Chapter 3

Geovani moves to my side, his hand coming to my back, gently stroking me. His dark eyes meet with mine with a protectiveness I’ve seen before. “Come on, let’s get you inside for a hot shower, you’re shivering. You’ve been through a lot tonight, but you’re strong. Remember that, Red, don’t let this beat you.”

With a nod of determination, he props me up with his arm and leads me toward an elevator. I go with him because at this point, what other choice do I have? I’m a shell of the human I was even two days ago. So much has happened. So much evil at the hands of these families. I’ve lost all will to fight. He can do what he wants with me.

Before the elevator doors open, my limbs give way at the same time, and he scoops me up, carrying me inside. “Red, look at me,” he demands as the car climbs up the fifty floors.

I briefly shift my gaze upward to meet his eyes. I am completely mesmerized by the intensity of his captivating features. Even now when his lip is busted and bruising is coloring his face. My heart flutters. I was falling for him, but now I have no idea who he even is .

There is a warmth there I don’t expect, and suddenly, with our bodies so close, I’m transported back to our time together. “This won’t beat you,” he says again. “Do you understand? The worst is over.”

I suck in a labored breath, wanting to believe him, but I just can’t imagine it is. If everything he’s telling me tonight is true, Enzo is going to be furious. He will be after blood and so will the other Moretti boys. There is no way Alessandro is giving up all the money and power he craves. Carlo won’t give up either… I don’t even want to think about what he’s capable of doing. From the sounds of it, that contract my papa signed with him basically tells him he owns me. He’s going to be fucking fuming. I have only encountered him once, but something tells me he’s worse than the rest of them. He will see to it that he gets what he was promised.

The elevator doors glide open, revealing a grand marble entryway that stretches out before us. I catch glimpses of the breathtaking cityscape below, framed by floor-to-ceiling windows, the tall buildings’ lights twinkling in the dark of night. He carries me up a flight of stairs in the center of the apartment, the sound of his footsteps reverberating through the empty room. With a flick of the switch, the bedroom is instantly illuminated, filling the space with a cozy, welcoming light.

“Hope you don’t mind you’re in with me. This place only has two bedrooms, and Dani and Marco have the other one.”

Hope you don’t mind? Like he really cares if I do. As he guides me further into the room, I notice the soft glow of dimly lit lamps casting a warm ambiance. In the center, a super comfy looking king-sized bed awaits, adorned with a sleek black steel frame. With utmost gentleness, he settles me on the plush comforter, its warmth enveloping me. I could so easily close my eyes and fall asleep right now, but I know I’m a mess.

As I roll over, I notice Geovani standing in the doorway, towel in hand, his eyes fixed on me. Like he’s trying to work out what to do with me.

“Dani and Marco? Why is my brother helping you?” I ask him, still trying to process what he just told me about sleeping arrangements.

With a thoughtful expression, he scans me from head to toe, carefully considering my question. “Take a shower. We can talk more about all this in the morning.”

I sigh heavily; that’s what I expected. He’s just like the Moretti brothers, all fucking secrets and lies. He places the towel on the end of the bed, still watching me. I stare up at the ceiling, trying to work out how to function when my body is so fatigued. You can do this, Harley, one foot in front of the other. You’re not dead yet. But I can’t.

Before I know it, he’s scooping me up and carrying me into the bathroom.

“What are you doing?” I half protest, but I’m too weak to fight him off.

“Getting you fixed up; you can’t sleep like this,” he mutters, his voice filled with a pity I despise. It’s not my fault I look like this.

“You should look at yourself,” I snap back, not too tired to be bitchy when it’s called for. Once we’re in the bathroom, he lets go of me, and I feel my body slide down his until I’m standing. Seeking stability, I lean on the vanity, using it as a makeshift crutch to prop me up.

The reflection staring back at me in the mirror isn’t pretty. I scrub a hand over my face, brushing away the remnants of my smeared bridal make-up. Dark bags hang under my sunken eyes, and my skin is pale and clammy. My arm is also sporting a second bandage, this one higher than the last. What the? I look like I have been to hell and back. How appropriate, because that is exactly what I feel like. Geovani looks just as beat-up. His haunted eyes meet mine.

