Page 57 of Toxic

I mentally and emotionally beat myself up until I fall into a deep sleep. When I wake, I glance at my phone. It's past midnight. I also have a slew of text messages.

Dante:I spoke with Sean. I'm taking him to a boxing match.

Dante:Fiona is coming, too.

Dante:Stopped in your room to have you come with us, but I didn't have the heart to wake you. Sweet dreams, dolcezza.

Cara:We need to talk about last night. CALL ME.

There are several missed calls from her, including one a few minutes ago.

I text her back.

Me:I just got your message. I'll call you in a few minutes.

I slowly get up and check Sean's and Fiona's rooms. Both of them are sleeping. I return to my suite and dial Cara.

She answers, "Are you okay? I just heard what happened. I'm sorry I left you."

"You left me? When? I thought you were in the other room?"

She lowers her voice. "No. Uberto and I left. I-I'm sorry, Bridget. I didn't know Michelotto would get handsy like that."

I shake off the panicky feeling of him holding me down. "I'm fine, but you shouldn't go to that club anymore, Cara. And Uberto isn't anyone you should hang out with, either."

She snorts sarcastically. "Yeah, so I'm told."

The hairs on my arms rise. "What do you mean?"

She dryly states, "Gianni paid me a visit."

I stay quiet for a moment. Gianni and Cara's relationship in high school ended about as badly as Dante's and mine. Cara was head over heels for him. He used her like every other girl he ever laid eyes on, tossing her aside too many times to count before she wised up and cut him loose. Her demons surrounding him might be deeper than mine with Dante.

I finally ask, "Is this the first time you've seen Gianni since you got back into town?"

"Yes. You can only imagine my surprise when he showed up on my doorstep this evening. Wish I could say age turned him into a despicable, fat slob, but that's wishful thinking."

I tread cautiously. "Why did he visit you?"

A tiny laugh fills the line. "To warn me to stay away from Uberto and the club. As if I'm going to do anything Gianni wants."

"You should stay away from Uberto. He's bad news," I warn again.

She groans. "Not you, too."

"Cara—"

"Look, I don't know what kind of beef your two families have with Uberto, but it has nothing to do with me."

I squeeze my eyes shut. Cara comes from a well-to-do family on the upper east side. We met through school, but her family isn't a crime family like the Marinos or mine. I reiterate, "He's bad news, Cara."

"He's harmless. I'm sorry about what Michelotto did to you last night. He must have drunk way too much. I've never seen him get like that before. Either way, it's unacceptable, but I can assure you it doesn't represent Uberto," she claims.

Deciding it's pointless right now to try and convince her, and only imagining what went down when Gianni visited her, I try to shift the topic. "Don't go to the club anymore. It's not safe."

She huffs. "You and Gianni sound like you got together to lecture and make demands on me."

"Cara—"

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