Page 89 of Deception

Why would I be hooking up with anyone while trying to investigate a mob boss?!

“Stop freaking out. Breathe.” Standing, I wrestle to control my fears.

There’s too much to do to lose my shit right now.

I need to gather my bugs, my cameras. I should be able to collect them all throughout the day and tonight after they go to bed. We leave early, but I’ll manage.

And if I have time, I need to get onto Alessandro’s computer. One of my camera’s caught him punching in his password.

Yes.

I just need a plan, and by tomorrow I’ll be far from here and I can figure out…

“Dammit!” I hiss, running a palm over my lower abdomen.

I can’t focus with this nagging question looming over me.

A quick search of my bathroom leaves me empty handed. But maybe one of the maids has a test. Ava is young, recently married. She hasn’t returned to the lodge yet, even though Carla and Vincenzo came back yesterday.

Sneaking out of my room, I listen carefully, pinpointing the two men’s voices coming from the office. Aless and Adriano have been locked up in there all morning.

“Put Ero on the phone, Ciro—” I make out on my way to the kitchen and the south hallway.

Good. They’re on a call.

Carla is out in the laundry room, letting me slip past the kitchen unseen. The maid’s quarters sit down three steps, a hallway lined with doors.

An empty bedroom, another that looks to belong to Carla and her husband. I almost head into their bathroom, but Carla is older, a grandmother, now. Not likely.

Footsteps thunk above me and I freeze, up on my tiptoes. After a few seconds, I can breathe again and rush to the last door, the only other washroom.

“Come on, come on,” I nearly whimper, digging through the cabinet.

Feminine products. Tampons, pads…

And a pregnancy test.

My hands quiver as I open the box, fumbling the instructions. Autopilot keeps me following the steps, numbness settling on my mind.

Everything will be fine.

Don’t panic.

The awkwardness of lining up the test is overshadowed by my angst. And the wait afterwards, watching the seconds tick off on my phone timer.

I check the door, tapping my foot and regretting doing it down here. I’ll have to dispose of the test in the big kitchen trash on the way upstairs. Hide the evidence, whatever the result.

The last thing I need is Alessandro asking those questions.

Unless …

Turning back to the sink, I slump onto the toilet seat, staring at the twin lines on the panel.

Idiot!

We weren’t careful. I let him do anything he wanted to me. And I loved it.

It was that first night, I’m sure of it. Not that it matters, or that I have any way of knowing.

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