He takes a step back from me, moving toward the waterfall-type shower that runs along the far wall. Behind me, in the center of the room, stands a stunning free-standing bathtub. This place is fancy, but I guess I didn’t expect anything less with all his mafia money. They all seem to live in the lap of luxury, their lives built with dirty money. The thought sickens me. But in truth, my life was built on the same. I was a spoiled little rich girl enjoying the perks of my papa’s fortunes. I wouldn’t have had the classy education or lavish clothes without it. I just had no idea.

Steam fills the air, followed by the smell of something deliciously fresh, maybe lemongrass. Turning around, I catch sight of Geovani soaping himself up. My mouth nearly hits the tile floor. It’s not like we haven’t seen each other naked before, but dear Lord, I suddenly feel wide awake. I know I should look away, but I can’t. His body is the epitome of male perfection. Muscles bulge in his arms as he scrubs away the blood and sweat from his fight.

He finds me watching him, and his lips turn up at the sides in a slow, sexy smile. He knows the effect he has on women. I’m sure he’s had more than a few throw themselves at him. I was one of them not so long ago.

“Come on in, Red. Don’t look so frightened of me.” He holds out a hand, and I take it tentatively.

“Not frightened, just surprised to see you all…” I wave my hand around, not sure how to get the words out.

He chuckles. “Naked? I don’t normally shower fully clothed.” He runs a hand over my silk slip, implying I should take it off as well.

I join him under the water spray with it still on, not prepared to strip down bare in front of him. I don’t care if he’s seen me before or not. When the spray hits my skin, I close my eyes, enjoying the warmth slowly bringing my body back to life.

He squirts more of the body wash into his hands and runs his soapy fingers over my arms. I don’t know why I let him. I could step away, tell him to fuck off, but I don’t. Something in the gentle way he’s washing me is everything I need right now. He slips the now soaked fabric off my shoulders, and it pools in a heavy wet mess on the tile floor below. I step over it, and his hands come back to my body, releasing the lacy bra, letting it fall. Soapy hands slide over my breasts, but not in a sexual way. In a caring way. This harsh man has it in him to be so caring and gentle. This is what I saw in him last time.

“Turn around,” he commands in a low voice, and I do.

He gently glides a soft washcloth across my exhausted face, effortlessly removing the layers of heavy bridal make-up with tender strokes. The faint scent of cherries wafts through the air as he squeezes a dollop of shampoo onto his palm. With skillful hands, he massages the fragrant liquid into my scalp. I close my eyes, leaning into him, finally relaxing. The sound of water cascading drowns out the world as he rinses away the shampoo, leaving my hair refreshed.

Taking his time, he repeats the process with the conditioner, meticulously detangling my curls with his nimble fingers. It feels as if I am floating, detached from my own body, in this surreal moment. When I got into that car tonight and I saw he was there, I never expected the night would go like this. He’s so surprising. It confuses me, after all the awful things the boys had to say about him.

When my hair is washed, I lean into the cold tile wall, willing my body to keep fighting, but I’m not sure I have anything left in me to fight with. Part of me is relieved I didn’t have to go through with marrying Alessandro—actually, all of me. There was no part of me that wanted to be joined to him and his family through holy matrimony, no matter the residual feelings between us. But the rest of me is just plain scared of what this all means. What does Geovani want with me, and why are Dani and Marco here with us? Why did I wake up in that basketball arena tonight, and what happened there? My head spins from the heat and unanswered questions.

When my skin wrinkles, he shuts off the water, wrapping a fluffy towel around my shoulders, escorting me back toward the mirror. “Today is the first day of the rest of your life. Everything that happened before you got here can stay in the past,” he tells my reflection.

I stare back at him, not sure where he’s going with this. It’s so late, I’m way too tired for whatever motivational speech this is, but he looks determined, so I nod, agreeing with him.

“I’m serious, Harley. You’re strong, and this will not beat you. I want to hear you say it.”

“I’m strong, and this won’t beat me,” I whisper the words, but they feel heavy in my throat as doubt fills my mind. I’ve never felt so vulnerable, like a delicate ceramic doll in a world of hulks.

His dark eyes narrow in on me, and he moves my face so I’m forced to look at myself. “Louder. Say it like you mean it.”

I swallow the lump in my throat as I lock eyes with him, finding the last bit of fight I have in me. “I’m strong, and this won’t beat me,” I say with a look of determination in my eyes that even makes me believe my words.

