by Shanna Bell
“But you’re doing business with them?”
He was silent for a moment. “I have certain connections there. Nothing you need to worry about.”
“I’m not worried.” And she truly wasn’t. If there was one thing she had learned about her husband, it was that he was very protective of those he considered his. Overprotective even, but she’d like to think she was working on that.
“And you shouldn’t be. Nobody gets to touch you.”
“Still, doesn’t it bother you that people throw your past in your face? That they just assume you’re a gangster because of your father?”
“Why should it? I’m not ashamed of who my father was. He did his best with the cards life had dealt him. The only mistake he ever made in my book is letting our mother get murdered. See, a made man knows how he might end up one day. It’s most likely in jail or six feet under before his time has come. What a man, however, does take care of, is his woman. My father failed at that, letting his business touch my mother. It’s the reason why I chose to go legit.” Mostly, his eyes seem to say. “I can’t have my brothers dying in some turf war. Though, even being legit, I still seem to have failed my family.”
“You didn’t,” she protested.
A hard laugh. “Oh, but I did.”
“How did you—”
“Luca.”
A name she’d never heard him, nor another Detta, speak before. Lucas’ incarceration was like a dark cloud hanging over the brothers. “You will get him out. I have no doubt of that.”
“I will. One way or another, I will. Just as I will take down the man who murdered my parents.”
“You know who he is,” she said softly.
He nodded.
“Is he still alive?”
“For now.”
“Why?” It was a legitimate question. She highly doubted that he was collecting evidence to hand the man who had done his family wrong over to the authorities.
“Because it took a long time before we found out who he is. When we did, he was practically untouchable. Taking him out would not have been a problem, but the aftermath would have. There’s always a trail, and I couldn’t have that follow back to my family. See, we want him to know who ends him. I want him to know, without it having a backlash on my family. It took us years to make his empire crumble, until he became a nobody. Also, we want him to be alone, and broken, to suffer before we end him.”
It sounded like a promise. An ominous, dangerous promise. She didn’t like this dark mood that suddenly washed over him.
“Let’s go home,” she whispered.
“You don’t want to bid on anything?”
“No. I already have everything I need.” She probably shouldn’t have said that, revealing too much of the conflicting emotions she felt, but she couldn’t stop herself.
Gio’s eyes turned into a dark blue, smoldering fire. He kissed her hand and made a call to Raoul to pick them up.
Then, he showed her exactly why she didn’t need any panties that night. Yep, in the back seat of the limo.
CHAPTER 28
GIO
Gio stared at the report Jackson handed over to him. His brother didn’t say a word, just sat across the desk from him. After Gio had read it, he understood his stony silence. A part of him wasn’t entirely surprised about the latest development in the ongoing investigation on their parents’ murder. After all, they lived in a dog-eat-dog world, in which just a very few people were to be trusted. It did explain, though, how Bianchi had managed to lure their father into that warehouse.
Still, he wished the report was wrong. Just this once.
“Are you sure about this?”
“Positive,” Jackson said. “You know what this means.”
Sadly, he did.
“Unless…” Jackson shrugged. “Unless you decide to not to take any action.”
“That’s not just my decision to make.”
“No, but you are the one who has the most to lose if you do take action, no matter what you claim. Think of what will happen. This is your future we’re talking about here. You can’t just—”
“Where are we on Bianchi?” he interrupted his brother, before Jax would start summing up all sorts of rational reasons why Gio should ignore the information he’d just read. As if ignoring it made it any less real.
Jax sighed. “Oscar Bianchi seems to have fallen off the face of the earth.”
Of course he had. Bianchi was like a rabid dog who had lost everything. Nowhere to go, nowhere to hide. Thing was, rabid dogs could become dangerous if not put down.
But Jackson was right on the other thing. Before he made the call to set in motion an irreversible chain of events, he had one more person to talk to.
The San Quentin state prison reminded Gio of what his life could have been like if he had followed in his father’s footsteps. It also reminded him of his failure to protect his brother, Luca. Luca, who had put down a rule about only being visited once every few months. He guessed his brother didn’t like being reminded of the outside world, any more than Gio liked the inside.
As he sat waiting in the visiting room that practically reeked of pain, misery, and the loss of hope, a part of him was glad that his father was dead instead of being locked up. Which was probably a fucked-up way of thinking, but a part of him was glad to never have seen his father, a man larger than life, being reduced to living behind bars. His dad had lived by the sword, and had died by it too.
Protect and provide.
In the end, his father had failed on both accounts. No one had protected or provided for the Detta boys after his death. His father had never fathomed that his wife could be taken out on the same night as he was killed. They had been lucky that their estranged grandmother had claimed them. It couldn’t have been easy, taking care of a bunch of little boys, at her age and on her pension, but she never complained. And they always managed to get by.
When the Scolini family was wiped out, together with the family that had attacked them, it had created a power vacuum that had been swiftly filled by the Bratva. Which made it all the more ironic that Gio paid the Russians to keep his brother safe inside.
