Page 57 of Because I Need You
To men like Giovanni, sometimes a knife was just a knife. A tool they could easily conquer and dispose of. It hadn’t been that way with that guy that night, though. It wasn’t a knife I’d used. It was a shard from a broken Corona bottle lying nearby. I’d already resound myself to my fate by that point, my mind checking out as he took advantage of me, but when I saw that glimmering piece of glass, I grabbed it and aimed for his face, his arm, anything I could sink it into. I became interested in knives after that. My father couldn’t understand it, but he bought me this one anyway. My gaze fell to the pocket I’d stored it in. It was engraved with my initials: IEB. Isabel Emilia Bonetti. I’d learned how to somewhat do things with it from YouTube (thank you, internet), but I’d never used it on a person. The first time I’d even threatened someone with it was last night. God. I shivered. I would’ve used it, too. I knew that as well as I knew this entire thing between Gio and me would blow up in my face. I glanced at the door as the woman closed and locked it.
“No one else is coming?” I looked at Petra. She looked up from her phone and shook her head, then went right back to it.
The remainder of the flight was silent for the most part, except when Joey Z took the seat across from me and opened up a foldable chess set.
“You play?” he asked. “I can teach you.”
“I think I remember.” I picked up the black pieces and set up my side of the small board. “My dad taught me when I was around seven.”
“Was he any good?”
I let out a laugh, looking at Joey. “I don’t know. He was the only person I’ve ever played with.”
“I learned in prison,” he said, like it was no big deal, like it was a normal place to visit.
“Interesting.” I moved a pawn.
“I learned how to read there, too.”
“And people are always talking about how bad our prisons are,” I said, mostly joking, because I couldn’t even begin to imagine how terrible it must have been in there.
“I don’t like it.” He moved a piece. “Some guys do though. They get used to it, feeling caged. Don’t know what to do when they’re out here, you know.”
“I don’t know, but I can imagine.” I moved a piece. “What were you in for?”
“Robbery.” He shot me a look. “I was the getaway, not even the fucking robber, but whatever, I’m not a snitch.”
“You were still involved.” I bit back a laugh because this conversation was fucking insane, and I was having it anyway. “The getaway is still involved in the robbery.”
“That’s what Judge Rosalyn said.”
We continued to play in silence. He beat me twice before we landed and I decided that tonight, I’d watch YouTube videos on how to play chess, because no way would he beat me a third time. Not that I was planning on sticking around much longer. I did need to get back to work in August. It wasn’t like I had all the time in the world to sort this stuff out with the marriage and the warehouses and whatever else they needed from what my father left. I knew it would be much easier if I just gave them access to all of it, but I didn’t want to. As it was, they had more than enough information. I needed to focus on packing up his things, selling the house, and getting the hell out of here. It didn’t matter how much Giovanni affected me whenever he was near me. It didn’t matter what spark we had or how good he was in bed. None of it mattered. I didn’t belong in this life any more than I belonged in the life of a politician.
We pulled up to a luxury building, where Joey parked in the garage and the three of us got down. I looked around, unsure of what we were doing here. It didn’t matter. It wasn’t like I was going to stomp my feet and get out of here. I knew I was safe with these people, so I let them lead me inside, to the elevator, and up the building to the penthouse. I instantly knew this was Giovanni’s. All this luxury had his name written all over it. When the doors opened, I paused in the elevator. Damn. At least the man had class. He must have paid an interior designer a lot of money, because it looked straight out of a Restoration Hardware catalog. Everything was sleek and dark. The floors were black stone, the walls were black stone, the mirrors were huge, but the furniture itself was just clean and minimal. And then, the hall opened up to the living room and kitchen and my jaw dropped. He had the most perfect view of the city I’d ever seen. I walked over and stood by it, not setting a hand on it out of fear that I’d dirty the glass.
