Impossible Odds

13

My gaze dropped to my plate, my appetite suddenly drying up. “No, I didn’t. I’m not sure how he found me. I hadn’t actually thought that part through.” I’d been so damn caught up with the fact he had found me and wondering what might happen next that I’d forgotten to question how he’d found me. “Have you called the police? Do you even know his name to report him? Wait … you’re not expecting me to keep this a secret, are you?” She gaped at me as if I’d told her I wanted to shave my head and move to a monastery. My spine stiffened. “No, you wait. Don’t you remember—you and Luca and the mafia? You came to me with your secret, and I kept my mouth shut. I expect you to do the same.” Her shoulders sagged, and she sighed. “I don’t know, G. This seems so much more dangerous. This guy sounds like a stalker. Do you know anything about him?” “No, but what I do know is I had the most erotic moment of my life at the club with him two nights ago. I don’t want to call the cops on him.” “You f****d him? In the club?” she whisper-yelled. I was far from prudish, but answering her questions had me squirming in my seat. “Not exactly. He fingered me, and it was insanely hot.” “So while we were worried sick looking for you, you were off in … the bathroom?” “Supply closet.” “The supply closet … getting freaky with your stalker?” I shrugged. “Basically.” She dropped her head into her hands for a second before meeting my wary gaze again. “G, you don’t know this man. Tracking down someone like that isn’t normal. He may not have hurt you yet, but that doesn’t mean he won’t. You need to call the police or tell your dad.” “You know we don’t call the police, not with our family, and there’s no way I’m telling my dad. Aside from not wanting him to know my business, I truly don’t think I’m in danger. You remember when you met Luca? You had a gut feeling he wouldn’t hurt you. Even though you were scared, you felt like you could trust him. I know this all sounds f****d up, but this guy could be my Luca.” I infused my gaze with pleading, hoping she’d understand. Worry lines creased her forehead, and she gnawed on her bottom lip. “I just don’t want you to get hurt.” “I know, but I need you to trust me on this. Hell, I might never even hear from him again.” “I can’t say I would be disappointed,” she grumbled. I grinned. “Thanks, Al. I wanted you to know what was going on, and saying it out loud is helping me sort it all in my head.” “This helped?” She looked at me dubiously. “It did, actually. Believe it or not, I do have some semblance of selfpreservation and had worried about whether I should tell Dad. Now that I’ve talked it through with you, I’m certain I don’t want Dad sending someone out to track him down. This man isn’t going to hurt me, at least, not in a bad way.” My cheeks heated. “Oh, Jesus. I do not want to know.” She shook her head, then her gaze softened as she peered back at me. “You’re a little crazy, you know that?” “I do, but I hope that doesn’t change anything between us.” It had always worried me that Alessia would see my more unscrupulous side and flinch away in horror. She only smirked and placed her hand over mine. “Never. You’re the yin to my yang. The fact that we’re so different is what makes us such a great team.” “Oh, hell. You’re gonna make me cry.” I wiped at an invisible tear, and we burst into giggles. “Okay, now that the ugly part’s over with,” Alessia added, “it’s time to tell me what this man candy looks like. I want to know whatever I can about the man who has the unflappable Giada squirming in her seat.” We spent the next half hour going over my mystery man in critical detail, from his devastating good looks to his sinfully talented fingers. By the time I got home, I was so wound up that it took two rounds with my magic wand to satisfy the ache. After a pasta dinner with a glass of wine, I was positively blissed out until a knock sounded on my apartment door. Panic launched me into action. I jumped off the couch but froze in the middle of my living room, unsure what to do. My first instinct was to go to the door and use the peephole to see who was there, but then I reminded myself that I was in pajama pants and a stained camisole—hardly an alluring wardrobe choice if my mystery man had resurfaced. If you don’t answer soon, whoever is there will leave. Okay! I fumbled to the door and peeked at my visitor, my heart dancing its way into my throat before being doused in a cool bucket of icy suspicion. I backed away and glared silently. What the hell was going on? “Open the door, Giada. We can see you moving around in there,” Maria called out in exasperation. I would have ignored her if I didn’t think she’d break down my door just to piss me off. I liked my cousin well enough, but she was a little intense. “What are you doing here?” I asked as I opened the door, positioning myself to bar her entry and trying to play it cool when I discovered she wasn’t alone. “Who’s this?” “You remember Filip? He’s Matteo’s brother. Let us in; we’re here to install some cameras.” Filip winked, and I tried not to get distracted. Matteo was Maria’s husband and the boss of one of the Five Families. I didn’t know his family well since they hadn’t been married long, but he seemed like a decent guy. He put up with Maria, so that was something. If Matteo was a Rottweiler, Filip was the puppy version—cute and playful but clearly a predator in training. My mind raced with questions. Dad and Uncle Enzo had been tense lately—did whatever was bothering them have Matteo upping security as well? Or more likely, whatever Matteo had told Maria had caused her to crack down on surveillance. Either way, I wasn’t letting them leave without answers. “What’s going on? Why would I need cameras at my apartment?” I opened the door and allowed them inside. “Does it matter? We’re going to install them whether you want them or not.” She dropped a duffel bag of equipment on the coffee table and started examining the area above my front door. “You have a stepladder?” Filip asked. “What? Yeah, there in the hall closet.” I turned back to Maria. “What’s going on? I’m not leaving you alone until you tell me what this is all about.” She dropped her head back, then spun around to glare at me. “You want to know what this is about? Fine. I had a little chat with Alessia earlier. She’s worried about you, that’s it.” My jaw dropped to the floor.