Page 17 of The Players

Tess reached out her hand to her. “Please don’t take this the wrong way, Car Car, but why did you stay with that abusive douchebag?”

She’d known this question was coming.

“You don’t have to answer that.” Tess made a face. “So much for working on my people skills instead of blabbing everything out.”

“I like your blabbermouth. It’s refreshing.” She took a deep breath. “I don’t think my story is all that different from those of other women in an abusive relationship. Franco simply threatened to murder me and my sister if I ever left him. I didn’t care about him threatening to hurt me. Every day with him was like dying, after all, but I couldn’t let him hurt Jazzy. So, I hid my pain from her. I knew she would figure out why I put up with him if she ever saw my bruises. It wasn’t until she met Gio that I felt like my sister was safe from Franco’s reach.”

“And now you want to locate this girl.”

“Yes.” She wondered if the spirited little girl was even still alive. “She might be someone’s sister too. Someone’s daughter. I couldn’t find her back then, but I’m hoping with your help, I will now.”

Tess gave a salute, determination set in her eyes. “Consider it done.”

***

After saying goodbye to Tess, she left the market, feeling much better. There wasn’t anything she could do about Dwight, or the pictures, but she could try her best to find Marni.

She was still thinking of the girl, and if there was anything else she could remember to help find her, when screeching tires drew her attention.

A man dashed out of a black minivan, while another one stayed at the wheel. Carmen froze. Then, she ran. Her fingers trembled as she pulled her can of spray out of her bag. She ran as if her life depended on it. Unfortunately, she hadn’t paid attention to where she headed off to, because she ended in a dead-end alley, without anyone in sight. Something caught her hair and flung her against a wall.

When she crawled back up, she stared into a pimpled face, as pink as a pig’s. “Don’t you run now, little rabbit,” he said with an Irish brogue. “Too late for that.”

“Let go of me!”

“No can do. See, the boss wants to see you. Now.”

“I still have a few hours before Keegan’s deadline,” she reminded him.

“That was before Morelli paid you a visit. The boss figured that he needs to protect his investment.”

“Of course he did,” she said through gritted teeth.

His greedy, little eyes roamed over her, making her ill in the stomach.

“Your choice, Mrs. Caruso. Either you become Mrs. Keegan or you become dealer’s choice. If you get what I’m saying.”

Sadly, she did. “Fine. I will go with you.”

“I thought you might.” He let go of her throat and stepped back. There was a confident strut in his step as he turned to head back toward the van, expecting her to follow after him as if she were an obedient dog. Like all men, he underestimated her.

The second he looked back at her, she sprayed him in the face.

Porky’s hands flew to his eyes. “You damn bitch!”

She grabbed the first thing she could get her hands on. A broken umbrella stuck out of a garbage container. She smacked him in the face with it. Her stomach turned when she saw a spike had entered his cheek. There was no time to think about that though.

Her flight mode kicked in once again, making her run for her life. Not until she was back in the Ferry building, surrounded by a sea of people, did she feel safe. The adrenaline left her body and she slumped against the wall behind a food stall.

As much as she hated to admit it, Vince was right. Her time was up, her back against the proverbial wall.

She sent Tess a message, explaining what she needed from her, and waited until she got the location she’d asked for. Then she took a cab, contemplating her bleak future.

Once again, she was left to the mercy of a man. No, not a man,twomen. One of them had already betrayed her once. The other? She didn’t know a single thing about him other than he had a cold gaze. A coldness that could surely turn into a raging madness in a split-second. Just as it had with Franco.

She was doomed.

CHAPTER 6

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