Page 99 of Bene

Or not.

“Miss Falco,” he greeted.

Not unkindly.

Still, a tension lingered in his voice.

Vanna’s eyes flew wide, and students blew past her in the hallway as she came face to face with the man. For a brief second, she swung back and forth, checking the hallway to make sure the man who regularly followed her now wasn’t standing anywhere nearby. Jacob Keefs seemed to understand exactly what she was doing.

“He’s currently standing on the front steps waiting for you to leave.”

She gave him a pointed look. “Then, you should know how dangerous this is.”

“What choice did you give me? You ignore my calls, my messages, and my texts. You haven’t sent anything for me to use on the Guzzis when I know you were inside the mansion again just last weekend. What am I to think?”

“That something happened.”

“And here I am to find out what that is.”

Vanna steeled her spine, needing this thing with the detective to be over now. She didn’t have a choice because of Mario, but even if she did, she no longer wanted to play this game. She certainly hadn’t given him enough information to really hurt the Guzzis, but it was probably enough to begin the damage.

And wasn’t that enough?

That alone killed her.

“I have nothing else for you, and my connection to the Guzzi family is dead.”

The man smiled tightly. “Is that so?”

“It is.”

“Or … is it something else?”

Vanna frowned. “What?”

“You were getting very … close to the young Guzzi man, weren’t you? Did you get in your feelings, start getting a conscience about it all, or what? Do you think you’re going to become the next Guzzi queen of that family if the man takes enough of a liking to you?”

She blinked.

And just as quickly, recovered.

“No,” she snapped, “and again, I have nothing. I will no longer be helping you, or whatever investigation you have started on the family.”

That wasn’t the answer he wanted.

Rage dotted his cheeks red.

Taking one step toward her, the detective narrowed his eyes as he said, “You think it’s only the Guzzis who could be hurt here, Vanna? What about you, hmm? The Dettis—they took you in, didn’t they? You think I don’t know what they do for business? What are the chances that something in their dealings will tie to you, and you’ll suffer for it, too? How do you think jail will suit you?”

Fuck him.

She tipped her chin up. “Is that a threat?”

“Does it need to be?”

No.

She wouldn’t play this game.