Page 85 of Sins and Secrets

Christian takes a sip of his beer. “I know you’re right. And I’d never consider it under different circumstances. But I have to protect my people.” He shakes his head as he lowers it. “There are times that I think I never should have come back from Colombia. If I had stayed down there, I wouldn’t be dealing with this right now.”

“Then why don’t you go back there after Paolo is dealt with?”

He shakes his head. “I can’t risk my people. And I have no guarantee they’ll be safe if I do that.”

I’m about to ask him another question when Alessio walks in the room. Christian nods to him before getting up and heading outside with his phone in hand. I watch as Christian makes his way to the pool house, disappearing inside moments later.

“How was Emilia’s?” Alessio asks as he stoops down to kiss me quickly. “Did you have a good time over there?”

“It was good, but it was a lot. I haven’t seen her in weeks, and it feels like she doesn’t want to talk much about her own life.” I shrug and sip my beer. “It’s alright, though. Just that season of life, I guess. We talked about my business a bit too.”

“Speaking about the business, when were you planning on getting started with that?” He stands behind me and combs his fingers through my hair. “I know that you’re planning on doing this on your own, but I have some contacts I could give you who would be useful while you’re building the resort.”

“I have to find a location first,” I say, my eyes drifting shut at the soothing feeling of his fingers in my hair. “I’m not sure where I want to build. I think the other side of the city or a neighboring one would be a good idea. I don’t want to be anywhere near the casino, though.”

“I have a few realtors working for me. I could introduce you to one of them when you’re ready.”

With a sigh, I wonder how far he is going to push it. I know that he is just trying to help, and I appreciate it, but he keeps pushing.

“Thank you. I think I’m going to look for a realtor outside the famiglia, though. I don’t want to be any more indebted to the mafia than I already am.”

His hand stops moving through my hair. “What are you talking about? You’re part of the famiglia. You aren’t indebted to it.”

I turn to face him, my heart racing. This is toeing very close to a conversation that I don’t want to have with him. I don’t know how he will react if he ever finds out I was planning to leave and I don’t want to find out.

“Alessio, the mafia has paid for my schooling. The mafia money pays for my housing. That money comes with a price. I’m not naive enough to think that it doesn’t.”

“I’m working to change things,” he says, moving to sit beside me. “There is no shame in taking money that the famiglia has earned if you’re part of it.”

“But then I have to let the famiglia have a finger in my business. Do you think I want that?” I finish off the beer and sigh. “Can you honestly say that having the mafia involved in my resort is going to be the best thing for the business?”

His lips press into a thin line. After a long moment, he shakes his head. “No. I can’t say that.”

“Then you need to try harder to understand my position on this. I am more than willing to ask you for help, but I don’t want that help to be tied to the mafia.”

He closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. “I really think you should reconsider your position on this. I want to help you.”

“And if you have help that isn’t tied to the mafia, I will gladly take it. I know that you have amazing connections and want to help me. I just need to make sure that I’m not playing a game where I could lose everything if the police investigates.”

My stomach lurches as I get up from the table and walk away. Even though I want to settle this tonight, I know it isn’t going to happen. He just wants to help, but I want my independence in this situation.

I want to build something for myself that is going to last.

28

ALESSIO

I drum my fingers on my desk and think about my conversation with Billie last night. It’s been difficult to see things her way when I have the ability to help her.

Of course, I never considered the fact that she stood to lose everything.

Hearing that was like a punch in the gut. She’s right, though. If she uses any of the mafia connections to get her business going, it could be seized. If I go down, I ruin everything she’s building for herself.

I can’t do that to her. She deserves to chase her dreams without having to worry about whether they are going to disappear the next day.

My phone starts ringing, the sound echoing through my head and causing a dull pulsing in my temples. It’s the start of a stress headache that doesn’t seem to go away these days.

I’ve been trying my best to put an end to the Paolo situation, but Christian and I haven’t been able to gain much ground without knowing where he is.

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