need to take all that stress away?” Now his playful side decides to return.
I stare up at him as he towers over me, wondering what he’s playing at being all cute. “Coming from you, the one wearing a hole in the floor back at the apartment? I’ve never seen you so stressed.”
“Maybe we both need something to take the edge off tonight.” His hands slide down my sides then up my thigh, slipping under the short hem of my skirt and grabbing a handful of my ass.
“Geovani,” I warn him. Right as I do, Pia returns with our drinks. The look on her face when she finds us all tangled up together takes a little edge off already.
I grin at her, running a hand up Geovani’s bicep. “What were you saying, baby? How you want to fuck me right here on this table?” I internally cringe at my own words. I’m not this clingy girl who gets jealous. Fuck it, I can’t stand the way she looks at him like she knows something I don’t.
“Oh sorry. Just have your drinks,” she splutters, quickly leaving our drinks on the empty table before giving Geovani one more long lingering look and tossing her hair over her shoulder, scurrying out the door and closing it behind her.
I bite into my bottom lip, trying to stop the laughter from escaping. Serves her right, she shouldn’t have been flirting with my man right in front of me. I shake my head, trying to get a grip. What on earth am I saying? He’s not my man. Not even close. I go to move away from him, but he fixes his eyes on me. Lifting me, he props me on the table, his hungry eyes eating up every inch of me.
“What were you saying?” His lips drop to my neck.
My head falls back, and I let him breathe me in, letting him place slow measured kisses down my clavicle. “That was all for show and you know it.” I shove at him, knowing my mistake. I can’t get swept up here with him. It’s a really bad idea.
He doesn’t budge. Instead, he shoves in between my legs, forcing them apart. “All I know is what I heard. You want me to fuck you right here on the table.” His hand slips between my legs, and he runs his fingers over my pussy, teasing me.
I suck in a breath, knowing I need to put a stop to this but not really wanting to. He’s so damn good with his hands, and right now, I could use some stress relief. “Geo, we can’t,” I warn him.
He slips under my lacy thong and pushes a finger inside me. “Shh, Red, let me relax you. It’s my job to take care of you and know what you need. You need this.”
He’s not wrong, but this is still a bad idea. I glance over to the door. It’s closed, no one can see us. My back arches as he thrusts in a second digit, and my legs open further. “Fuck, that feels good,” I purr, so desperate and needy.
He smirks back at me. Then his lips are on mine, roughly kissing me as he pumps me with his thick fingers. I rock into him, wanting more, needing him to fill me up, anything to take away the constant anxiety that sits in the pit of my stomach. My eyes meet his. “Do your worst, Geovani. You are right, I need it.”
A sudden banging sounds on the black glass, and he pulls back from me. I close my legs, standing faster than my shaky legs want me to. I stumble, holding on to the table for support.
Then suddenly, the door bursts open.