Twisted Judgement

by K. D Clark

  “I can’t stay here,” she said, standing the middle of the foyer with her arms crossed over her chest.

  “You can and you will until this is handled,” he said walking past her.

  Like he’d expected she followed behind him. He crossed the open living and kitchen area and went straight to one of the guest bedrooms.

  “Look, I shouldn’t have said anything. I have work on Monday, I need to get back home.”

  He flipped on the light, illuminating the bedroom. The guest room was complete with a large bed, dresser and en-suite bathroom.

  “You can sleep in here.”

  “Did you not hear me?” she asked.

  “Oh I heard you but I don’t care. Your father would have my balls if I left you unprotected after you came to me for help. Despite the fact that he has no merit anymore, I do believe in respect and for that reason, you’ll be staying here. I’ll pick you up some clothes…” He trailed off as she shook her head and walked over to the bed.

  “What did I get myself into?” she mumbled. As she sat down her dress lifted up just enough to reveal the creamy skin on her thighs.

  He imagined what her skin would feel like underneath his large hands. He cleared his throat. “Don’t try to leave. I have men watching,” he said before stepping out of the room and leaving out of the front door. As soon as he got back into his car he called Eric, the head of his security team.

  “Boss,” Eric greeted as Gio pulled out of the driveway.

  “How many men do you have stationed outside the house?” he asked. He usually kept security light with only 4 or 5 men but if he was going to talk with the Irish there was no telling what could happen.

  “We have 4 right now,” Eric said.

  “I need two more,” he said.

  “I’m on it. Everything ok?” Eric asked.

  “Make sure the girl inside doesn’t leave. If I come back and she’s not there consider yourself fired.” Gio hung up the phone and dropped it in his center console. He knew she was scared but he didn’t put it past her to bolt the minute she was alone. He planned to do his research on the girl as soon as possible. He drove to the Irish bar, parked the car around back then went inside. The bar was a shithole but it was packed with people. Or he should say men since he didn’t see one woman. He scanned the place, trying to spot anybody he knew. When he came up empty he went over to the bartender.

  “I’m looking for Liam,” he said.

  The bartender shook his head. “He left hours ago, haven’t seen him since.”

  Giovanni scoffed. Of course he had. He’d know someone would be after him.

  “When he comes back let him know Giovanni is looking for him.”

  Avé

  She sat on the edge of the bed texting Aubrey, reassuring her that she was fine and safe. She didn’t tell her the whole story just that Liam had been there and she’d had to leave. She couldn’t very well tell her that she’d run to the most powerful man in New York and was now trapped at his mansion like some princess. She just wanted to go home and forget about the whole thing but she knew Liam would find her again eventually. He wouldn’t stop and her best bet was probably staying right where she was. Giovanni looked exactly how she’d expected. He was much taller than her, standing well over 6 feet. His body was covered in tattoos, at least from what she’d been able to see. He’d even had a few on his neck. He looked to be at least 200lbs of solid muscle. It was obvious he spent a good amount of time in the gym. He had the classic Italian features; narrow nose, olive toned skin, and eyes dark as night.

  Her phone rang and Wes’ name flashed across the screen. She ignored it, not wanting to tell him what had happened but knowing she’d have to eventually. She got up from the bed and walked around the house. It was hugely similar to the home she’d grown up in as a child. Marble floors and light gray walls. Everything was top of the line and brand new. The place was too clean for it to truly look like someone lived there. It could easily be a model home. It had an open concept, the kitchen and the living room one big area. The kitchen had a small breakfast nook and the big dining room was off to the side. She couldn’t imagine that one man could be comfortable in such a large home by himself.

