Page 57 of Sin City Obsession

He turned just enough to cut an incredulous look at her for a lingering second, straightened, and said, “Don Cavallo clearly has faith in you, but if you insist on a rideshare, the only place I’ll be willing to take you is an emergency mental health facility.”

Alessa grinned. “A full sentence, and snark. You’re not entirely your brother. We can make this work.”

His shoulders tightened with tension. “Ma’am.”

“Relax, Marzio. I wasn’t serious about the Uber. Obviously, we’re taking a private vehicle.” The elevator dinged with their arrival, the doors swished open, and she patted him on the shoulder before he could step away. “You do understand what it is I need to do this morning, right?”

“It’s not my business to invade your privacy,” Marzio replied as he took one single step beyond the elevator. His head sweptfrom side-to-side, his body blocking the opening, and only when he was satisfied they weren’t about to be ambushed or shot at did he make room for her to exit the box she had twice had to stall during his sweep. “We’ll use the vehicle Emanuele had me bring, I’ll take us where you request to go, and if there’s any danger—”

Alessa jumped in front of him as he spoke, spinning in place and planting her hands on her hips. It was a classic, downright cliché, power stance, but it made its point. She raised her chin and narrowed her eyes just enough to make sure he could see she wasn’t joking around this time. “Listen, I respect that Rocco told you to keep me safe. I will completely allow you to do your job … within reason. But let’s get a couple things straight, Marzio.”

He narrowed his eyes but did not attempt to interrupt.

“I am no damsel,” Alessa continued. “I am no wilting wallflower. I am no ignorant, swooning female who just happened to fall into Rocco Cavallo’s bed. I’d lay odds I’ve been in this life longer thanyou, even, and I can damn sure promise you I know how to hold my own. So in the event of danger, the absolute last thing I will be doing is cowering behind some improvised shield and shaking in my goddamn boots. Got that?”

With that pinch of irritation in the corner of his eyes and the taut jaw, he looked more like Ignazio than ever. “Difficult and overconfident. Got it.”

Well. So much for getting along.She huffed out a purposefully audible breath. “Ditto.”

They lapsed into silence as Marzio led the way to his low-profile SUV. He insisted, of course, that she ride in the back, and he refused to make conversation beyond acknowledgment of her directions on where to go. Seemed like they’d made fast friends.

Alessa sat back and tipped her head toward the window. She wasn’t honestly even in the mood for what she needed to do, but she hadn’t lied about her reason for getting it done. They couldn’t leave the arguably little things to sit and wither just because something bigger had come along. That was the kind of irresponsible, reckless behavior that got people caught and busted.

So she used the short drive to reflect on the relevant incident, to make sure anything she needed to touch on was fresh in her mind. It helped the drive pass quicker, too.

“How do you know about this location?” Marzio asked after they’d exited the vehicle.

Alessa rolled her neck in a light stretch. “Rocco told me, obviously.” She arched a brow at him in challenge, then stepped past him and up to the electronic lockbox beside the door to the single-story building. “Be as suspicious of me as you want, Marzio. In this life, that’s a healthy reflex, but in this specific situation, it’s not going to get you anywhere.” The box chirped as a series of green lights flashed and the door made a sound of decompression.

Her guard followed her inside, the heavy security door locking shut behind them.

Alessa walked down the short hall in near total darkness, stretched her arm out to the left when pitch black gave wayto something lighter, and flipped up the switch. Industrial lighting powered on immediately, flooding the space in bright off-white light with a low, obnoxious hum.

She looked around, pointedly ignoring the pair of figures who reacted to the flood of light with groans and muffled cries. There was nothing remarkable about the visible space, not until her eyes went up, and she saw that the walls defining the room did not meet the warehouse-style ceiling. Steel beams and structure joists ran in crisscrossing directions overhead, just above the hanging fluorescent light.

Rocco had called the building an old film set. She hadn’t quite known what to expect, so she couldn’t decide if she was disappointed or satisfied with the reality. It was effective, though. Of that there could be no doubt.

Alessa released a quieter breath, made a mental note of her friend Marzio standing stoically at the opening of the hall that led to the outside, and turned her attention to their literally captive audience. To her non-surprise, Carla was glaring at her already. “Hey, Carla. Miss me?”

Carla—bound, gagged, makeup smeared down her face and hair a mess—surged in her chair and made a sound that was undoubtedly not friendly in nature.

Beside her was a man bound and gagged in an identical chair. He had short-cropped hair just a shade darker than Carla’s, and though his expression was darkening quickly, the actual resemblance between the two was weak. Still, he had to be Carla’s cousin, given his presence in the room.

Alessa set down the bag she’d had over her shoulder, walked in a wide arc around the pair, and pulled Cousin’s gag free first.She held herself just beyond his shoulder, at too sharp an angle for him to turn given his restrained nature. “Carla’s cousin, I presume?”

“Who the fuck are you?”

“I’m the bitch whose belongings you stole out ofDonCavallo’s office a few days ago, at your dear cousin’s behest. Sound familiar?”

Both went briefly still and the male cleared his throat roughly. “Fuck no. I didn’t go near the don’s office.”

“He wasn’t Don yet.”

Cousin tried to turn his head toward her and grunted when he found himself unable. “You’re lying. You’re fuckin’ lying!”

Alessa pulled the fancy utility knife she’d pilfered from the tool kit out of her pocket and extended her arm into his line of sight, letting him watch as she flicked the blade open. “There is absolutely no point to my lying here,” she said calmly. “Rocco Cavallo Senior is no longer the don. So when I sayDonCavallo, I am referring to his son, the man for whom your jealous, thirsting cousin recently worked.” She lowered the point of the blade until it pressed onto the top of his thigh, just shy of the inner curve. “Clear?”

His chest heaved. “Clear.”

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