Page 88 of Filthy Little Games

I hold my breath until all the doors of the SUV close with us inside, the other nanny in the front passenger seat.

When Aldo pulls away, heading the short distance to my penthouse, I finally breathe a sigh of relief.

We actually fucking did it.

28

Zara

Creed has been gone for so long that I’ve worn down his carpet from pacing across his living room, looking out into the dark city and wondering what’s happening. It’s times like this I wish I had a phone, but I don’t because he still doesn’t trust me.

I thought he’d be home by now. It’s been over three hours since he left, telling me that the apartment was just down the street.

Something must have gone wrong. That’s the only thing that could be the holdup.

“Have you heard anything yet?” I ask Lorenzo, who seems tense on the sofa. Wearing a dark gray suit with a burgundy button-up underneath and a matching handkerchief in the suit pocket, the older man dresses even better than Creed. Although, I think Creed just asks his tailor for black everything.

“No, ma’am. Nothing since the last time you asked two minutes ago.”

“Sorry,” I tell him. “It’s just...”

I hope he didn’t get caught or hurt. I shouldn’t have let him even attempt this. Emilio Rovina is an evil, ruthless man.

And while I know Creed is too, maybe even more so, I know for a fact that Creed still has a good heart deep inside that mafioso tattooed exterior.

“It’s just what?” Lorenzo asks when I pause. “A fool’s errand that may get him killed?”

“I didn’t ask him to do this,” I explain. “In fact, I asked Creed if he was sure his quickly hatched plan would even work. He seemed to think so, and then he went off to do it. Can anyone talk that man out of doing something when he sets his mind to it?”

“No, no they can’t,” he mutters. “If he succeeds, and that’s a big if, you’re leaving the city with her ASAP, right?”

“What?” I ask, since this is the first I’ve heard about leaving the city. “What do you mean, ‘am I leaving?’”

He blinks at me. “Creed hasn’t told you?”

“Told me what?”

He drops his gaze to his knee where his fingers drum along it. “You should ask him when he gets back. If he gets back alive.”

“I’m asking you, Lorenzo. What hasn’t Creed told me?”

He sighs. “Did you really think you could stay in New York once he takes your daughter from Emilio Rovina?”

“I…I guess I haven’t really thought about it.”

“Obviously not. You can’t stay.”

“Because Emilio would eventually find out Creed took Oriana?”

“And because Emilio knows you had something to do with Izaiah going missing. He’s been searching all over for you. He wants you dead, girl.”

“He does?” I say in surprise. “Creed…he hasn’t said anything about Emilio knowing…” Of course, Emilio knows I’m involved, since Izaiah’s car was near my apartment. An apartment Emilio hasvisited plenty of times after he kicked me out of his place. And Creed didn’t tell me because he didn’t want me to worry. “I have to leave the city.”

“Exactly. And I asked you if you were leaving as soon as you get your daughter, assuming Creed doesn’t die trying.”

“Yes. I’m…I’ll make plans to leave as soon as possible.”

“Good,” he says with what sounds like relief. “Because you’re not good for him.”

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