  She walked to the kitchen and opened the fridge, revealing barely any food. It didn’t surprise her considering she couldn’t imagine Giovanni was the kind of guy to go home and cook every night. Closing the fridge, she leaned against the counter and ran a hand over her face. This was not how she’d imagined her night going. What she wanted to do was get in the shower and wash off the grossness of Liam touching her but she didn’t have any clothes. A knock on the door made her jump. She hesitated, wondering if she should be opening the door to Giovanni’s house. What if it was Liam? The second knock had her feet moving. She walked back the way she’d come only a few moments ago and stopped at the large front door. She had to stand on her tiptoes to look out of the peephole. Wes stood there in the same clothes he’d left her house wearing only a matter of hours ago. She thought about ignoring it—this wasn’t her place anyways to be letting people inside.

  “Avé, I know you’re in there. Gio called me.”

  She let out a sigh and opened the door. He looked her up and down as if checking to make sure she was unscratched. His eyebrows fused together.

  “What happened?” he asked.

  She walked away from the door, leaving it open and went to sit on the couch. Wes followed behind her, shutting the door on the way.

  “So you’re not going to tell me?” he asked. He stood over her, his arms crossed over his chest making his biceps flex.

  “It’s nothing.”

  “It’s nothing? I just left your apartment a few hours ago and I get a call from Gio to keep an eye on the mansion because you’re here.”

  Giovanni must have figured out her connection to Wes. Of all the men Giovanni could have called to watch his house he’d called Wes. To be honest she didn’t know that Wes had a relationship with Giovanni at all despite the fact that Giovanni was his boss. She could see the hurt on Wes’ face.

  “Why’d he call you?” she asked.

  “I’m a made soldier. Which means doing what people ask without asking questions, but now I’m asking questions. What are you doing here?”

  She looked down at the carpet, trying to keep her emotions in check. Wes had to have sensed it because he uncrossed his arms and came to sit next to her.

  “What happened?” he asked, begging her to talk to him.

  “I was dating someone a while back ago. We just went on a few dates, nothing serious but after it ended he wouldn’t leave me alone. He kept texting me and showed up at my job. Tonight he cornered me in the alleyway and…tried to attack me. When I got free I ran. I didn’t know where I was going until I ended up at the club.”

  She looked up to see his jaw clenched.

  “And you ran to Giovanni instead of me?”

  She shook her head. “It wasn’t like that.”

  He nodded although it was obvious he didn’t care what she had just said. Without another word he got up from the couch and left, slamming the door behind him a little harder than necessary.

  She flinched at the sound. She’d known she was going to hurt Wes when she’d run to a man she didn’t know for help before him. Wes had been her friend since moving to New York. She hadn’t known at first that he was involved in the mafia. She’d had the suspicion that her father might have had someone looking out for her but to this day she’d never straight-out asked Wes if he’d been assigned to watch her. He’d never brought it up either. It was only within the last couple of months that the friendship had moved from just friends to friends with benefits. Wes had a good heart and if she was being honest he was a little too soft in her opinion to be involved in the mafia. But, at the end of the day, he was involved. Which meant she didn’t want to take their relationship any further despite the fact that she knew that was what he wanted. Feeling exhausted and overwhelmed by the day, she rested her head
back against the couch cushion and allowed her eyes to drift close.

  *****

  She woke up to the sound of hushed voices talking rapidly. It sounded like they were arguing but they talked low enough that she couldn’t hear the words. Opening her eyes, she looked around at the unfamiliar room. She swore she’d fallen asleep on the couch last night. She was now in bed in the guest bedroom. When she looked down she realized someone must've taken off her boots. They sat neatly beside each other at the end of the bed. It had to have been Wes. She leaned over the bed seeing bags of clothing on the floor next to the boots as well. She only needed one outfit to wear on the way home today. She was grateful for Giovanni’s help last night but she had to get back to her life. She was still holding out hope that Liam would forget about her and move on. In the light of the morning she wasn’t so scared, it was starting to feel like just a bad dream. Last night was a mishap, if she would have just stayed away from the Irish bar none of it would have happened. She’d be more careful now.

