Page 74 of Sins and Secrets

ALESSIO

Christian sits beside the pool with a cigarette dangling from his lips when I walk outside a few days after his arrival. I’ve barely seen him over the course of the last two days, but I know he’s still looking into Paolo.

“How’s the morning treating you?” I ask as I take a seat on one of the chairs beside the pool. “Missing home yet?”

“I’m here until we get this dealt with.” He looks over his shoulder at me with a smirk. “If you’re here to try and get rid of me, you might want to think again.”

“That almost sounds like a man who is trying to avoid something at home,” I say, crossing one leg over the other. “Trouble in paradise?”

“There would have to be a paradise for there to be trouble. I just don’t trust you to handle this job fully with Billie around. And before you try to argue with me and say that there is nothing there, I saw the two of you in the pool together around midnight.”

I shrug and tuck my arms behind my head. “Look, Billie and I are having a bit of fun. You can’t tell anyone about it, though. Her father would kill me if he knew that I was sneaking around with his daughter.”

Christian takes a long drag of his cigarette before flicking the ashes from the end. “I’m not going to run in there and tell her father, but you know this looks bad, right? On top of that, she is a distraction that you don’t need right now.”

“You know, my father used to say the same thing when I brought a woman home. She was always a distraction I didn’t need. My mother was sure that I was bringing the wrong woman home. We’re not speaking right now.”

Christian chuckles. “That doesn’t surprise me at all. I’m sure most mothers would be pissed that their son is sleeping around with someone who has to be nearly twenty years younger than them.”

I sigh and look up at the clouds drifting across the sky. “Billie is a lot of things, but she isn’t a distraction. Some time spent together after a long day, but nothing more. My focus is on Paolo and hers is on building her business.”

“If I were you, I wouldn’t be so sure of that either. She has the same look in her eyes that my mother and ex used to get right before they lied to me.”

Though I know that Billie is keeping something from me, I don’t like that Christian sees it too. Maybe what she is hiding from me is bigger than I initially thought.

“She has a lot going on in her life right now, but I have no doubts about her loyalty to the famiglia.” I move to sit on the edge of the chair. “Have you found what Paolo has been up to yet? I have to go on a run later and I want to know if he is going to be a problem or not.”

Christian looks interested as he gets up and crushes his cigarette in an ashtray. “I think that I should go out on this ride with you.”

“The point of you being here is to stay hidden and get information that I couldn’t otherwise get. I fail to see why you should go on a run with me when that would put you out where everyone can see you.”

“Not if you let me drive that fancy black car of yours. The windows are tinted so dark that nobody will see me.”

I scowl and weigh my options. Leaving Christian here is just as risky as bringing him with me. I don’t know who else might be working for Paolo and who is watching what. If I bring him with me, I might be able to make him more willing to work together in the future.

Christian is an important ally to have. He has the strongest connections to some of the best drug suppliers in the world. He knows what he’s doing and the fact that he has moved back to the States after years away has put another major player back on the board.

When he decides to start expanding his kingdom again, I don’t want to be someone he sees as an enemy.

“Alright,” I say, pulling the keys to the garage out of my pocket and tossing them to him. “Get the car ready, then. The three of us will be heading out shortly.”

“Three of us?”

I nod and get up, smirking at him. “Your favorite person in the entire world is going to be coming with us.”

Christian groans and runs his hand down his face. “Billie seems like a nice woman, but you’re not going to convince me that having her this involved in your business is a good idea.”

I shrug. “She already works for me at the casino. There’s not much that she doesn’t already know about. Arturo has taught her how things work, and to be honest, she’s a great shot. If we’re about to head into a trap, she’s who I want at my back.”

Christian shakes his head and twirls the keys around his finger. “I’ve got to make a call before we leave. I should be ready in twenty.”

“Good, it’s a long drive.”

With Christian coming and driving the car, I get the chance to take my motorcycle out. It’s been a long time since I was able to ride. Excitement rolls through me at the thought of riding with Billie behind me.

I walk into the house and head up to the loft. She’s sitting at the desk with one knee pulled to her chest and her long hair cascading over her shoulder. I stop at the top of the stairs, watching her for a moment.

“Hey,” she says without looking at me. “What’s up? I thought I had the day off today.”

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