Page 45 of Sweet Retribution

The only way to get him out of hiding is to make him think he has the upper hand. “I want the girls.”

“What girls?” he says too quickly. When I don’t answer, he laughs. “You fucked up, didn’t you? You wanted the girls Lorenzo had but the authorities got to them first.”

Good. Let him think I’m as corrupt as him. That I want a piece of the human trafficking trade.

“Callista’s pussy isn’t wet enough for you?”

I’m glad he’s not in the room or he’d see me flinch. I can’t wait to get my hands on him and tear him apart, limb by limb. When I have my temper in check, I ask again. “Where are the rest of the girls?”

There’s still a slight possibility that there aren’t anymore, but I don’t believe it. Rossi and Parisi were too smart and calculated to have all of them together.

The other end of the line is so quiet I worry he’s hung up. Finally, Rossi says what I’ve been waiting for.

“Let’s make a trade.”

CHAPTER NINE

Sleep won’t come tonight. I don’t even try laying down. I’ve been pacing my room for two hours oscillating between storming down Gia’s door and tearing her out of bed while I fuck her from behind, to knocking on her door and apologizing for being an ass.

I won’t apologize, especially for being an ass. An apology means you won’t do it again. That’s not a lie I can tell. I scratch at my bare chest and stare out into the black night. The moon is bright in the sky illuminating the vineyard.

Some would call this a beautiful night, even romantic. Too bad I don’t do beautiful or romance. Gia’s sparkling radiance floods my mind. I’ve been responsible for bringing sadness, tears, and ecstasy to her gorgeous face.

As of late, however, it’s been more sadness. She’s changed me, and I don’t hate her for it. I respect her. I care for her.

“Shit.” I bang my fist on the windowpane. I don’t want to care for her. I can’t afford to. Guilt eats at my gut for everything I’ve done, for everything I’m about to do. Since I’m an asshole and don’t want forgiveness for it, I storm out of my room and pound on her door.

I don’t wait for her to answer and let myself in. Her bed is empty. It hasn’t been slept in. The bathroom light is off so I go to the balcony expecting to find her in her favorite spot. It’s empty too.

A fleeting rush of fear swarms my body as I imagine the unimaginable. If she’s been taken... taken from under my roof...

I rush out of her room and down the stairs, turning on the light to my office. Nothing appears disturbed. I check the front door. Locked. Lucca is on patrol outside and would have alerted me if anything was off.

A light glows from the kitchen, and I quietly make my way toward it. I curse my foolishness for not grabbing my gun. I’m dressed in sweatpants, no shirt, and no socks. I’m not in any condition to take down an armed intruder.

My racing heart slows when I see Gia standing in the light from the refrigerator like an angel. She closes the door, her hands full of a midnight snack, and screams when she sees me.

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