Page 49 of Unspoken Obsession

I'm so sure it's him.

I'm certain.

We chat, sipping champagne and enjoying our appetizers. And just when I am relaxing, he says, "Where are your bodyguards?"

My back goes a little straighter.

"Bodyguards?" I say.

"Yes, the two men who follow you around. I guess that must make you a rather important young woman." He smiles, but behind it, there are a million questions he wants to ask, and I realize I will need to answer them with caution.

I can't deny the men who follow me because he is aware of them - but I can explain it.

Perhaps a little bit of truth is all I need right now.

"My father is very overprotective. He just likes to make sure I am safe. As annoying as it is for me." I giggle, trying to make light of the situation and ease the tension knotting in my stomach. "He has kidnapping issues."

"Your father? You haven't told me about your family. Nothing substantial anyway. What does your father do?"

Fuck.

Why is he asking these questions now? Does he know something?

I can't tell him that my father is Antonio Musetti. Even people who aren't involved in the mafia know who my father is, and his name carries weight -- heavy, dark, and threatening weight. And to normal people, it is something to be ashamed of.

If Dan does business in Las Vegas, chances are he has, at some point, had an encounter with my father - and whether it was good or bad - I don't want to be associated with that.

"My father - is not someone I really get along with. So, I prefer not to talk about him." I sigh, shrugging.

"Oh, that's not good. It's never nice when we lose touch with our parents."

DANTE

Frankie shifts in her seat, squirming. Talking about her father is not something she is happy to do; she is uncomfortable.

She shrugs again, perhaps trying to push away the uneasy guilt of being caught in a lie. "I know, but my father and I never saw eye to eye. I still talk to him - I just - I avoid him as much as I can."

I watch her. Her entire body became rigid the moment I mentioned the men following her and when her father came up in conversation; it made her even more tense. It only makes me more curious about what she is hiding.

Her father must be someone with some power if he can afford to have his daughter followed everywhere. Personal security is not cheap. Is that why she has to be home by midnight every time?

I am pushing. I know I am, but I am done waiting for the truth.

I can't push her away though. That won't help anything.

"So, are you looking forward to tonight's game?" I ask to change the subject. Her shoulders drop a little and she nods.

"It's how I relax, playing cards."

"Most people find the games pretty intense and stressful." I chuckle.

"To each to their own." She grins.

"I guess it all comes down to why you play."

"I play to challenge myself." She says, looking down at her drink. I say nothing in return. I just watch her expression. She seems agitated by my questions no matter what they are about. Her family, her playing, her life…

She is hiding something and the urgency to finding out what she's hiding is grating at me. Maybe I should just drag her down to my dungeon beneath the casino where we question those who dare steal from me. Maybe I should stop being a naïve idiot and letting this gorgeous girl take advantage of me. She is hiding something. That alone should be enough to make me want to force the truth out of her.

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