Taren shook her head. Why would Gi steal her own money? It didn’t make sense. She was about to start looking at company employees when she heard the front door to the apartment. She looked up to see Ken’s smiling face.
“How was your day?” he asked.
“Actually, it was quite interesting,” she replied, getting up to hug him.
“Oh, really? Did you find any good prospects?” he asked, hugging her. “Larry’s wife works for the hospital system. He said they’re always looking for account managers. I gave him your number for her.”
Great, she thought. Just what I’ve always wanted to do. “No, I think I figured what’s going on at R&R. The reason I kept find all of those variances that were stressing me out.”
“Who cares?” Ken said, removing his tie and jacket.
“I do. I busted my ass for that company and I knew something was going on. I’m pretty sure Gi’s uncle is extorting money from her and using the new bar to cover it up. He’s moving amounts that are too small for her to notice, and like a fool, she went away from her golden rule and trusted her family when she shouldn’t have.”
“Why are you so infatuated with Gianna Revisi? She fired you,” he said, annoyed. “I figured you’d be looking at this time to start planning our wedding. But she and that business are all you talk about!”
Taren had rarely heard him raise his voice and it was never towards her, until now. He was always gentle and easygoing. She got up from the table, facing him squarely.
“She didn’t fire me,” Taren corrected.
“What?”
“I said, she didn’t fire me.” Taren looked him in the eyes. “She gave me a choice…and then made my decision for me,” she sighed.
“What the hell does that mean?”
“I’m sorry, Ken. I have to go back.”
“Back to what? Working for that company made you crazy. You’re better off away from there. Just let it go.”
“I can’t.” Taren squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath, realizing in that moment that she wasn’t where she wanted to be. The picture she saw behind her closed lids wasn’t Ken. It was Gi’s sexy grin and deep blue gaze calling to her. Taren felt rooted to the ground as she opened her eyes again. “Gianna Revisi makes me lose my mind and God knows we’re toxic together,” She shook her head. “But, no matter how hard I try…I can’t let go of her. I’m sorry.”
“What are you saying?” he asked.
Taren took a deep breath and let it out slowly. “Gi and I were together for four years. I should’ve told you and I’m sorry I didn’t. I never thought I’d see her again,” she said honestly.
“Wait. What?” He scrunched his brow. “Together? Like…lesbians?” he whispered.
“Yes. I’ve been in love with her since I was eighteen years old. No matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t…I can’t…stop loving her. She’s where I belong.”
Ken shook his head in disbelief. “Are you serious?”
Taren nodded.
“How long have you been screwing her behind my back?” He shouted. “No wonder you were so stressed out. It’s not easy hiding your affair with your boss from your fiancé!”
“It doesn’t matter. There’s nothing to fight for anymore. It’s over between you and me.” She slipped her ring off and placed it on the table. “I will always care for you, but I’ll never love anyone the way I love her.” She touched his cheek as she walked past him.
“That’s it? You’re just going to walk out?” Kensaid, shocked.
“There’s nothing else to do. Goodbye.” She looked around at the few material things that were theirs. All of their furniture and larger belongings were back in San Diego in storage. “I’ll get my stuff out of the storage the next time I’m home,” she added, packing her clothes and laptop into two suitcases. Then she walked out the door.
Taren was scared to death, yet she had this huge feeling of euphoria, like a heavy flow of adrenaline rushing through her body as she walked to her car. I hope you know what you’re doing, she thought to herself.
Chapter 23
Taren stood nervously on the doorstep of the large greystone, having just rung the doorbell. She took a deep breath, bouncing from foot to foot while she waited. The dark-colored Audi with tinted windows was parked alongside the curb—a good indication that its owner was home.
After another minute, the deadbolt on the door clicked and the knob turned. Taren held her breath.
“Taren?” Gi questioned with an odd expression.
“Can we talk?”
“I don’t really have anything to say to you,” Gi sighed. “I told you to never come back and I meant it.”
“I choose you,” Taren said softly, stepping closer.
“You’re too late. I chose for you, remember?” Gi moved to close the door and Taren shoved it open.
“You don’t make decisions for me. I said, I choose you.”
“I’m not doing this again.” Gi shook her head. “What gives you the right to enter and exit my life as you please?” she growled. “You said I make you crazy…you have no fucking idea!”
“I left Ken.” Taren stepped further into the foyer, closing the door. “You’re all I want,” she said, looking into Gi’s blue eyes. “I love you, Gianna Revisi. You and only you.”
Gi closed the distance between them, shoving Taren against the wall with a searing kiss as she began pulling her clothes away in haste, nearly ripping them as love and anger-fueled passion burned between them.
Taren wanted nothing more than to get naked and make love with Gi right there on the cold tile floor of the foyer, but she pushed her away enough to part their hungry mouths.
“Wait,” she said breathlessly. “There’s another reason I’m here,” she added, licking the traces of their frantic kissing from her lips.
“I don’t care,” Gi replied, quieting her with another deep kiss.
