The Beaver Tale.
“Oh, that’s not good. Okay. So…” She wasn’t a criminal lawyer or an investigator of any kind. Gianna had no idea what to tell her friend. Telling her it’d be alright was going to give her false hope instead of help. “Mary-Lou, do you trust me?”
“If I didn’t, I wouldn’t be here, Gianna. I would’ve called but right now, I don’t even want to use my phone for anything because I have no idea who is doing this and why.”
Neither do I.
“I know you must be so scared. I don’t blame you. This is horrible. But I know someone who might be able to help. I’m not positive, it might be worth making a call. Do you mind?” she asked.
“You’re not talking about Jordan, are you? Because from everything you told me, he’s a great guy, but he’s a businessman, not a detective.”
“No. Not Jordan. Let me get his business card.” She went into her room and searched for the card Sal had given her. He had said she could call any time. Gianna knew he had meant regarding Marvin, but it was worth seeing if he could at least point her in the right direction.
She couldn’t find it anywhere, and then remembered she’d left it on her desk at work. Gianna had never told Jordan she knew about Sal watching Marvin. Marvin was the one topic they both avoided speaking about. How was she going to get Sal’s number without leaving Mary-Lou here alone, broken? Although she could call Jordan and just ask him for Sal’s number, there was no way she could do that and not explain why. She trusted Jordan, but this wasn’t about her. She wasn’t about to share it with anyone without Mary-Lou’s permission.
Think Gianna. Think hard.
What did she know about Sal besides he was helping Jordan? It was such a brief meeting, so she didn’t have much to go on. Gianna closed her eyes and thought back to when they had met. Sal got Marvin to leave. Then they talked briefly about why he was there. And after that she…
Mama’s Place. Salvatore Marciano. That was all she needed. At least if she called Lawson Steel, she had a last name to give them. She dialed the main number and said, “Hello, I’m calling for Salvatore Marciano.”
“One moment please,” she was told and put on hold.
“This is Marciano,” he said when the line picked up again.
“Hello Sal. This is Gianna Ionnetty. Do you remember me? I’m the one who…”
“I know who you are. Is everything okay? Has Marvin been in contact with you again?” he asked.
“No. But I have a friend and I’m not sure you could help. I’m not even really sure what you do, but this is complicated and it doesn’t look good. Maybe I shouldn’t have called you, but I don’t know how else to help her.”
“Have you spoken to Jordan about this?” Sal inquired.
“No. He has enough to worry about. And besides, I don’t think she’d want her personal business being spoken about. Do you think you can maybe come over and speak to her?”
“Of course. I won’t know what I can do until I have the facts, but if I can’t help, I know people who might be able to. Are you in your office?”
“No. I’m still home. I don’t want to leave her. She’s quite shaken up about this. Would you mind coming here?”
“Not at all. Let me make a call and then I’ll come right over,” he said.
“Sal, I hate to ask, but please, don’t tell Jordan about this. I don’t want him to think my friend is a bad person. Really, she isn’t. Something else is going on here and I just need someone to help her figure it out.”
Sal replied, “I told you to call any time. I’m glad you did. I’ll see you soon.”
Gianna walked back into the living room and noticed Mary-Lou curled up on the couch, hugging a pillow. She wasn’t used to seeing her friend like this. Hopefully Sal was going to be able to help. All Gianna could do was love and support her no matter what happened. And maybe I’ll kick some butt this time if we can find out who really did this.
As they sat waiting, Gianna tried to keep Mary-Lou calm by talking about Jordan.
“It sounds like you two are crazy for each other. I’m glad I only poured the beer on Marvin’s head, otherwise I’d feel bad.”
“I’m sure he’d have understood,” Gianna said.
“There’s a difference between understanding and still letting me be your maid-of-honor when you two get married.”
Gianna shot her a warning look. “You know how I feel about marriage.”
“Yup. I’ve heard you say it again and again. You don’t need it. You’re fine alone. You have a business to run. Blah. Blah. Blah,” she muttered. “Sound familiar?”
