Page 15 of Filthy Desire

“Family is important, Gio. It’s everything. And kids. I need some great-grandkids to spoil before I kick off. Now who is this woman?”

“Not the kind of woman I’d want to be my wife,” Gio replied as a shiver wracked his body.

Just the thought of walking down the aisle gave him cold everything, not just feet.

A sudden vision of Kara in a wedding dress walking towards him flashed in his mind and his stomach flipped. “She runs the escort agency I use.”

“A madam?” Mario’s loud laughter had Gio turning down the volume on his phone.

“Laugh it up, old man.”

“What’s she like?”

“She’s a zingara.”

“A gypsy? Oh, that’s bad.”

“She’s got these unusual eyes, pale green. Long, wavy red hair. And a body with killer curves. The only problem is, she’s too clever for her own good.”

Mario paused. “She sounds like trouble.”

“Nah. I’ll have my fun with her and then she’ll be forgotten.”

Gio would never forget those eyes.

“Be careful. A good woman can make your life sublime. A bad one can fuck it up overnight.”

“I’ll keep that in mind.”

“You come next Sunday for dinner. Your grandmother hasn’t seen you in weeks.”

That was the one direct order which Gio gladly obeyed.

“I’ll be there. You take care, Pops, I’ll call you soon.”

“You catch that thief and show them what a Ferraro is made of.”

“I will.”

Gio hung up and opened his laptop.

He checked the security feed for the casino tonight, but he wasn’t expecting to see anything. It all looked like business as usual. Whoever was skimming the money must be doing it when they were counting the cash at the end of the evening. Or one of the dealers was skimming as they went along.

Leaving that to his security leads, Gio had another item to take care of. He picked up the phone and called his favorite PI, Jasper Hawk.

“Gio, how can I help you?” Jasper answered with a cough.

“You all right? You sound like shit.”

“Gotta bad cold. What can I do for you?”

“I need you to run a full profile on Kara Delaine, of Manhattan. That’s her registered name. She used to go by Jessica Karryn, of Washington D.C. I want to know everything. Where she hangs out, who she fucks, what kind of coffee she drinks in the morning.”

“Karryn? That name sounds familiar.”

“She’s the daughter of former senator Josiah Karryn.”

“Woah, okay. They’re a high-ranking family in D.C. Or they used to be. Now she lives here but under a new name?”

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