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“So do I. It's kind of scary not knowing. I mean, he could be anywhere.”
Swallowing hard, I focused on that flower again. Yeah, he could be anywhere, and my gut was telling me he was a lot closer than I wanted him to be.
JUDGE
Iwatched as Gio, head of The Family and my not so official boss, weaved his way towards me through the bustling tables. He looked younger, more relaxed than I had ever seen him, but there was a slight tension between his eyebrows. That was understandable. I’d have been slightly tense as well if our situations had been reversed.
Rising slightly from my chair, I thrust out my hand. He shook it quickly, barely touching it before taking his seat opposite me.
“You didn’t have to come, Gio.”
Simply being there was putting that line between his dark brows. Not because he thought I would rat him out. Gio knew better than that. He knew that I would never talk. Just like he knew I would do everything in my power to be found innocent of the murder he had committed. No, it wasn’t me who was putting the worry on his face. It was the fact that this mess I was cleaning up meant he was away from his new bride. His beautiful and heavily pregnant bride. Gio had loved her from the moment he first saw her, and he worried about her a lot. Probably more than was healthy. I knew from Keeley herself that she had to tell him to back off a little at times. He was her faithful and devoted lap dog, which was amusing seeing as he was the head of the most feared crime syndicate in the world. But then again, everyone had their weaknesses, and Gio’s just happened to be a curvy blonde.
Over the white tablecloth, Gio’s frown deepened. “Sure, I did. I can't trust the phones.” He fell silent as a waitress sauntered over to the table. She appraised us both with keen eyes and the interest in them couldn’t be missed. I knew what she saw. Two handsome, dark–haired men in clearly expensive clothes. We had dressed to fit in, but you couldn’t dim what we were, alpha males. Top of the damn food chain. He waited until she had filled his water glass, thanking her softly without looking at her before he continued. “Please tell me you have sorted out the little problem, because I would like to wrap this up and get home to my wife.”
“How is Keeley? She doesn’t have long left now, does she?”
“She's perfect and cranky and she needs me home to rub her feet.” He sighed happily, and I smiled before I could help myself. I was glad they had found each other. Catching my look, Gio shook himself. “Stop changing the subject, you fucker. Tell me what is happening.”
With a shrug, I said, “They have all been bought, but…”
The relaxed look on Gio's face vanished. “But? Jesus, you have either sorted it or you haven’t. Which one is it?”
And there he was. The mob moss. The killer who had almost as much blood on his manicured hands as I did. Gio was the youngest of his brothers and had been overlooked pretty much his entire life. People looked at him and saw weakness. Those people usually ended up dead.
“There's a girl…”
“I see.” He continued to look at me, and the longer I had his blue eyes on me, the more uncomfortable I felt. “You’ve tried buying her off?”
I remained silent. And he read my silence for what it was. My refusal to speak.
“I swear to the Madonna…”
“I have a plan, Gio. You don’t have to worry about it,” I finally snapped. This was the reason I didn’t want to have a face–to–face with him. On the phone, I could lie easily. I could change the subject and dodge his questions, but face to face? Face to face, I didn’t have a chance. Gio was too perceptive for that.
“She's pretty, I take it?”
Yeah, Gio was perceptive as hell. And it didn’t help that he knew me pretty well. “Beautiful, sweet, dirty as….” Too late, I realised my mistake. Cursing myself under my breath, I lapsed into silence. But the damage was done.
Gio’s eyes widened. “Please, don’t tell me you’ve slept with her.”
I locked my lips together.
“Judge.”
“You told me not to tell you.” I chuckled. “Honestly, Gio, you know better than to question my methods. Have I ever let you down?”
“You have fucked the woman who could put you behind bars. Do you not see how fucked up that is? How foolish? And then what? You ghost her? How is that going to work in your favour, Judge? She’s going to take you down just for spite.” The anger in his voice was unmistakable, and I knew he had a point, but his lack of belief in me was starting to grate on my nerves. Leaving my eyes on him, I met his scowl with one of my own.
“I didn't ghost her and believe me, she doesn’t think anything bad of me. I made sure of that.” And I had. In more ways than one. The night I had taken Taylor to my bed was one that she wouldn’t forget in a hurry and the note I had left her…well that would keep the hope alive in her chest. And it was the note more than anything else that had sealed the deal with my little romantic juror. Which was the reason I had written it. I knew her, what made her tick, what made her swoon. Hell, I probably knew her better than she knew herself, and I had only spent a few hours with her because I was good at my job. And I did my homework thoroughly.
“So, what exactly is your plan here?” He fell silent again, studying me and I could see the cogs turning in his head. “You think you can seduce her into letting you off? Jesus, Judge, that is the most crazy, stupid thing you have ever come up with and I've seen you try a lot of stupid shit over the years.” He laughed, but it wasn’t a happy sound. “Do I need to sort this out myself?”
Ice lanced through my veins, and my head snapped up with a growl in his direction. Gio took it in his stride. Where most guys would have pissed themselves, he continued to stare at me cooly. But my reaction wasn’t lost on him. “No.”
“No?” Settling himself calmly into his chair, the head of The Family continued to stare at me. “Did you just tell me no? If you can't do it, then I will find someone who can. You are too valuable to The Family to lose.”
“I'm not going to be found guilty, Gio, have I ever?” I lowered my voice, speaking in a more hushed tone because people were starting to glance over. It wasn’t that we were talking loudly, but there was a tension between us that other people had begun to pick up on. “But you leave Taylor to me.” There was a finality to my words. Gio might be head of The Family, but he needed me more than I needed him. The Family needed me. I was the one that made all their problems go away.