With a huff, she replied, “You’re older than I am and I don’t see a ring around your finger.”
“Hell no! Can you picture my life if I was married? All those cute guys who come into the bar would now be off limits.” Then Mary-Lou sighed. “Of course I won’t need to worry about them when my ass is sitting in the pen.”
“Mary-Lou, stop talking like that. You’re innocent. You need to remember that. And you’re not alone. You have me,” she said. Then there was a knock on the door. And hopefully you have Sal too.
She let Sal in and left Mary-Lou and Sal to talk in private. Even though she knew some things, she felt as though it was better for her not to be in the middle. When they had finished Mary-Lou called out her name.
Gianna rejoined them in the living room and said, “What do you think?”
Sal said, “Mary-Lou has agreed for me to contact a friend of mine, Connor Falciano. He runs a company that might be able to trace those purchases.”
“Is he local? Can we go meet with him?”
“I can have him fly out here if needed, but this won’t be leg work, it’s all digital. Every transaction leaves some trace, like a fingerprint, behind. Mary-Lou and I will give him what we know and hopefully he can find out what really happened,” Sal said.
“Thank you for coming,” Gianna said.
Mary-Lou added, “And thank you for believing me. I must’ve really pissed someone off to make them do this.” With a heavy sigh she said jokingly, “Guess someone didn’t like how I made their drinks. I knew I should’ve put in extra olives.”
It was good to see Mary-Lou able to laugh, but she knew it was just a cover for how scared she really was. We’ll figure this out and then you’ll be smiling again for real.
Gianna called the office and cancelled her appointments. Then she sent Jordan a text message letting him know Mary-Lou was over and she was spending the night and she’d see him tomorrow. They’d spent the last several nights together at her house and it kind of felt funny not seeing him.
Maybe I’ll actually get some sleep tonight.
Jordan usually enjoyed having the bed all to himself. He had a large king size and she had a queen. It was a good thing they liked to sleep holding each other. But with the lack of sleep he’d been getting, he couldn’t believe he hadn’t passed out by now.
He rolled over and looked at his alarm clock. This was nuts. It wasn’t even midnight and he was in bed? Jordan didn’t want to wake her, but if they were having a girls’ night, maybe they were still up watching movies and eating junk food. Without sisters, he really had no idea what they did. Probably talking about men.
There was only one way to find out. He picked up his cell and sent her a text.
HI. WHAT ARE YOU DOING?
He felt like an ass when she replied, SLEEPING. WHAT ABOUT YOU?
Missing you. SORRY. GO BACK TO BED.
A moment later his cell phone rang, “I didn’t want to wake you.”
“Is everything okay?” she asked softly.
He knew she was trying to keep her voice down, which meant Mary-Lou, at least, wasn’t awake. “Yes. How was your day?” Small talk just to hear her voice was pathetic.
“It was…okay. Not the same without you here.”
“I’m glad your friend is visiting you.” Hopefully for just one night. It was selfish of him, but hell, when things were as good as the
y were with them, you really miss it when you’re alone.
“I think she is going home in the morning. It’s not like I can take two days out of work. You know I have this client that I’m trying to impress,” she joked.
“Oh he’s impressed. Trust me,” he replied.
“How was your day? Anything exciting in the steel world?” she asked.
“We have a potential client in Europe that looks promising.”
“Are you flying out to meet with them?” she asked.
“No. Gareth will handle that one on his way back to Tabiq. That’s where his own personal construction company is running out of.” He hoped she didn’t ask too many questions about Tabiq. There weren’t any simple answers. The only time he’d gone there was for a tour of Gareth’s facility and to stay at the Henderson resort. Besides that, for some reason, he enjoyed being stateside.
“Good. I’m glad.”
“Why? Would you miss me if I was gone?” he teased.
“I miss you now and you’re only on the other side of the city,” she stated.
“We’ll see each other tomorrow night. But I should let you get back to sleep. Rest up.”
