Remember When We Read online

  Even if I’d met this guy at the police station, I would have thought he was as shady as shit. Yes, definitely as shady as shit.

  “Don’t worry man.” Frankie told him. “Chill out.”

  “Don’t give me orders and tell me shit about chilling out.” Bailey stepped closer to him. “You just do your job. Get the transport ready like I said.” It gave me an idea of the dynamic they had. Frankie was who he was, but clearly Bailey called the shots.

  “It’s ready now.” Frankie smirked. “Where should we get him from? Same place?”

  They were talking about someone. Bailey had said Torrez a minute ago.

  “No. He’ll be at the Double Tree on main. He’ll be ready at six on Wednesday. I’ll send details of his room. Get him and do this without any flaws Santora. I don’t want anything traced back here.” Bailey poked Frankie in his chest. “You’ll get your money when Emilio Torrez is on that boat back to Guadalajara.”

  This just kept getting better and better.

  Fucking hell.

  Emilio Torrez, terrorist and black market trafficker. He was a member of the anarchist group called The Ra and was wanted by every country known to man.

  Fucking hell.

  Obviously, this Bailey Donovan was bigger than what I’d first thought.

  The fucker was using his title for all kinds of benefits. Police captain turning a blind eye and helping to smuggle terrorists out of the country.

  He was something else. Bailey Donovan really was.

  “Don’t worry about it man. I got this. No problem.”

  “There better not be. This is a billion dollar gig. I love my money,” Bailey warned before he turned and walked away.

  Frankie did the same thing.

  My whole body was numb.

  Numb from the discovery of what we were up against.

  But fuck, I had the worst idea ever—The absolute worse.

  It was something like this that Marshall had seen eight years ago. Something just like this and it got him killed.

  I wanted to get these people and get them good too.

  “What are you thinking Gio?” Gibbs asked.

  “I want to piss them off.”

  “Gio, this just got a whole lot worse.”

  Yes, I didn’t doubt that.

  I was going to play with them and when I had them scrambling around I’d hit them hard, right below the belt.

  I wanted a confession out of Bailey. I wanted to hear him say that he was responsible for Marshall’s death. To do that though I was going to need leverage.

  I think I just got that in the form of the world’s most wanted man.

  Dante shook his head, he really knew me. I just looked at him and knew, he already knew the plan that was brewing in my mind.

  “Gio that could fucking backfire.” Dante frowned.

  “We just have to hope it won’t Dante. Time for some good old-fashioned kidnapping.”

  “Kidnapping?” Gibbs asked, mouth dropping.

  Leverage. I’d take Torrez in exchange for a confession.

  If they crossed me and pissed me off, I’d hand him over to the feds myself.

  They didn’t know who they were messing with.

  “What we gonna do? Grab him when he comes out of his room?” Dante asked.

  “No, we just walk in there and take him.” I smiled a wicked smile I didn’t really feel. “Old school.”

  Dante chuckled. “Old school.”

  “God. I think I need to increase my hourly fees and look over my contractual terms.” Gibbs sighed.

  I pulled out my phone. It was time to round up the boys, bring Chicago to Philly.

  Sometimes you had to send a message loud and clear to get results.

  I was ready for this to be over and I wasn’t fucking waiting until Wednesday either. This started now. The minute the guys got here I’d strike.

  It was simple either they did as they were told or suffer the consequences.

  I wanted a confession out of Bailey and I was going to fucking get one.

  Chapter 19

  Lyssa

  I couldn’t take it anymore. I had to see Carla.

  I had to talk to someone I could reason with. No point telling Dad what had happened with Frankie, because he couldn’t really be thinking straight. It was crazy for him to think that he could take care of our situation as he thought he could.

  I had heard it for myself. Frankie wanted me.

  That was what he wanted, not the money.

  Me for one night, or me forever if I failed to pay off the debt.

  As usual Carla was in her office, but there was a guy in there with her.

