Page 29 of Dangerous Games

“They’re different from traditional ones, but everyone lives by their own code.”

I guess that’s true. “Do you consider yourself a monster?”

“Do you think I am because I killed a man for you?”

Do I?

He took a life, and that’s something you can never get back. But on the other hand, who knows what that man would have done to me when I came home. I know for a fact I wouldn’t have seen him waiting for me under the stairs. Gio’s right, I need to be more aware. But…that still doesn’t take away from the monster that’s standing in front of me.

“You killed a man, Gio,” I tell him, my shoulders squaring as I stand up straight, hoping it will give me the balls to get this out. “I know you’re not a Boy Scout. But something like that sticks with you, you know? It might not hit you today or tomorrow, but eventually it will. I don’t want that on my conscience. And I don’t want to be the reason you end up serving life in prison. I appreciate you looking out for me, and I’ll never be able to repay you.” I pause as I swallow, struggling to get my words out. “But please don’t do that again,” I end on a whisper.

“Cara,” Gio says, his tone commanding my attention. “The first night I met you, I was holding a dead man’s hand I cut off. You think I go to sleep thinking about that? Because I sure the fuck don’t. I’m not a good man, Bronwyn. I’ll never be your definition of a good man. But I get my own form of justice for me and for my family. And now you. That’s never going to change. So, to help you out, something like that does stick with me. But not in the way you think it does. It sticks with me in a way I feel a sense of pride because I can go to sleep easy knowing my woman doesn’t have some sick fuck following her around trying to get a lick at what’s mine.”

My heart starts to race as it becomes hard to breathe. “Your woman?” I barely choke out.

Gio’s hand rises to my face, his thumb slowly stroking down my cheek. “You will be. But that’s a conversation for another day.” My mouth drops open, but I don’t have time to catch up and process what he just said before he’s barreling forward. “Do you think this has something to do with your dad?”

“No,” I rush out as I shake my head. “There’s no way he would do that to me.”

Dennis will never come close to winning the best dad of the year award, but there’s no way he would give me up like that. As far as I know, he’s never been that deep into a problem. Does he spend more money than he makes? Yeah. Do I have to help him out sometimes? Yeah. But would he sell me out? No. Absolutely not.

“I don’t want to upset you, cara, but I just want you to keep it in the back of your mind, okay? I’m going to look into this. I’ve got an ID on the guy. I don’t like someone sniffing around my territory. I want you to promise me something.”

“What?” I ask, scared of what’s going to come out of his mouth.

“I want you to promise me you’ll call me the next time your dad makes contact.”

“Why?”

“I just want to ask him a few questions. You have nothing to worry about. Give me your phone.”

I slowly hand Gio my phone and watch him put his number in. He hits call, so he has mine as well before handing it back to me.

Something tells me I have a lot to worry about with Gio.

Chapter

Ten

GIO

“What the fuck, Gio?” Matteo growls as he prowls into my house unannounced, looking pissed.

“What?” I ask, feigning innocence. I have a feeling I know where this is going.

“What?” Matteo echoes, his brows rising as his voice gets louder. “What? Don’t fucking what me when you know damn well what!”

“I don’t want to piss you off even more by pointing out the obvious, but your dramatic what could be in relation to a lot of things.” I shrug. “You know I’m a busy man.”

Matteo’s face turns a vibrant shade of red as he glowers at me. “I swear to god if you weren’t my brother, and it wouldn’t disappoint Ma, I would shoot you myself.”

“What did I do?” I exclaim, my mouth parting in mocking shock.

“Don’t patronize me,” Matteo hisses. “I gave you a direct order to stay the fuck away from Bronwyn. So please tell me why you thought it was okay to ignore me, kill someone, let her see the body and then you have the balls to go into her place after?”

“I was taking out the trash,” I respond as I pour myself a glass of whiskey and open up a purple umbrella much like the color of the toy I got my first taste of Bronwyn from and stick it in my drink. “And I’m pretty sure the direct order was not to fuck her. Which I haven’t.” Yet.

Matteo plucks the umbrella out of my drink and attempts to throw it across the room. We both watch it go a foot from us before it spirals to the floor. I try to keep the smirk off my face but fail miserably.