“I’ll see you tonight … don’t be late,” he added, turning and straightening his suit before striding from the room.
I sat there in silence for a few more moments, breaking off pieces of my croissant as I waited for him to leave, the telltale squeak of the front door signaling his departure. I took a deep breath, finally able to breathe without his suffocating presence looming over me for the first time since I walked through that door the other night.
I knew what I needed to do now, and it wasn’t sleeping or icing my cheek—well maybe a little ice wouldn’t hurt. But I had to get back out there, knocking on every door I could until I found a job. One thing I knew for certain was I wouldn’t be going back to The Inferno.
Ipulleduptothe main street and glanced down the road at the various shops and restaurants lined there. Most looked the same as they’d been six years before, but I’d need to make sure the owners were the same before taking any risks. There were a few businesses that, while they still begrudgingly dealt with the Barones, they weren’t pleased with it. With Greg and Pam being in the business community, we heard whispers of different shop owners wanting to take a stand. So I’d have to gauge them to make sure they were still resistant. I couldn’t let anyone know too much, just in case they went to the Barones. This was dangerous and something I’d wanted to avoid. At least with The Inferno I knew they weren’t allied with the crime family but to be in town you had to abide by their rules, so everyone here was reliant on them in some way.
I put the red Porsche in park at the end of the street, deciding to leave it here. With Tommaso able to track my movements it would look too suspicious to keep starting and stopping the car at multiple places. It also wouldn’t look great to show up in an obnoxious red Porsche and beg for a job …
There was a small ice cream shop that was first on my list. The owner was an older woman, Francine, who used to chase Barone’s men off with a broom after they collected their cut. If there was some idiot around town harassing someone, she was the first to run them out and was always there with candy and a friendly ear if you had a rough day. That was one of the main reasons her shop was so busy year-round. People went there for her first and the ice cream second, but admittedly the treats were delicious too.
I caught a glimpse of myself in the rearview mirror and frowned at my reflection. I put on foundation and concealer but didn’t go too heavy, I would save that pile of makeup for the party later. A faint shadow was still visible under the thick layers, proving just how much I would have to cake on tonight to hide it from the guests. For now I would slip on a pair of oversized sunglasses that covered up the spot nicely when I positioned them part way down my nose. I’d be in even more trouble if I didn’t cover it up tonight, but this afternoon was a different story. Let the town see the too-big sunglasses, see the faint shadows as I frantically made sure they stayed in place. It might just be the only thing that got me a job around here.
I stared at my reflection for a few moments longer, taking in just how exhausted my amber eyes were. Besides the bruise, I had bags under my eyes from the tossing and turning, never getting a good night’s sleep.A few more weeks, I reminded myself, letting that bolster my willpower. One step at a time. If I thought about everything I needed to do right now it would overwhelm me. If I started to plan now, I might leave some sort of trail, and I’m not sure my heart could survive another disaster like the airport.
I smoothed out the few stray strands of my sleek ponytail and slipped on the sunglasses, pulling on my game face as I stepped out of the car. Straightening my pink blouse and black dress pants, I gently closed the convertible’s door, not wanting to call too much attention to myself. I’d go see Francine first, but even that could go either way. Her hatred for Tommaso’s family ran deep, but the question was whether or not she considered me part of that now too. She might just chase me out with the broom too.
I strode over to the small ice cream shop. With it nearing summer there were more people out and about on a Friday afternoon, enjoying their treats and the local shops. My low-heeled open-toe sandals clicked on the pavement as I passed a few other shops including a stationery store and the bank. I knew neither of those was an option. Even though I was more than qualified to work as a teller, they were very public and squarely under Barone’s thumb. His men went in there daily to make deposits and would notice me in a second. And the stationery store … well, everyone knew that was owned by Luann, who was married to one of Barone’s higher-ups, so that was a definite no.
I paused before the ice cream shop and glanced in the window, checking to see if there were any customers. Thankfully it was still the second to last week of school so the children would still be there about now. I had no doubt in my mind the place would be packed with families in just a couple of hours as they went out for dinner and a walk. Taking a deep breath I gathered my strength, preparing for the worse, while still holding on to the sliver of hope for the best.
The bell chimed as I pushed open the door to the retro ice cream parlor. Unlike Greg’s, the shop was curated to have a nostalgic feel while not looking run down. A large wooden bar ran along the front with freezers on the side. Red stools lined the bar and wooden tables sat in front of the windows.
Francine glanced up from her book by the register and did a double-take, taking her glasses off and putting them back on as though she couldn’t believe her eyes. She recognized me despite the large black frames covering most of my face, even after all these years. She was most likely in her seventies now, lines creasing her wise face, and her back arched from the years of scooping ice cream from the deep freezer.