“Definitely, because we’ll need to make up for lost time,” she said is a sexy tone.
“And that’s not going to help me sleep any tonight,” he laughed. “Sweet dreams honey.”
“Sweet dreams Jordan.”
When he ended the call, he opened up his photos. He had one picture of her and it was of her wearing that cowboy hat and making a face at him. She probably had forgotten that he’d taken the photo. This one was his favorite because he saw the smile in her eyes and nothing made him happier than knowing she was happy.
Jordan put his phone down, turned the lamp off and laid back down. Even before he closed his eyes, his phone rang again. She does miss me.
He never even looked at the caller ID when he answered, “I know, I miss you too.”
“Damn it. I knew you did.”
Marvin.
“Do you know what time it is?” Jordan asked.
“It’s not that late. Hell, who goes to bed before two?” Marvin said.
“People who work,” he replied.
Marvin laughed. “I work. Just because I don’t have to go into an office, doesn’t mean anything.”
“Really? What are you doing now?” he asked, and instantly, regretted it. He didn’t give a shit what Marvin did. They weren’t friends anymore. Of course he hadn’t told Marvin that.
“The same thing I’ve always done,” he replied.
“Hustle people out of money?” Jordan said.
“I advise people how to best utilize their finances. I’m not breaking the law,” he replied.
Jordan wasn’t too sure about that. But he didn’t care what Marvin was doing as long as it didn’t have anything to do with Gianna.
“Is there a reason for this call?” he asked.
“Haven’t heard from you. Wasn’t sure if there was anything new going on.”
Marvin didn’t care what was going on with him. He was calling to see if he’d heard anything about Gianna. So far Jordan had been good about keeping their relationship quiet. It wasn’t because he wanted it that way, but for right now, he needed it to be. Sal said Marvin left New York, but he didn’t believe for one second that he’d lost interest in Gianna.
A man has to be crazy not to want her.
“You know me. Work all the time.”
“Good. Less competition for me.”
Marvin’s ego grew bigger every damn time they talked. It was amazing that any woman wanted to talk to him, never mind marry his ass. That just proved to him what a smooth talker he was. Hustlers usually are.
“I’ve got to go,” he said.
“Are you sure I wasn’t interrupting a hot date?” Marvin said, and then laughed. “Oh yeah. For a minute I forgot who I was talking to,” he said then hung up.
Fucking asshole. If you only knew. But deep down, Jordan was glad he didn’t.
After talking to Marvin, he missed Gianna even more than he did before. No way was he getting any sleep. He flipped on the light and got dressed. There was a pile of files and reports that could use his attention. Work wasn’t where he wanted to be, but it sure as hell beat staring at the ceiling.
When he entered the building the security guard said, “I guess no one can sleep tonight.”
“Which one of my brothers is here?” he asked.
“Not your brothers. Mr. Marciano is here in a meeting.”
There was no way Sal would bring anyone here unless what he was working on affected Lawson Steel. Jordan wasn’t going to his office any longer. He was going to Sal’s.
The door was closed and he knocked. “Come in,” Sal called out.
Jordan opened the door and was surprised to see who was sitting there. “What are you doing here Connor?”
“I asked him to come. You might want to sit down for this,” Sal said.
He stood and asked, “Is it about Gianna?” His stomach was twisted in a knot waiting on his answer.
“No. Well, I’m not really sure yet. Connor is still trying to trace everything.”
Jordan took a seat next to Connor and said, “So let’s hear what you do know.”
Sal told Jordan everything Mary-Lou had shared with him earlier. It explained why Mary-Lou spent the night at Gianna’s. She probably needed her friend.
“What does this have to do with Lawson Steel?” he asked.
Connor said, “Those so called gifts purchased from Mary-Lou obviously had been false.”
“I assumed that much,” Jordan said. “So who did buy them?”
Sal cleared his throat and replied, “You.”
What the fuck!
“Sal, I didn’t send her anything,” he snapped. “Why would someone go through all this trouble to pin it on me?”
