I take a mental note to remember any conversations I have with Rocco are never private when Smith replies, “I’m hacking into the clinic’s mainframe now. They’re as lax on security as you.”
Rocco laughs before replying, “If you get anything, come back to us.”
My inclusion in Smith and Rocco’s duo is appreciated, but I just realized how foolish I’m being. Instead of discrediting India’s claims I was never pregnant, I’m feeding the hype. This won’t help me convince Dimitri I was telling the truth. It could do the exact opposite.
It dawns on me that Rocco has mindreading abilities when he says, “Although this won’t aid in smoothing things over with Dimitri, it could give us a lead on the people playing him.”
“He got the people playing him.” I speak slowly as if he is deaf. In reality, I need time to process my words since I’m so damn confused. “Rimi is dead.”
Loving the uncertainty in my voice, Rocco hits me with a frisky wink before he heads for the door. My heart is a twisted mess, but since my head is still screwed on straight, I race him for the door, slamming it before he gets close to exiting. “Tell me everything you know.”
“I don’t—”
I cut off his lie with a glare before adding words into the mix. “You asked me to jump. I sailed over the edge without fear. That makes me a part of this…” I wave my hand around my room as if Dimitri, Fien, and Smith are with us, “… and I don’t care what Dimitri says, I’m going to be a part of it until the end.”
Rocco leans so close to me, I smell what he ate for breakfast in his shallow breaths. “Some would say the curtains are already closed, Roxie. That the show is over.”
I return his lean without the slightest bit of fear knocking my knees together. “And I’d say they’re full of shit because even gangsters know the show isn’t over until the lights go out.”
I saw the light in Dimitri’s eyes when he glanced down at me partway through my story, felt it heating my skin. It isn’t close to being snuffed, so that not only means I need to keep fighting, I must do everything in my power to keep it lit.
I am, after all, the reason for its glow.
Rocco licks his lips before cracking them into a smile. “Are you sure you want to go down this road, Princess P? Your castle is mighty enticing, but everyone knows mushrooms grow in fungi.”
I’m a little lost to what he means, but I figuratively roll up my sleeves, preparing for battle. “You shouldn’t underestimate mushrooms. They’re all edible, but some you will only nip at once.”
30
Dimitri
Ispot Roxanne’s race past the downstairs sitting room I’m using as an office before she pivots back around and charges into my room. Considering her foot is still a little bunged-up from her time under Rimi’s watch, she moves quickly.
I’m not surprised. Her firecracker personality suits her hair coloring. I don’t see anything slowing her down. Not even my rejection the past three days has made an indent to her fiery personality. That’s why I upped the ante today.
Unlike India’s numerous staff, Roxanne doesn’t knock and wait for permission to enter. She steamrolls into the room at the speed of sound, her steps so fast, the smell I’ve fought like hell to ignore the past three days whips up around me, tightening the front of my pants even more than her beautiful face.
“Can you please tell thislady…” She spits out her last word like she’s doubtful India’s head of housekeeping is a woman. Sofia is standing outside of the door, clutching the bag I asked her to pack for Roxanne in her hand. “That I donothave a flight to Hopeton scheduled for tonight. She’s packing my things like I’m—”
“Leaving?” She closes her mouth, pinches her brows, then nods. “Youareleaving. That’s why Sofia is packing your belongings.”
My jaw tightens to the point of cracking when Roxanne steps closer to my desk. My hands itch to touch her, but I ball them at my sides instead. The past three days have been pure torture, but the threads I stupidly stopped seeking days ago are popping back up everywhere. There is almost enough of them to ruin an entire outfit, and if the person who killed my baby with Roxanne is wearing it when I hit it with my wrath, I’m all for shredding every last piece of it.
With her eyes locked on mine, seeking any deceit in them, Roxanne says, “Rocco only said this morning that we need to lay low for a couple more days.”
What she’s saying is true. Although pissed I didn’t hold back and wait as agreed upon, the Feds aren’t the only one chasing my tail. The CIA is right there with them. I’d gloat if it didn’t mean I have to maintain an amicable relationship with India. She’s more demanding than Audrey, and I’m not even married to her.
With the annoyance on my face believable, I use it to my advantage. “Yes, we need to lay low for a few more days. Since the men Officer Daniel was working with have been taken care of, you are no longer included in that equation.”
Roxanne scoffs, huffs, then scoffs again, truly unsure how to respond. Her shock is understandable. I’m a neurotic, jealous prick when it comes to her, but to play this game right, I have to live up to the hype of my last name. Shipping Roxanne off is the next logical step. Then, not only will the woman I’m chasing lose her scent, she’ll shift her focus back to her original target—my wife.
Do I feel like an absolute cunt drawing the focus of a deranged woman back to Audrey? Yes, I do. But the knot in my gut is nowhere near as tight as it is when I consider what could happen if I don’t. Roxanne put her life on the line for me, she lost our child in the process. I owe her this level of protection.
Some may say Audrey deserves to be safeguarded the same way. I agree, for the most part. There’s just a niggle in my gut that won’t quit warning me to remain cautious when it comes to anything to do with Audrey. It feels like there’s more at play here than just my marriage, and when I find out what it is, there will be hell to pay.
Once Roxanne settles her emotions, she folds her arms in front of her chest. I really wish she wouldn’t. I sustained from sexual activities for almost two years, but that was my choice. This, however, is not. “We’re not doing this again, Dimitri. You’re not sending me away to see if I’ll come back. We’ve done that, we moved past it, now can we please get onto the real issue here. I can help you. You’ve just got to let me in.”
My mask almost slips when her voice cracks at the end, but I suit back up, forever ready for battle. Her departure won’t be forever. If I play my cards right, she could be back in my bed, where she belongs, by the end of the week.