Clothes were tossed and reality forgotten as they crashed onto the couch, fervently touching each other. Their lips traded bruising kisses as their hands worked back and forth, giving and taking what they wanted from the other.
“Come with me,” Taren hissed between kisses, barely able to hold on as the fire in her belly moved lower.
Gi moved further over her as they began panting and moaning together in the throes of passion. The added weight on the edge of the couch caused them to topple over, winding up in a heap of nakedness on the hard floor as the last of their climax drifted away.
“Wow,” Taren murmured, stirring first.
Gi untangled herself slowly as she came down from the intoxicating high. She peered down at the woman next to her.
“What the hell was that?” Taren asked.
“I imagine it’s called hate sex,” Gi replied.
Taren nodded as she pushed herself into a sitting position. “So, you hate me? Or we hate each other? How does that work?”
Gi leaned her back against the couch and glared at her. “I could never hate you, tesoro.” She shook her head. “I hate how in love I am with you; how in love I’ve been since the first time I kissed you.”
“Why do you hate it?” Taren whispered, grabbing her hand.
“Because my love isn’t enough for you,” Gi sighed.
“Gianna, I want nothing more than to be with you,” Taren said.
Gi looked at her strangely. She almost never used Gi’s full first name.
“I left you in college because a criminal lifestyle wasn’t what I wanted and you couldn’t let it go.” Taren shook her head. “I knew when I saw you at Rapture that it wouldn’t be long before I was back in your arms. My chest ached every time I thought about you. I couldn’t sleep, Gi, I never stopped loving you. I just tried to make myself forget.”
“What happens now?” Gi asked, gently brushing the long locks from Taren’s face.
“I don’t know. I want to be with you, Gi, to live my life with you, but you may hate me when
I tell you the other reason why I’m here.” She knew how difficult it was for Gi to trust anyone, so she wondered how she was going to react to her own flesh and blood embezzling millions from her.
“I doubt that, unless you’re pregnant,” Gi replied, raising an eyebrow.
“Oh, God no.” Taren shook her head. “Can we maybe get off the floor and—”
“Have a little decency?” Gi laughed.
“Something like that.” Taren smiled.
***
After redressing, Gi and Taren sat together in the den upstairs.
“I love this room. It’s my favorite,” Taren said, sinking into the soft leather cushions.
“Mine, too.” Gi put her feet up on the ottoman and crossed her ankles. “So, what’s the real reason that brought you to my doorstep?”
“You mean besides me packing my belongings into two suitcases and driving over here on a hope and a prayer?” Taren laughed softly. “I was so pissed at you, and I wanted to prove you were lying to me about the business being completely legal because you kept brushing me off when I came to you with the variances.”
“What did you do?” Gi asked, furrowing her brow.
“My passwords still worked in the system, so I didn’t really hack into anything. I simply dug a lot deeper. Anyway,” Taren took a deep breath. “Gi, your Uncle Bruno is extorting money from you and using Gentlemen’s Rook to hide it. I’m surprised you haven’t figured this out. You’re the smartest person I know, and you were basically doing everything alone until you brought me into the picture. What I don’t understand is why you even trusted him in the first place. You always told me never to trust anyone, not even family.”
Gi turned her head, staring at the wall on the other side of the room.
“Tell me I didn’t uncover something bad, Gi.” Taren grabbed her hand.
Gi let out a long breath and shook her head. “Just let it go, please?”
“What do you mean, let it go?” Taren asked, pulling her hand away.
“Just this once, it’s best if you don’t know what’s going on, tesoro.”
“Don’t you dare call me that. Not when you’re hiding something from me. Damn it!” Taren yelled.
“Calm down,” Gi consoled her. The look in Taren’s eyes tore her apart.
Taren moved to stand up and Gi grabbed her hand, holding her close. “Let me go,” Taren warned.
“I know about everything,” Gi sighed. “I know…because I set it up,” she added, hanging her head.
“Set what up? What’s going on?” Taren turned towards her.
“Bruno’s in trouble with the FBI.” Gi bit her lower lip and shrugged. “I’m helping them bust him.”
“You’re what?!?” Taren exclaimed.
“You know my family history with the Outfit. Bruno tried desperately to join them, but after years of being rejected, he started his own operation. I wasn’t aware of anything until the FBI came to me.” Gi looked at the shocked expression on Taren’s face. “You looked about like I did when they told me he’d been in major contact with large, international prostitution rings and traffickers.”
“Are you serious?”
Gi nodded. “He’s made a few friends in high places. Anyway, his multiple international trips flagged him and they began looking into his background. I had no idea. I guess it all started sometime after my father passed. By the time I’d opened R&R, he’d made a lot of high profile connections.”
“How the hell did he wind up working with you?”
“He came to me with the business plan for GR. He was looking for a way to have a legacy for his sons and the family name. At least, that’s the line of bullshit he fed me. You know I don’t trust anyone, so I wasn’t going to do it, but apparently his sudden involvement with me sent the FBI on my trail. They tore through my financial records, but of course found nothing but a legitimate business.”