“First we need to find out who that person is, and once we do, you can ask them,” Sal stated.
“Is there any way it’s…”
“Marvin?” Sal added. Jordan nodded. “I don’t think he has that skill set, but that doesn’t mean he couldn’t pay someone to do it. But what I don’t understand is why go through all that trouble? Why Mary-Lou?”
Jordan knew exactly why and it scared the shit out of him. “Mary-Lou poured a beer on his head. She stood up to him and that’s not something he could handle.” What the fuck is he going to try to do to Gianna?
Connor said, “Then this is a bigger problem than credit card theft. He’s out to ruin you Jordan.”
“Then I suggest you two figure out how to fucking stop him. Because if you can’t, I will.” And it will be for good.
Jordan wasn’t worried about how this would affect him, or Lawson Steel. Hell, jail time didn’t scare him as much as the thought of Marvin going after Gianna. She’d become the most precious part of his life.
Sal said, “Jordan, until we know for sure what’s going on, I suggest not telling Gianna. Connor will be in the city helping me keep an eye on her as well.”
“And you want me to do what while waiting?” he asked.
“The same thing you’ve been doing all along.”
Except this time, I’m keeping secrets from her. Great.
Jordan got up and headed out of the office. He turned back and said, “I don’t care how many men or how much it costs. I need the answers now.”
“We will. But you need to be prepared, if we found this, the police might and come knocking on your door. As tempting as it might be to tell them what you know, I suggest you say nothing. Whoever is doing this wants your reaction. Don’t give it to him,” Connor said.
“Why?” he asked.
“People like this are playing a game. The only way to beat him at it, is not to play,” Sal added.
“That’s one way to handle it. Let me find out it’s Marvin, and I’ll show you another,” he said and walked out.
It didn’t matter how many files were on his desk, or which custome
r was waiting for a quote. The only thing on his mind was protecting Gianna. If that meant being with her 24/7, then he’d do it. How to do that without telling her why? That was something he needed to think about. She was bright and if he started hanging around all day, she’d question why.
And I better have a damn good answer.
12
Gianna was glad that Mary-Lou felt better today. But she was so worried about her. Proving your innocence wasn’t as easy as Gianna had first thought. Sal had come by before Mary-Lou left and said they were still researching, but it looked promising. That was more than what Gianna could’ve done.
“You’re not even watching this movie, are you?” Jordan asked.
She lifted her head from his shoulder and said, “I’m sorry. I have a lot on my mind. Maybe we could try watching something else?”
“Or we could just shut off the television and you can tell me what’s bothering you,” Jordan suggested.
“Or, we can go into the bedroom and…talk,” she smiled.
Jordan said, “As much as I’d love to take you up on that, I still think it’d help if you tell me what’s bothering you.”
Gianna didn’t want a type of relationship that she couldn’t lean on her partner. She’d been fortunate to grow up in a home that had shown her what being a partner was all about.
“You’re right. But I can’t tell you everything, but I’ll tell you what I know. Mary-Lou had shown up yesterday morning and she was distraught over something that had happened. It’s a legal matter and I can’t get into the details, but it’s…bad. I reached out to…Sal Marciano. He’d…well he’d come to my rescue last week when Marvin showed up at my company.”
“Wait. You saw Marvin?” he asked.
“Yes. But only for a moment. Sal showed up and…removed him. He explained to me that he was keeping an eye on Marvin at your request. Even though I don’t like it, I appreciate it. If Sal wasn’t there, I’d have had no choice but to call the police.” She was getting sidetracked and backed up. “But I actually wasn’t trying to tell you about Marvin, I was trying to talk to you about Mary-Lou. I just can’t figure out who would want to hurt her. I know she has a tough exterior, but she really has a soft heart, and right now she’s scared. I don’t blame her either. I’m scared for her and I don’t know what to do,” she admitted.
The Billionaire's Revenge (The Blank Check Series Book 6) Page 13