  They both saw me when I walked up to the door. I’d thought to turn back, not wanting to interrupt, but it was too late.

  “Hey,” Carla bubbled when she saw me. She was beaming ear to ear with a radiant smile that made her eyes sparkle and her skin look even more glowy.

  “Hi, sorry I didn’t know you were busy.” It was the one thing with this passage way that when you turned the corner the door was situated in a way that you couldn’t see inside until you got right up to it. It had to do with the door being on the opposite side to where it should be.

  “No apologies needed.” Carla giggled. “This is Sean.”

  “Hi, pleased to meet you.” Sean said moving to shake my hand.

  “Great to meet you too.” I replied putting on that mask of mine. The one I’d bring out when I was desperately unhappy.

  He moved back to Carla and smiled. From the way he was looking at her it was evident that he shared the same feelings for her. It made me happy to see her happy and with a guy that was into her.

  He was just as gorgeous as Carla said. Tall military type with dark blonde hair and muscles on top of muscles. A hundred percent Carla’s type. He couldn’t have been more perfect in description than if she’d made him herself. It seemed too that he had the personality that was perfect for her. He was standing with an air of confidence fitting to a man that was sure of himself, just like my Gio.

  My Gio …

  If I was thinking of him as mine why the hell had I contemplated sleeping with Frankie. I was disgusted with myself; completely disgusted.

  Tears pulled at the backs of my eyes, but I staved them off and looked at the lovely couple before me.

  Carla looked at me and I noted that she could tell something was up with me.

  She always knew.

  “Babe, can I meet you at the restaurant in an hour?” she asked Sean.

  “Of course.” Sean nodded lowering to give her a quick kiss.

  With one last smile he left us. “He seems wonderful.” I told her.

  Damn it, the tears had started streaming down my cheeks. They weren’t stopping and coming fast.

  Carla got up and grabbed the Kleenex. She came over to me and dabbed my cheeks gently. Closing the door behind us as she took my hand to usher me over to the chairs.

  When she sat me down, she pulled me into her arms where I cried. I was crying so hard by this time I didn’t know if I would be able to stop myself. I didn’t know if it was possible to stop with the way I felt.

  Like a river that continuously flowed the tears came and I wanted to cry off all of the devastation.

  This however wasn’t like the pain that came with loss. It was the type of pain that came with feeling hopeless, desperate, and unable to come up with a resolution to a problem. It was exactly what this was.

  It was a problem I needed to talk about with someone who could help me reason. Not Gio, because he wasn’t the type to reason. When I saw his face the other night looking at me and Frankie, I knew he was thinking we were together. I didn’t know if he knew I lied. He was far from stupid and far from the type to accept my answer easily, which I now saw screamed lies.

  Pulling in a deep breath and taking a second to gather my thoughts I managed to tell Carla what was happening.

  She shook her head when I was finished.

  “Don’t do i
t. Don’t fucking do it.” She simply said, her face stern the expression completely formidable. “I know you. You’re a strong woman Lyssa. But you are human and as humans when backed into a corner under serious pressure we cave and crumble sometimes. You can’t always be strong. But right is right and wrong is wrong. He gave you that option, because he can see that you’re with Gio. It’s something he’ll use to play with you.”

  “You think so?” I asked.

  “Yes.” She gave me an incredulous stare. “Of course it’s a game. Lyssa if that was an option, and I’m not saying it’s a good one he would have given it to you well before now. I know you would have still continued to pay him and pay him and pay him until it killed you, but he gave this option to you now only because of Gio. He knows there’s a chance that he won’t get you. So he offered the simplest thing and made it all sound like he was doing you a fucking favor. It would be easier to do it than tell Gio.”

  I sucked in a breath. “He’s backed me into a corner Carla. He won’t wait for the house to sell. What if I can’t sell the house in four months?”

