Chapter 3: A Blast from the Past
1075 Words
Their first trip outside Los Angeles was a corporate conference in Las Vegas. They had decided to make a trip out of it, and had arrived few days to the event and spent the time exploring the city.
As they were walking through the conference venue on the day of the meeting, a man approached them, and Emily's expression immediately shifted to one of discomfort.
"Emily, my dear, it's so good to see you again," the man said, his voice smooth and oily.
"Hello, Salvatore," Emily replied tightly, avoiding eye contact.
Salvatore turned to Alexander, offering his hand. "And you must be the lucky man who's captured Emily's heart. Alexander Grey, right? I've heard so much about you. Salvatore Maxwell here"
“Really?” Alexander said as he took the man's hand but felt an instinctive urge to pull away. Perhaps it was the name that unsettled something in his head. But whatever it was, he could tell Salvatore was trouble.
After a few minutes of small talk, Salvatore excused himself, and Emily let out a long sigh.
"Who was that?" Alexander asked, concerned.
"Salvatore Rossi," Emily replied, her voice tight. She was a bit confused by the question even after the man had introduced himself, but then it dawned on her that Salvatore had not used his surname. She knew that was intentional and she wondered if she’d made a mistake by using it. "He's...an old acquaintance," she added quickly.
She could sense that didn’t help matters, but couldn’t tell what was going on in Alex’s mind. What was Salvatore doing here for goodness’ sake? Of all the events in the world, she had to meet him at a business conference – and with her lover boss? Of all the people in the wide world, she had to run into a Rossi with her lover?
Bad chance!
She stole a look at Alex. He was quiet as they continued on their walk, his face rigid like he was trying to concentrate on something. She could tell he was doing his best to wave off whatever it was that was on his mind.
She’d caught a wince on Alex’s face when she mentioned the name of Salvatore Rossi, and she knew instantly he didn’t like the sound of it. How did Salvatore know Alexander at their first meeting. Could it be he’d had an encounter with the Rossi before? Was it good or bad? Was he one of their victims?
The mere thought of that sent goosebumps over her. They were here representing Grey Enterprises at this conference, she reminded herself, and she had to get hold of herself before she caught a fever.
***
For Alexander, the meeting was as distracting as it could be with his mind roaming back and forth the little event earlier in the day. He had a feeling there was more to the story than Emily was letting on.
Feeling uneasy, he excused himself from the meeting and on reaching outside, saw Emily talking with Salvatore. He halted in his track. How the hell did he fail to notice that Emily had left the conference room? What the heck were they both here for that they couldn’t stay put and focus on the business at hand? He watched them from a distance, a thousand thoughts racing in his head
As soon as Emily saw Alexander, she quickly cut the conversation short and walked over to him.
"Is everything okay?" Alexander asked, studying her face.
"Yes, everything's fine," Emily replied, but Alexander could tell she was lying.
"What was Salvatore saying to you?" Alexander pressed, his voice firm.
"It's nothing, really," Emily said, her eyes darting around nervously.
"Emily, we need to talk," Alexander said firmly.
They walked down the dimly lit hallway of the conference center, Emily feeling like she was in a daze. Her mind was filled with thoughts of Salvatore, the real estate mogul who was in fact, a spy for the mafia. She couldn't believe that she had just come face to face with him, and even worse, that she had done it with Alexander by her side.
She’d known Salvatore as a spy from her time in the mafia, when she had been close with Lorenzo Rossi. She knew that Salvatore was just as crooked as Lorenzo, if not more so. He had used his position as a real estate mogul to track wealthy clients and organizations, and masterminded their attacks with other mafia crew members.
Emily shuddered at the thought of Salvatore's criminal activities. She knew that he had never made an honest penny in his life, and even his startup capital had been proceeds of crime. And now, with Alexander by her side, she felt even more exposed to the dangers of Salvatore's world.
"Is everything okay?" Alex asked when they’d reached their room.
Emily sighed and looked at him. "He's just an acquaintance from my former workplace," she replied, trying to reassure him.
Alexander raised an eyebrow. That was totally off. He hadn’t asked her anything other than her obviously worried self, yet he knew she was referring to Salvatore Rossi. "I hope he's only an acquaintance," he said, his voice laced with concern.
"He is, Alex,” Emily replied, trying to downplay the situation. “I knew him from my former workplace,"
A well-rehearsed line, Alex thought. "Are you sure?" he asked her. "Because anyone in the corporate world knows that Salvatore Rossi doesn't have the best records."
Emily's heart skipped a beat. She hadn't realized that Alexander knew about Salvatore's reputation.
"Really?" Emily asked, trying to remain calm.
Alexander nodded. "He's a known associate of the Rossi crime family," he said, causing Emily to tense up.
That didn’t escape Alexander’s notice. He had never seen Emily so lost in worry before, and he wondered what it was between her and Salvatore that a mere meeting had roused in her. Co-workers, and likely former lovers too, he thought. She was tense having to meet her ex with him, the almighty Emily Parker… a mischievous smile crept into the corners of his mouth and he quickly checked himself when he turned and noticed Emily’s rough state.
“Look, Em,” he said, placing a reassuring hand on her shoulder, "we have to get the hell out of here first thing tomorrow." His voice was firmly and left no room for arguments.
Emily took a deep breath and nodded. "Okay, let's do it."
- Writer
