Page 59 of Dirty Big Sins

As we got settled and approached each other in the middle, Gabe asked, “You’ve got me curious now. If no violence is involved, what are you going to do? Do you have some Hollywood connections that could force them to reverse their position?”

“I’ve got better. Money. Lots of it. Let’s just say I’ve been saving up for a rainy day and it’s fucking pouring outside. I’ve arranged for a buyout. By this time tomorrow, I’ll own their asses and everything else that comes with the network. And my first order of business after threatening them within an inch of their lives, will be to bring Zia back on board to her show.”

Gabe’s jaw dropped open. I waited for the opinion he was certain to give me and was shocked to find him speechless. His reaction was laughable, but not unexpected.

“That’s right. Vincentius Cabrini is about to become the unlikely owner of a Christian television network. How’s that for some whack irony? Ought to give people plenty to talk about, don’t ya think?”

“Are you serious?”

“What can I say? The international language of money talks and bullshit walks strikes again. You put enough green into their grubby hands and they mysteriously forget that I’ve just been revealed as the son of the most notorious Italian mafia capo. Or they plain don’t care to begin with. Apparently, everyone is corruptible under the right circumstances.”

“And Zia is okay with this?”

I narrowed my gaze at him. “Why wouldn’t she be? This show is her dream and I’m not going to let some two-bit misogynistic assholes take that away from her. Now are we doing this or not?” I raised my gloves ready to tap his and get this spar started. Gabe followed suit and we touched gloves, but apparently he wasn’t done talking.

“You should consider talking this over with her before you proceed. Not that I don’t get the need to fix this bullshit. However, she is an independent powerhouse all on her own. She may not appreciate your plan to swoop in and rescue her no matter how good your intentions are.”

I heard his words loud and clear and I’d heard hers too. But there were too many factors building against her and I was at least partially responsible if not completely responsible for the way this was all going down. I’d made the mistake of confronting Romeo in Italy and now I had to reap the consequences of that. If I had it in my power to make things right for her, I had to take the shot. Besides, the show would be all hers to do with as she wished. I didn’t know dick about her operation and I had learned long ago when to defer to those with the expertise necessary.

I had no intention of saying any of that to Gabe. In fact, we were done talking. At least with our mouths. It was time to work this out the best way I knew how and since he was only half paying attention to where I was headed in the ring, I took the only shot I had.

My best shot.

I bit down on my mouth guard to prevent a grin from giving me away as I delivered a powerful left hook to his jaw. Caught off guard, he crumpled to the ground. To my delight, he recovered quickly, throwing a dark look my way as he powered back to his feet.

I’d taught him well and this was going to be exactly what I needed.

All right, mother fucker. Let’s go.

He could express his opinion, but that didn’t mean I had to like it.

Zia was mine.

And everyone else could take their opinions with them straight to hell.

Chapter Twenty-Six

ZIA

Dammit.I didn’t have time for this dog and pony show.

There was so much left to do in the restaurant.

It didn’t matter that I’d spent the last ten straight hours working with no breaks. I hadn’t even stopped for a meal. Mostly because I wasn’t sure I could eat and keep it down. My nerves were beyond frazzled at this point and now I was going on a fake date with my—what?

Boyfriend? I shook my head.

Lover? He was certainly that.

Co-conspirator? He was that too.

This wasn’t where I wanted my mind to go right now. I’d already figured out how deep I was into our connection. What I couldn’t figure out was how to reconcile that with everything else that had happened. At this point I’d become the queen of reckless relationships and that had certainly not been the goal.

“You’re not dressed yet.” Julie rushed into the large walk-in closet, furiously tapping on her iPad. “We have less than twenty minutes before Vincent will be here to escort you downstairs.”

Parade more like it. The gaggle of reporters had hounded my every movement throughout the day and I’d done everything in my power to avoid them. Now they expected me to simply walk into that pit of snakes and smile for their cameras.

“I don’t know if I can do this.” The continued hits of the day had taken a toll and now that I’d taken ten minutes alone to think about it, that crushing weight of pending failure pressed deep.

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