Page 12 of Dauntless

“Hey,” she said reaching over and squeezing my hand. “It won’t be like this forever. Soon, people will move on to something else to gossip about. Your Perfetto family is with you. We have sent out a guide warning staff not to discuss what happened to you and allow the company to handle any press, but, well….” She giggled and sipped her wine.

I raised my brows. “But what?”

“Some staff have tried to stand up for you,” she replied joyously. “They’re angry that some of the press have been painting you and the company negatively.”

I smiled despite it all. I appreciated their loyalty. The first thing I planned to do tomorrow when I returned was to thank each person for being there. “Stuart told me not to respond to individual emails, but I can’t wait to return to work. I miss our team.”

“We all miss you too,” Astrid said and sighed. “You have me, and I stand with you even if Liz says nothing happened. Your real friends believe you.”

My mouth dropped open. “What?”

She scrunched up her face. “Shit. I shouldn’t have opened my big mouth.”

“But you will tell me now,” I demanded. “Please.”

Astrid opened her mouth and closed it, struggling with where to start. She cursed then finally told me as gently as she could: “Liz did a television interview. She said The Agency was just a match-making service and she was never held against her will.”

“She didn’t,” I murmured, but I didn’t doubt Liz did. She wasn’t dumb. She was aware her statement would undermine all the other cases. Even at Vincent’s, she had been ready to accept whatever arrangement Marco had made for her with a mystery man. He promised her a penthouse, money, and stability. She didn’t seem to care that he was removing her choice of who she would be with or what she may have to do. Liz decided to help Vincent and Marco. She created doubt, and that was enough to challenge my story. Where would that leave the case against The Agency now?

I stood up and walked a few steps away from the table with my back to her. “Sorry. I need a minute.” I took in a few shallow breaths.

Astrid came over and put her arm around my shoulder. “I’m sorry, Gia. If it makes it any better, she did say she couldn’t answer for you or your case, and she said she believed you. You were in the hospital, so she can’t say it didn’t happen. Anyway, she told them Marco was disturbed and should be held responsible for anything that happened to you.”

“How kind of Liz,” I mocked, then apologized. “They had threatened her business and her husband’s pension.”

Astrid tutted. “I sympathize with her, but she has friends. We would have fought with her. She chose to pick a bunch of strangers over those of us that have always been there for her. She tried to call me, and I told her not to call again.”

I raised my hand to protest, but Astrid pressed on. “And before you say I don’t have to stop being her friend, forget it. What she did hurts not only you but me too. I’m in it with you at Perfetto.”

I bit my lip. “That’s true, but she could be in danger…”

“And she has the police and FBI to help her just like you,” she said succinctly. “Don’t make excuses for her.”

Astrid was angry, and there wasn’t any way I could sway her opinion right now. Hence, we went back to our dinner. The smell of the reheated Pad-Thai brought back my appetite. It was so delicious I could have licked my plate.

“So, now that we’re full, tell me about your two men,” Astrid mused. “If they look anything like the shovel-wielding god, then I’d say forget everyone else and live it up.”

I took a deep breath. “If only things were that easy. Dane loves Angel: even though they have been apart for years, he searched for her. She’s not well now and needs help. He also just found out he has a daughter with her. Name’s Melinda and must deal with custody issues. He is from New York, only moved to Seattle to try to find Angel…”

“Maybe a fresh start at another one of our offices might be good for you,” she said and drank the rest of her wine.

My jaw dropped open, and I playfully clutched my heart. “You want me gone?”

“Of course, I do,” she joked. “I’m thinking about all the good shopping I can do when I visit you in the Big Apple…. I don’t want you gone, but I’d let you go to the East Coast temporarily if it meant bringing happiness to your life. You deserve it.”

Just the thought of not seeing Astrid almost every day hit me hard in the chest. I was almost in tears. “Stop making me emotional,” I said, and that had us both giggling. When we calmed down again, I said, “It’s not just Dane, but Elliott. He’s an FBI agent, but that was the last I expected when I met him at the orgy.”

“Orgy?” Astrid repeated and laughed. Shit. I had forgotten I left that part out, so I told her about The Agency mixer, where I met him, and what happened with Dane.

Astrid fanned herself. “Woah, that’s wild, Gia.”

I covered my face with my hands. “I didn’t join in the sex, and what I’d done there with Dane and Elliott was innocent, really. Well compared to what was going on… I don’t know how to explain it.”

Astrid laughed again. “Relax. I’m just envious as hell. I’m sad The Agency turned out to be corrupt.”

“I’m not so sure the whole Agency is bad,” I said. “The problems may come from some members. Anyway, Elliott’s leaving the FBI. He just started his own private investigation and security outfit. He’s also from New York and will probably want to return, but he likes it here.”

Her lips spread into a cat-that-ate-the-cream grin. “Oh. Your face lights up when you talk about Elliott. So, is he the one you really want?”

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