When I wake up, I’m alone. The side of the bed where I expected to find Geovani sleeping hasn’t been touched. As soon as I climbed into bed, he excused himself, claiming he had work to sort out, and disappeared into the night .

I wonder what work even means for him. If the Moretti boys spend their days running their clubs and helping Enzo keep Ravens Hollow in check, what does Geovani do? I know he has his gym, the one the two of us trained in, but does he spend the rest of his time running jobs for his pa?

I throw my legs over the edge of the bed, finding a pair of knee-high fur-lined boots waiting for me, so I pull them on. They feel heavenly on my tender feet. I grab an oversized hoodie that was left on the end of the bed and pull it over my head, concealing the black tank top and most of the yoga pants I had thrown on before going to sleep last night.

As I run a hand through my tangled curls, I take in the huge bedroom in front of me. This place feels like a prison, but not in the same way being trapped with the Moretti boys did. I make my way over to the window, staring out at the traffic below. A lineup of cars moves toward the main part of the city, horns honking and engines roaring in their battle against the morning rush. I sigh heavily longing to be out there with them. I can’t even imagine what it would feel like to be driving my own little car on my way to work right now. I’m so desperate for my freedom it’s making me feel crazy. But something tells me escaping this place will be just as difficult as the boys’. Last night we came right up to the top floor in that elevator, and my guess is that’s the only way out as well.

Is that what I want? To run for it right now? There might not be bars on the window, but this is all just an illusion. I’m sure Geovani wants me to feel safe, just like I did in his arms last time. But I’m not safe. Not here, not anywhere anymore. If I’m here with the D’Amicos, then the Morettis will be searching for me. After what I witnessed last night, with those masked men weaving their way through that fight shooting people as they went, I know they already are. They were the same masks they wore Christmas Eve when they broke into my papa’s house. I would recognize those shadowy figures anywhere—it was definitely Ricky and Alessandro. Probably there to rescue Maddox and put a stop to the madness that was taking place on center stage. I wonder how he is now. My chest aches when I think of how badly he was hurt.

Resigned to the reality where I’m stuck here with Geovani for the distant future, I open the bedroom door, leaving the security of the room. I’m not sure what to expect, but I deserve answers, and Geovani’s damn well going to give them to me this morning. Marco and Dani too if they’re still here. I’m sick of being kept in the dark.

I may have felt weak last night, but this morning, I have a newfound determination to finish what I started. Geovani might just be the man to help me do it. The Moretti boys might not have had the kind of involvement in destroying my life as I originally thought, but Enzo did. He is the one who needs to pay for what he did to my family. He’s the reason my ma was taken from me when I was only a girl, the reason my papa was caught up in this fucked-up world, and he’s the reason my brother is trapped now, forced to play by his rules in this ridiculous game. But I won’t. I refuse to. I don’t know where Geovani stands, but I know one thing for sure; when it comes to me, he’s protective and kind. I could use that to my advantage and get him to help me seek out my revenge.

Outside the room, I find the stairs we came up last night and wander down them in search of the muffled voices that find my ears. In the light of day, I can see how modern the apartment is. It’s all concrete, wood, and hard shiny surfaces, giving it an industrial feel. I glance into the kitchen, finding it empty, but the faint scent of coffee lingers in the air, making my tummy grumble. But I ignore it, walking further through the apartment. From the other end of the hall, I hear Dani’s laugh, so I continue toward the sound. I stop dead in my tracks when I see who’s sharing a living room with Geovani.

“Hey, girl, glad you’re awake.” Dani sprints toward me, her arms outstretched, and she pulls me into a tight embrace. “Sorry bout the whole drugging you thing,” she says like it was nothing. Today, she seems to be brimming with life and enthusiasm again. I guess she’s over the craziness of yesterday.

But I’m not.

I stand frozen in her grip, feeling the tightness in every fiber of my being, not sure what to do. But Dani is the least of my worries. The other two occupants have my attention. I take a step back from her, not ready to forgive and forget so easily. “What on earth is going on? Marco, Maddox, one of you better start talking right now.” Anger seeps into my words as I growl them out. How did Maddox end up here, of all places?

Want to dive deeper into the world of Dangerous Games of Trust? Pre-order now here (Releases on the 4th of February 2025.)