  She got up and ruffled through the bags until she found a maxi dress that she liked. She went into the en-suite bathroom and got into a steamy hot shower. She wanted to wash all the gunk off from what had happened last night and just get on with her life. She used the bar of soap that was on the side of the tub and tried her best to scrub all her make-up off. When she finally got out, her skin was red and pruney. She dried her hair the best she could with the towel and pulled it up into a bun on top of her head. She slipped on the maxi dress, not bothering with a bra or underwear. She’d be going home soon anyway and she didn’t feel like digging through those bags again. When she walked back into the bedroom she could still hear the two voices arguing outside the door. She opened it and walked down the hall, following the sound of the voices. She peeked her head around the corner and saw Giovanni sitting on one of the barstools while Wes unloaded food from a grocery bag into the fridge.

  “Don’t you think if I would’ve known that I’d have taken care of it,” Wes said.

  “How can you be sleeping with someone and not even know…”

  Wes put a hand up to stop Giovanni. Her eyes widened at the sight. Giovanni was the underboss and what Wes had just done was an easy way to get killed. Gio didn’t seem as bothered by it as she’d expected.

  “Because that’s all it is, sleeping together,” Wes said.

  Her heart sunk at his words. Even though it was her choice not to be in a relationship with Wes it still hurt to hear it said out loud. Deciding to stop eavesdropping, she stepped around the corner. Giovanni turned at the sound of her footsteps but Wes just kept unloading groceries in the fridge like he hadn’t heard. She’d been too upset to notice last night but Giovanni was a scary looking man. He wore a dark suit that stretched across his broad shoulders, leaving his neck tattoo slightly visible above the collar. His eyes were dark and cold as if they held no emotions. It made goosebumps appear on her arm and she instantly felt a little self-conscious.

  “You got the clothes?” Gio asked as his eyes roamed over her body.

  She nodded. “Thanks for all of this. I’m sorry if I caused…issues.”

  Giovanni shook his head. “Don’t worry about it.”

  He patted the seat next to him and she walked over to sit. The scent of his cologne filled her nose.

  “I don’t want to intrude if one of you would drive me home…”

  Wes slammed the fridge door shut and threw the plastic bag in the trash can before he and Giovanni shared a look.

  “What?” she asked.

  Wes cleared his throat as if about to say something but Giovanni cut in.

  “You’re not going home,” Giovanni said.

  She looked back and forth between them before bursting out in laughter. Wes raised his eyebrow at her.

  “Seriously can one of you take me home?”

  “You are not going home. Liam is still out there,” Gio said his face a mask of stone.

  She couldn’t tell what he was thinking or how he was feeling and she got a feeling that was one of the reasons he was a good underboss.

  “Ok…but I have to go back home. I have work and a life. I can’t just hide out.”

  “You can and you will until we find him,” Giovanni said.

  Heat traveled from her neck up to her face.

  Her eyes narrowed on Giovanni. “I don’t think you understand. I’m not some damsel in distress that needs to be kept locked up in a castle. Thank you for helping me last night but I’m going back home,” she stated. Yes, she was terrified of Liam but she had to put on her big girl panties and figure it out herself. She didn’t know what she was going to do but she couldn’t keep hiding.

  “Wes got some groceries, he’ll follow you to work in the morning and someone will be on guard at your office building while you are there.”

  She scoffed. “What is this? Mafia witness protection?”

  Giovanni’s eyes narrowed on her and his jaw clenched.

  “Do you know what happened to Liam's last girlfriend?” Giovanni asked, his voice cold. She shook her head. “They found her in a back alley next to a dumpster. Dead.”

  His words were like a bucket of ice water dumped on top of her head. How could she not have known this? He tilted his head at Wes as if saying ‘you take this one’. Giovanni got up from his chair and grabbed his keys off the hook before walking out of the door, leaving her and Wes alone in the house.

  “Are you hungry?” Wes asked.