Of the four of them, Luca was the one who liked the finer things in life the most; always surrounding himself with the best of the best. Gio understood him all too well. When you spent most of your youth with other people’s hand-me-downs, you went all out once you made it. He understood, because he hadn’t denied himself Jocelyn Rossi, the second he’d touched her.
He looked up when Luca entered the room in his orange jumpsuit. It seemed like every time he visited, his brother’s once sleek and toned body was getting more buff.
“I hear congrats are in order, big brother.” Luca gave him a hug, ignoring one of the guards in the back. They were paid well to turn the other way when Luca ignored the prison’s “no touching” policy.
“Wish you could have been there.” The reception hadn’t been big, and a fast arranged one, but the only ones he cared about attending were his brothers anyway.
“You’re the first of the Dettas to start the next generation. To protect and provide, brother. I really hope she’s worth it.”
There was a bitterness in Luca’s voice that hadn’t been there before. Luca had been the easygoing one of them. The Golden Boy with a knack for investments. That is, until he got locked up. The second he was arrested, his fiancée had left him. As far as Gio knew, she had never visited him in jail.
“Jocelyn is… different. It was difficult to get a hold on her at first.” Well, it had been, but that was over now. Once the lion had caught his prey, she was his to do with as he pleased. And fuck, did she please him.
Luca raised a brow. “Why do I feel like there’s a story behind that?”
Gio shook his head. They had more important things to discuss. “Let me make a call to our Siberian friend.” He changed the subject. They had this conversation almost a year ago, when Luca had been sentenced and the chances of an appeal had seemed ble
ak.
“No.” Luca was adamant about it. “I don’t want you to owe that Russian.”
No one did. If Gio was named Black Ice, then Kristoff would be just Ice. A man had to at least have a heart for it to be black.
“He’s half-American.”
Luca was being unreasonable. It wasn’t as if Gio didn’t know where his sudden loathing for anything Russian stemmed from. His fiancée had sure done a number on him.
“I don’t care if he’s a half-god. I don’t want his help.”
Gio didn’t mention that they already owed Kristoff’s contacts in here. Keeping Luca alive and well in prison came at a price. Protection money he gladly paid.
“Damn it, Luciano. I hate seeing you here. We will be having this conversation again.”
Luca nodded. They both knew what he meant. If Luca would still be stuck inside in another year, Kristoff would seem like a better option. The Russian had the means and the manpower to break Luca out. They could transfer Luca to a non-extraditing country in no time.
“So, how did you and your bride meet?”
A change of subject. One of Luca’s newly-adapted specialties since he was inside. In this case, it was actually a great bridge to what Gio had come to talk to him about.
“We met at Antonio Rossi’s house; that’s her grandfather. Then, she fled the country to get away from me. Let me tell you how I caught her.”
Gio returned back to the office after talking to Luca, to pick up that damn report. Just as he grabbed his suitcase, a knock sounded on his door. To his surprise, Lisa Martell, the wife of one of his office managers, entered his office.
“Gio. Could I speak to you for a moment?”
“I was about to leave.”
“It won’t take long.” She hurried inside, closing the door behind her, but not before his assistant, Gale, stopped the door from shutting all the way.
Gale glared at Lisa, obviously not happy with Lisa slipping past her.
Gio motioned for her that it was okay; this wasn’t going to take long. Her lips pursed, and she took away her arm, but didn’t close the door behind her, leaving it open a small gap.
“I came to apologize,” Lisa said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “For what happened at the wedding, I mean.” She sounded a tad nervous.
“My wedding was months ago. It’s a little late to come apologize now.” Had it only been a few months? It seemed much longer, because he couldn’t remember what his life had been like before, without Jazzy in it.
Lisa leaned over his desk, not subtle at all, over showing cleavage. “I needed some time to sort some things out… Edwin and I have separated. I was busy dealing with that.”
Like he gave a crap about the marital status of his employees. A marriage was private, and just like he would never allow another to meddle in his, he wouldn’t entertain gossip of another’s.
“Apology accepted. You can leave now,” he dismissed her, and went into the adjoining bathroom where he’d left his jacket.
When he returned to his office, he found Lisa sitting on his desk. Naked.
She’d put her hands on her knees, with the palms up. Her long, blond hair was spread out over her breasts. It wasn’t the first time she’d propositioned him, letting him know she was available for him to fuck. Still, stripping in the middle of his office was a bold gesture, even for her.
Thing was, she had nothing on his wife. They weren’t even in the same league.
With a deep sigh, he walked over to her.
CHAPTER 29
JAZZY
Jazzy took a long pull from her celebratory margarita, as she was lazily draped over a couch with a view over the ocean. Life didn’t get much better than this.
“To our first client!” Tommie called out. He had made reservations for a table at the Eagle Cafe, their favorite place at the wharf.
He’d also sent out a call to Mary for an impromptu celebratory drink. Much to Jazzy’s surprise, Gina showed up as well. The contrast between the two sisters couldn’t be any bigger. Gina, looking Rodeo Drive chic in a tight, knee-high dress and killer boots. Mary, dressed as the eternal student, in jeans and a hippie-style flowing top.
