Page 25 of Checkmate

I make my way over to the table and grab some plates from my kitchen. When I turn around, Foster is sitting at the table. Once we’re situated, we eat in silence, until finally I break it. “You know I never cared about being a Giordano so why would I claim it now?”

Foster sits back and nods his head slowly. “Honestly, I’m sure it’d make your life easier though. Giordano still holds power, even here.”

I shrug. “Nothing easy is worth having.”

“Good point.”

“So, what do you want in exchange for helping me solve Leo’s murder?” If it’s one thing I know for sure, it’s that there’s a price for everything in the world. Nothing comes for free.

“Help me plan my wedding?” he says, with a big cheesy smile.

“You’re engaged?” I ask.

He nods his head. “Yeah, I am. I met her while I was enlisted. She was a soldier, too, but she was involved in an accident and now she’s paralyzed, so planning her dream wedding seems impossible. I want her to have that, but I don’t know where to even begin.”

Their story pulls at my heart strings and brings Luca back to mind. “Even if you weren’t helping me. I’d help you.”

Foster stands. “I’ll start digging and see what I can find. I’ll be in touch.”

“Get me your fiancé’s dream wedding details and I’ll start planning.”

I can’t believe that was two months ago. The wedding is planned and set for three months from now, but I’d honestly given up hope ever discovering anything in Leo’s murder. Now, this call has given me that hope back, but at the same time, I’m terrified. I let myself into my apartment. I’ve barely pulled my heels off and stashed them away in my closet when the doorbell rings. I open it to find Foster standing there, worry lines etched on his rugged face. His gray, long-sleeve Henley shirt hugs his every muscle, along with the black denim jeans and black combat boots. It makes him most women’s walking dream.

“Viv,” he says, as he steps inside. I start to reply, but he quickly brings his finger up to his lips in silencing motion. He motions me toward the balcony, so I head that way while Foster ransacks my apartment. I stand there and watch him while a nervous bug goes through my entire body, freezing me in place. Foster finally steps outside. “I hit a jackpot of information.”

“Okay, and that means you have to tear my apartment apart for what reason?”

“I was making sure there weren’t any bugs inside. You can never be too sure,” he tells me. He sighs and runs his hand through his hair. “Okay, I have a lot of information, but I’m not sure you’re going to like it.”

“I don’t give a damn, Foster. I need to know.”

“Okay, so how much do you know about Luca Lombardi?” he asks.

His question throws me for a loop and makes my head swim with dizziness. I reach out to hold on to the railing of the balcony to keep from collapsing on the ground. There’s no way that Luca killed Leo, right? My mouth is as dry as the Sahara Desert, but somehow I manage to say, “I know that he was close to my brother and working for my father.”

“Did you know he was an undercover detective?”

My entire body goes into shock and my lungs forget how to work. Foster moves quickly, grabbing my arms and ushering me into a chair to sit. He’s saying something, but I can’t make it out. Luca is a cop! Did Leo know? I knew he was different, but I had no idea it was this. “Are you sure?”

“Yes, as sure as I am that his name is actually Luca Healey and that your brother was working with him to take down your father,” Foster tells me.

There’s no way this is all true. It’s some big joke. I shake my head. “You’ve got to be wrong.”

“I’m not. I also know that Matteo Gigante is the one that pulled the trigger that killed your brother. The only thing I don’t know is who ordered the hit, but I can guarantee whoever did knows the truth about Luca.” Foster’s eyes look solemn as he delivers the news.

Matteo killed my brother, but why? Because Leo was technically working against him. Luca is in danger. I saw the way that Matteo and Luca hated each other. I jump up and rush inside. I grab my suitcase and start throwing things into it. Foster rushes in behind me. “What are you doing?”

“Packing, what does it look like I’m doing?” I continue to throw random clothes into the suitcase.

“Why?”

I sigh and stop. “Because Luca was… special to me… and if he’s in danger I need to let him know.”

“But we don’t know who ordered the hit yet.”

I throw my hands up in the air. “I don’t care! Look, I miss Leo every damn day, so much so, that it hurts to breathe, but if I can save Luca then I have to try. He means too much to me, so I can’t just sit here and wait to get another call telling me someone I love is dead.” Foster’s eyes widen and I freeze. Did I really just say that? Did I mean it? I shake my head. I don’t have time to even begin to process all that. Right now, I need to book a ticket and get the hell out of New York City. I throw my phone at Foster, who I have to admit has great reflexes as he catches it. “Log in and book me a ticket to Las Vegas.”

I rush back into my closet and strip out of my dress and into a pair of leggings and a long tunic top before tossing my leather jacket over it and slipping on a pair of heeled booties. When I step out of the closet, I find Foster neatly folding my clothes in the suitcase. “The flight leaves in a couple of hours.”

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