Page 64 of Sinful Lies

“Oh, trust me, you don’t want to know the answer to that.”

Giovanni huffs, wincing as he tries to sit up, but I force him back with a foot to the chest, pinning him in place.

“You don’t scare me, Koslov. I’ve got friends in high places.”

“Is that so?” I roll my eyes, not believing a word that comes out of this asshole’s mouth.

“Yeah. I’m familiar with the circles you run in. You’d be wise not to underestimate me.”

I frown, trying to place if Giovanni is someone I’ve run into before.

My family has made many enemies over the decades, but many of them are buried six feet under. Perhaps one of them slipped through the cracks without me realizing…

A sly grin tugs at Giovanni’s lips, as if he can read the thoughts on my face.

“How’s that pretty little wife of yo?—”

I pull back my foot, sending it straight into his ribs.

Giovanni grunts as he clutches at his side, his breath coming in short pants as he grins up at me. No doubt I cracked at least a few ribs, though he deserves a hell of a lot worse.

I crouch down, my face barely an inch from his.

“Stay the hell away from Zara, or I won’t hesitate to blow your fucking brains out. If you do know my world, then you’ll know I was the one to put a bullet in Mario Gilanto’s head, and I’d happily do the same to you.”

I get to my feet, smoothing my hands over my jacket.

I want nothing more than to beat the living shit out of this guy, but I need more information on him first.

If Giovanni is somehow linked to my world, killing him might cause more harm than good. I have to make sure to cover my ass before I put a bullet in his skull.

As I slide back behind the wheel, I dial my private investigator once more as my eyes linger on Giovanni’s brownstone.

Rurik answers after the first ring.

I clutch my phone to my ear. “I need everything you can find on Giovanni Saccone. ASAP.”

16

ZARA

Whatever Dimitri saidto Giovanni seems to have worked because the man has been keeping his distance from me for the past week.

I cannot even begin to describe my relief knowing that perhaps this might be the end of it.

I was terrified that what Dimitri was planning to do would make things even worse, but I never should have doubted him. He promised me he would take care of Giovanni, and he has.

The knowledge that he’s in my corner has me breathing a little easier.

I wish I could deal with it on my own, but I have to keep reminding myself that there’s no harm in asking for help sometimes. And I think Dimitri likes playing the hero.

I didn’t wait up for him to come back from dealing with Giovanni. I knew he would likely be gone for a while, and I wanted to avoid any more questions, so I packed up the rest of our dinner and headed to bed early, hoping that the knowledge that Dimitri was honoring his part of our deal would make me rest easy.

And it sort of worked.

The thought of going back to work after what happened made me feel nauseous, mostly because I worried that Karlie wouldn’t buy my sickness excuse, but it seems she’s happy to give me the space I need and hasn’t brought it up.

It’s rare to find a good friend in the legal world, with most people willing to stab you in the back at any given opportunity if it means getting ahead. But Karlie and I have never been like that. We’ve worked together since I joined the firm, and we’ve become firm friends.

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