Their table was stocked with a delicious seafood platter. The only thing missing was Gio, to share her joy with. Then again, her new bodyguard, who sat at an adjoining table, reminded her that—though he might not be there in body—Gio was with her in spirit. After she had learned what drove him, and the unjustified guilt he felt over his brother going to jail, his protective streak made more sense. And that, in a way, helped her to deal with it more easily.
“I have some exciting news to share with you guys as well,” Mary said.
Gina rolled her eyes, clearly already familiar with the news, and obviously not impressed by it.
“I’ve been asked by my friend to become a godparent for her little sister. I’m so excited!”
“Congrats, Mary.”
“I know, right. I mean, Zoe is nine already, and we’re not going to have an official ceremony or anything, but I would like it if you would come to the celebration anyway. It’s going to be at the shelter next week.”
“Don’t forget to tell them why it’s being held at the shelter,” Gina added. “Or that your friend is an addict who lives there.”
“Former addict,” Mary chastised her. “And she’s getting her life back on track.”
Gina snorted, and took a large gulp of her wine.
“Not everyone is as lucky as we are, or can find a rich fiancé in a matter of weeks,” Mary continued with a frown. She might look all sweet, with golden curly locks, but Mary had a spine of steel when challenged about something she was passionate about.
“You’re engaged?” Jazzy couldn’t help but sound surprised. She would have expected that tad bit of news to be Gina’s opening sentence instead of a casual remark.
Gina waved a big rock on her finger. “Practically engaged,” she corrected her. “Oscar hasn’t asked me yet, but he will. Any day now.”
Mary rolled her eyes. “It’s all she can talk about these days. Oscar this and Oscar that.”
“He is an interesting person to talk about,” Gina said. “His family owns vineyards all over California.” That was the start of a fifteen-minute biography on how wonderfully successful her “almost fiancé” was.
“That’s nice to hear and all,” Jazzy interrupted her. “I mean, him being successful and all, but what is he like as a person? You didn’t mention anything about love.”
Gina’s editorial on everything Oscar came to an immediate halt. “What does love have to do with a marriage? I like Oscar enough and he wants me. What more is there?”
“It makes me sad to even hear you say that.”
“Oh, step off your high horse, Jocelyn,” Gina said snidely. “You are the last person who gets to judge me. We both know there wasn’t any love involved when you married Giovanni Detta.”
“That’s true,” Jazzy admitted, “but—”
“That is totally uncalled for,” Tommie came to her aid. She’d told him about her marriage, right before she confessed that she fell in love with her own husband. “You both know the circumstances that led to that marriage.”
Gina gave Tommie a sharp look. “Still. It’s easy for her to speak; she’s already secured herself a billionaire.”
“I sure did.” Any other time, Jazzy might have made Gina eat that hateful comment, but not tonight. Tonight was a night for celebration. But most importantly, the reason why she wasn’t going to give Gina any shit was because she did love her husband. Her marriage might not have started out that way, but she couldn’t deny the way she felt.
“You forgot hot monkey sex,” Tommie chimed in. He was staring at her new bodyguard from over the rim of his glass. “You know, about what’s important in a marriage. Hot, so deliciously hot, makes your toes curl permanently, sex.”
She snatched away his mojito. “Stop drooling over the man.”
“Speaking of m
an,” Gina said, sending her a glare, “there’s mine.”
A man dressed in a Marino wool suit was standing on the threshold of the cafe. Gina waved him over and he soon joined their table. Close up, Jazzy could see his salt ‘n pepper hair and bronzed skin. There was a smile on his lips that, for some reason, made her feel uncomfortable.
“Hello, ladies. Nice to meet you. I’m Oscar Bianchi.”
***
Jazzy considered the celebration to be a success, despite Gina’s hateful remarks at the beginning of the evening. The second Oscar had joined them, she’d become all sugary sweet, not showing a hint of the tongue-lashing she was famous for.
But after another round of drinks, and with Oscar constantly looking on his watch, Jazzy decided to go home and wait for Gio.
“We can drop you off,” Oscar offered.
“Oh, you don’t need to do that, really,” Jazzy said, as she grabbed her bag from the table. “I’ll just—”
“I insist,” Oscar said, flashing a set of white teeth. “Your bodyguard can just follow us.”
Oscar’s ride was a rental, because apparently his Bentley was in the garage, as he assured them. She wasn’t sure yet how she felt about him. Though he did seem exactly Gina’s type; dropping hints at how much he owned every few sentences.
Fifteen minutes into their ride, Oscar made a turn downtown. “That’s not the way to my home,” Jazzy said.
“Ah, I’m sorry,” Oscar apologized, taking a look in the back mirror, probably to make sure if her bodyguard was able to keep up with him. “I just assumed that you would want to celebrate with your husband as well. That’s why I’m driving to Detta Tower. Do you want me to turn around?”
Actually, surprising Gio didn’t seem like a bad idea at all. “No, it’s fine. You can drop me off there.” When he pulled over in front of Detta Tower, she thanked him before she stepped out.
She ignored Gina’s glare. Obviously, her cousin didn’t like her boyfriend giving Jazzy any attention, even if it were only out of politeness.