Taren shook her head. “That’s insane.”
“It gets better. They interviewed me about my time in Paris and Milan, trying to make a connection to him, I guess. I mentioned how I’d really only seen him during the holidays, especially since my father had passed, but he came to me with the business plan recently. That’s when they told me everything that he’d been up to. I was floored, first that he was smart of enough to run a crime operation, and second that he was stupid enough to get involved with prostitution and sex trafficking.”
“I feel disgusted to have ever been in the same room as him,” Taren shivered.
“How do you think I feel? He’s my damn flesh and blood!” Gi shook her head. “I told them I’d cooperate and do whatever they wanted in order to take him down. They asked me to go along with the business, so I did.” Gi shrugged. “Apparently, he’s extorted a couple million dollars from me, which he doesn’t think I know about, and used it to pay these foreign crime organizations to get the women over here.”
“What’s he doing with them?”
“They’re working in the bar as waitresses, but each one has a calling card, so to speak. When one of them asks for a certain type of whiskey or cigar, he’s actually paying for a particular woman and the number of drinks or cigars he buys is the number of hours he has with her.”
“Like a prostitute?” Taren grimaced.
“Yes, but these women are being forced into this as sex slaves.”
“Oh, my God!”
“Taren, this thing involves way more people than I ever realized. The mayor, the governor, and a congressman are on the VIP list. That’s actually why I’ve been spending so much time with Valerie, the mayor’s assistant.”
Taren raised an eyebrow.
“She’s an undercover FBI agent and one of the lead investigators on this case. That’s how we’ve been passing information back and forth.”
“Where do I fit into all of this?”
Gi sighed. “I never planned on seeing you again, and then you walked into my bar. When you showed up again as my accountant, I had to bring you in close to me. I couldn’t handle something happening to you during all of this. Valerie was already having an issue keeping the records for everything Bruno was doing, and the guy you replaced was a damn buffoon. I knew you’d be able to put everything into a nice, neat order, and I wanted to make sure you were safe, so I brought you in.”
“Did you ever plan on telling me?”
Gi bit her lower lip. “Honestly, I don’t know. You were with Ken and I just wanted to know you were safe. I didn’t think we’d wind up having an affair.”
“Yeah, me either.” Taren shook her head. “So, if all this was going on, why not tell me? Why did you let me go on thinking you were doing something illegal again?”
“I didn’t want you involved. That’s why I brushed it aside every time you came to me. No one in this entire company knows, except me…and now you.”
“Why did I still have access to everything after I quit?”
“Because Valerie is close to closing the case and I didn’t want anything to look suspicious. Everyone thinks your grandmother is sick again and that’s where you went so abruptly. I had to keep you in the system.” Gi smiled. “I know you’re smart—and a little too damn good at your job, if you ask me—but I never thought you’d continue snooping after I ended everything.”
Taren laughed. “I was so mad. I wanted to prove you wrong.”
“Yeah, I figured as much when I saw you logging into different accounts, but I didn’t expect you’d put it all together. I thought you’d give up after a couple of days.”
“Did you deliberately push me away?” Taren asked, squeezing her hand.
“Yes and no,” Gi replied. “I didn’t want you to be a physical part of all this when it went down. I wanted you innocent. At the same time, I knew I was still in love with you the moment I sat down in front of you at Rapture that first night, plus I hated the fact that you were with someone else, and a man to boot.” Gi pulled Taren’s hand up, kissing the back
of it softly. “I’m sorry I pulled you into all of this, tesoro.”
“Don’t be. There’s nowhere that I’d rather be. You’re doing the right thing by stopping him.” Taren kissed Gi’s cheek before asking, “Are Sergio and Mario involved with this mess?”
“As far as I know. They’re all connected.”
“That’s sad that he’s going to take his own children down with him.”
Gi shrugged. “He raised them to think they were true gangsters. My dad was smarter. He refused when the Outfit came calling. He chose his wife and kid.”
“If your dad wasn’t in the mob, how did you wind up doing what you did?”
“I guess it skipped a generation,” she said.
“Uh huh,” Taren laughed.
“The gambling ring started as a couple of parties and grew into a full-blown underground business. My dealings in Paris and Milan were simply because I knew how to do it, and I knew it would make money fast. But you know that.”
Taren nodded. “So, where does this leave us, now that I know?”
“You’re going to have to go back to work like you were just out of town. You have to act like nothing has changed, especially around the office because it’s wired.”
The colored drained from Taren’s face as she began remembering things that happened between she and Gi at the office, including conversations about their past.
“It’s okay. They’re not looking at me. They’ve already done that, remember? Besides, I’ve been clean since I left Milan and nothing I have ever done can be traced to me. One thing I was good at was being a successful crime boss.”
“Yeah.” Taren grinned, shaking her head. “If you knew the place was bugged, why didn’t you stop me when things got physical?”
“I was so caught up in being close to you again, I forgot about them. They’d already been there for almost two months, and it slipped my mind.”
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