  Again, she shook her head. “Fuck it, Lyssa. Don’t let this guy get to you and stitch you up the wrong way. No. You sell the damn house and make him wait. You’re doing this legit. Sell the house and make him damn well wait. If he has a problem with it then he can speak to Gio. If it comes to it that you don’t even have to tell Gio about the whole sex stuff. You just tell him you’re trying to pay off a debt and Frankie’s making it difficult for you. By then you’ll be in Chicago and he won’t want to come for you there.”

  “Could it really be that simple?”

  “Yes, but guess what I’d do?” Carla straightened up.

  “What?”

  “I’d just tell Gio. I’d tell him what’s happening the same way you told me. Straight up.”

  I had thought about it. I did. It would probably be the easiest thing, but telling him would open the door for all kinds of shit.

  Matthew and Dad ... Frankie wouldn’t hesitate to kill them. I saw it in his eyes and he meant it. There was no compassion in his eyes.

  I shook my head. “I’ll try and sell the house. I’ll put it up for sale and get the money and pay him. I’ll tell Gio everything when it’s done. This is something I have to figure out on my own. I know him Carla. He won’t just listen to me talk the way you are. I’m pretty certain he’ll go crazy and there’s not just Frankie I have to worry about. He’ll rip into Dad too for letting this happen to me. I know he will.”

  She nodded understanding. “I’m here if you need me Lyssa. But please don’t do anything stupid. Sell the house and push the other option out of your mind forever.”

  I absolutely would.

  * * *

  I got home to find Gio sitting in the kitchen. He was reading the newspaper.

  It didn’t seem like Dad or Matthew were here.

  Gio got up and came over to me when he saw me. He pulled me into his arms and held me close pressing his chin to the top of my head.

  “Baby doll, I missed you.”

  “I went to see Carla.” I answered gazing up at him. “Where’s Dad and Matthew?”

  “Gone food shopping. Matthew wanted grape jelly. That kid is so much like me.” He chuckled.

  “You can say that again.” I chuckled. To Gio there was no other flavor of jelly in the world besides grape. All the others were nonexistent.

  “I can’t wait to get to know more about him. In just a few days it feels unreal. I became a parent overnight, but I was one for this whole time.” He looked so proud. I wished I could share the pride with him.

  “You’re doing good. He adores you. I’m pretty sure you’re his new idol.” In just these past few days Gio had split his time up between me, Matthew, and this investigation of his. He’d spent more time with Matthew though playing video games, talking bikes and fast cars, and playing with him. It was nice to see them together. It felt like a dream I’d wanted for so long and never thought I could really have.

  “I wish I could tell him who I am.” He added with a thoughtful stare.

  “You should, or I can. We both can together. I don’t mind telling him.”

  “I want to do it too. You’ve been this rock in his life for so long, doing everything. It’s a difficult conversation and I should do it.” He looked down at me then narrowed eyes. “You have been crying.” He cupped my face looking at me closely.

  “I’m okay. I am I was just having one of those moments when everything gets to me.”

  “I’m working on stuff Lyssa, and it will be over soon. I promise.”

  He hadn’t told me or Dad anything much about what he was doing. I knew that was on purpose. For him to say it would be over soon meant he’d found something.

  “What did you find out?” I suddenly switched from my worries over Frankie to wanting to know if he had found Marshall’s killer.

  “I’m taking care of it. You don’t have to worry about it. I’m taking care of it,” he replied with a wink. “Why were you crying? Tell me baby. Something’s been up since the other night. Something’s been up …. the whole time.” he held my gaze.

  This was it, another moment when I was presented with the opportunity to tell the truth.

  This time though I wouldn’t lie. I would tell him exactly what I was doing.

  “I have some stuff to take care off.”

  “Whatever it is I can take care of it for you.”

  I shook my head. “No, it’s something I have to do myself. You know one of those things where you have to be the one to do it and make sure it gets done.” I smiled. “I promise once I get it all sorted out, I’ll tell you everything.”