  She ran a hand over her face and nodded. Wes turned around and grabbed a frying pan as Avé tried to comprehend what she’d gotten herself into.

  “It's not your fault,” Wes said as he cracked open an egg into the skillet before turning around to face her. He placed both hands behind him on the counter. “There’s no way you could have known about Liam.”

  “I knew he was involved after the 2nd date. That should have been the red flag.”

  “I’m involved, your dad is involved. Don’t try to act like all men in this world are like Liam.”

  She held her tongue, knowing it would just piss him off. She loved her family but at the end of the day, they killed people, threatened people and sold drugs. She wasn’t scared of them but she didn’t want to get involved emotionally. It was why she’d left Vegas but it seemed that where ever she went the organized crime world wouldn’t leave her alone.

  Wes

  He finished his food and took both of their plates to the sink. He was still irritated that she’d run to Giovanni instead of him. At the same time, he was also relieved that she was safe. He’d spent his entire life trying to prove that he could keep the people he cared about safe. And the moment Avé had needed help she’d run to someone else. A stranger to her. It was a slap in his face that she didn’t believe he could protect her. He’d failed at his job and Gio was not one to hold back on telling him that.

  He hadn’t even known about Liam but there was a lot he still didn’t know about Avé. She kept as much about herself private as she could. Especially once they’d started sleeping together. When Tommy had told him he’d had to keep an eye on her, he’d hired one of the lawyers at her firm. While she’d been shuffling through paperwork and answering phone calls he’d been meeting with his lawyer to try to get out of his most recent case. When he’d walked out of the office one day and seen her he’d been instantly attracted to her. Her blonde hair had been back in a tight ponytail and her big brown doe eyes had stared at him like she’d been thinking the same things he had. The numerous phone calls when they would hang out and the odd hours he’d call her. To put it lightly he’d been friend-zoned after that. Avé cleared her throat, bringing his attention back to the present. She sat at the island with her arms crossed on the granite.

  “Don’t you have to be somewhere?” she asked.

  He turned around to face her. “Yea, right here making sure you don’t go anywhere.”

  “Are you fucking kidding me?”

  His face fell. “You do realize that there is a
murderous ex-boyfriend after you right?”

  He could tell it wasn’t registering with her yet. She knew Liam was dangerous but Avé was also fiercely independent and he bet it was killing her to be taking their help right now. Not like she really had a choice in the matter. He knew that was part of the reason she hadn’t run to him. Her pride wouldn’t have let her, but it still hurt like a bitch.

  “He wasn’t my boyfriend,” she mumbled.

  He scoffed and walked across the kitchen to the living room before plopping down on the couch and turning the tv on. He could feel her eyes on him and he was positive if he was distracted enough she’d try to run. He flipped through the channels, and a few minutes later Avé joined him on the couch.

  “Was that so hard?” he joked.

  “Fuck you.”

  He laughed and landed on a show about people trying to pawn items from a storage space.

  “Are you and Giovanni—”

  “We’re friends,” he said. “But he is also my boss. Over the years we’ve learned when we're talking freely as friends and when he is talking to me as my boss.”

  He narrowed his eyes at her, making sure she understood him for this next part. “Giovanni respects the life above anything else. Don’t get too comfortable around him, he won’t hesitate to kill anyone if Cassandra demands it.”

  It was important that she remained afraid of Gio because she had every reason to be. Yes, he was helping her now but only because he had respect for her father. Giovanni had lived and breathed the mob ever since Wes had known him. Gio followed all the rules; which included putting respect and family above all else. If Cassandra told Giovanni to kill Avé, he’d do it without hesitation.

  She nodded and turned back to the tv.

  They ate junk food and watched tv until it started to get dark outside and his legs were begging to be stretched.

  “So what am I supposed to do tomorrow?” she asked as she untucked her legs from underneath her.

  “What you normally do—get dressed, go to work—but instead of going home you’ll come back here. Your car is in the garage. I brought it here last night.”