  “Lyssa, that sounds like something big. Does this have to do with Frankie Santora? I know it does.”

  A lump formed in my throat again. “It does, but it’s nothing to worry about. Nothing I can’t handle.” Just like Carla said I could do this. Sell the damn house and sort out the problem. Don’t allow Frankie to get to me and make me think there was some easy way out of it, when there really wasn’t.

  “Were you and him together? Is that the problem.”

  “No, not at all.”

  “Is he bothering you? Tell me. You need to tell me now. I’ll kill that fucking bastard if he is. You just tell me.”

  Another chance. “Gio, please I got this. Promise me you won’t do something crazy. I’m tying up loose ends before I go to Chicago. That’s what I’m doing.” I nodded. “That’s what I’m doing.”

  “Okay. But, baby doll crazy’s on the way here already. I don’t want you near him. Do you hear me?”

  I nodded. With the plan I had I wouldn’t need to be near Frankie at all.

  “I hear you. Come here,” I crooked my finger and beckoned him lower for a kiss.

  He did kissing me slow and tenderly, showing me without words all that he felt for me.

  I giggled when he swooped me up.

  “We have the house to ourselves. Time to make you scream.” He lifted me over his shoulder cave man style and carried me upstairs to the bedroom.

  This man always had the ability to wipe my brain clean of everything even when I carried the weight of the world on my shoulders. He could do it so easily.

  He set me down on the bed and kissed all my worries away. We tore away at each other’s clothes until we were a tangle of skin to skin and the silky sheets.

  He kissed me in that possessive manner trailing fiery hot kisses all the way from my mouth to my ear. Then continued even more all over my body.

  All over me inside and out.

  My body welcomed him as he set me against the stack of pillows, parted my thighs and slid into me, filling me up completely with hot pleasure. Ultimate pleasure that increased with every thrust and pump he gave me.

  Luring me into the wildness of him, and that madness of erotic ecstasy. All I’d ever wanted was him and I would never do anything to mess this up.

  Frankie could come at me with everything, with
all his threats and whatever, but through all that I was so glad I had never given up. Never relenting before Gio came back and I definitely wouldn’t ever do it now. Even if the fucking thought crossed my mind, I knew me. I knew myself and knew that I could never hurt Gio like that. I would die first and that was one thing Frankie didn’t know about me.

  When I loved, I loved hard and this man had always had my love.

  Us like this was pure magic—our love. It stopped being sex, and we were making love. There was a big difference, because it was everything. All the wildness and passion combined with love. It was an experience that had to be felt to be explained fully.

  Lost in the rhythm, together we went over the edge and when we came it was with that same passion that exploded where we were joined.

  He lowered next to me once he finally stilled and pulled me into his arms.

  “I love you.” He whispered into my ear.

  I had to look at him, because he’d never told me that before. “What … what did you say?”

  “I love you,” he repeated.

  In all the years we’d been together before he left, he had never said those words. I’d felt it and seen his love for me. I knew it when he came to the lake house. My ultimatum was to come if you love me and he did. In my young mind I just believed actions were deafening in comparison to words. I had always wanted him to show me he did and he always did.

  Hearing him say it though was …

  It was like pure undiluted happiness filling my body.

  “I love you Lyssa. That was what I should have said to you several times over in the past. But definitely that day when you first said it. This was what I wanted to say …” he eased himself up to sit and stared down at me. “When you told me you loved me. I wanted to say, I love you too. Come with me. Just come with me. I missed it all, because I thought I was doing the right thing for you. If I had been here, I would have taken care of you. I would have been the happiest man alive when you told me you were pregnant.” He lowered to kiss my stomach and lingered there resting his head against my skin the way most men would when their wives or girlfriends were pregnant. “I would have done this every day. It would have been the happiest time of our lives even in a time of grief. It would have been a time to remember when we were us.”