“Well now, I wasn’t sure if I’d see you in here,” Francine said, crossing her arms over her chest as she examined me, her expression unreadable. “At least you didn’t bring that man in here with you,” she sniped, and my chest tightened at the dig. I’d always gotten along with Francine; she was a key fixture of my childhood.
But her frostiness would make sense since she was important to Merrick and Kellan too. The three of us used to come in here with the spare change we collected around the house as children, but she never charged and seemed to always know we needed a place to just be ourselves, to be kids without all the extra pressure at home.
“I—” The word froze on my tongue, my mind searching for something to say, something to explain my actions without putting her in danger, but I came up blank. What could I say when the whole town thought I’d fallen into bed with the enemy, for no reason other than attraction, greed, lust, power? I couldn’t do this—face the people from my past and have them judge me based on their assumptions when my cheek still throbbed from Tommaso’s blow. I took a step back, about to reach for the door, but she stopped me.
“Oh come on now Giana, come over here and give an old woman a hug.” She stepped out from behind the counter and motioned me with her arms already spread wide. I hesitated for a moment, unable to remember when the last time was that I truly hugged someone. Most likely Sophia, but it wasn’t the same as someone who had an almost maternal role in your life. “I’m not getting any younger,” she griped, glaring at me impatiently.
With that, I closed the few feet between us and stooped down to embrace her. She wasn’t a tall lady, maybe five-foot-two at best, so she had to reach up even with me ducking low since I had about eight inches on her. I breathed in and inhaled her familiar scent, coated in the sweets she was surrounded with each day. Her weathered hands rubbed my back in a soothing motion, and I fought back the sob that racked my chest. I couldn’t cry, not here, not now.
“So something tells me you came in here for more than a hug.” She stepped back, assessing me as her hand rubbed my arm in a comforting gesture. “And I’m assuming it has something to do with the family you have yourself messed up with.”
“I—I came to see if you’d give me a job,” I breathed, deciding to cut straight to the chase. I couldn’t endanger her by telling her anything that had gone on, especially not if she was willing to let me work for her. “I could stock stuff in the back for you, stay out of the way.”
Her hand stilled on my arm and her head tilted to the side in confusion before her eyes snagged on the too-large glasses. I could see the moment everything clicked as her eyes hardened. Her boney fingers gripped my arm roughly and she pulled me along into the backroom, taking care to shut the door behind us.
“How long,” she demanded, cold fury in her voice as she let go of my arm.
“I—” I paused. “I can’t exactly tell you everything, I don’t want to put that burden on you, but I could really use a job right about now.” I sighed, my hand shaking slightly as I pulled the glasses from my face, revealing my halfhearted attempt to cover the bruise on my cheek. It wasn’t fear I felt in that moment, but rather shame that burned through me—shame I hadn’t tried to get out sooner, that I’d let him catch me off guard like that, that I couldn’t be the woman I knew I had the power to be just yet.
“Giana,” she gasped, her hands trembling as she reached up on her toes to graze the mottled mark that bloomed on my cheek. “Do they know?” she asked thickly, pulling her hand back reluctantly.
“No, and they can’t know.” I shook my head, dreading the thought of either Merrick or Kellan seeing me like this. I’m not sure I would be able to stomach their reaction, whether it was pity or satisfaction that I’d reaped the consequences of being with a man like Tommaso. If they were still the men I knew, still held a spark of the feeling they’d held for me back then like I saw in Merrick the other night, I knew it wouldn’t end well for anyone.
Francine chewed at the corner of her lip, the indecision twisting clearly on her face as she wrestled with the information. My heart dropped into my stomach at her hesitation. My legs itched to turn back now, to get out of this shop and run, to get in the car regardless of the GPS tracker and drive as fast and as far as I could before ditching it.
Her sigh rang out, so deep with exhaustion as she scrubbed a hand over her face. “I’ll trust you for now, but they might be able to help, more than you think—”
“No,” I cut her off, not wanting to hear the rest of her sentence. I left for a reason, put myself through this for a reason, and I wouldn’t let it be for nothing. I wouldn’t let them get themselves killed.
“I wish I could help you, Giana, I really do,” she groaned, and fear slithered its way up my spine. Sure this was only the first place I tried today, but out of everyone, Francine would have been the most likely to help me. No one else stood up to the Barone family or his men more than Francine, so if she was unwilling to help me, I doubted anyone else would. “My kids were grown before, but well, my youngest ended up in prison recently—got too much of his mama’s spunk I guess.” She chuckled sadly, her hands twisting nervously in front of her. “And now I’m the sole guardian of his boy, my grandson. So this place is all I have and I can’t risk him getting mixed up in all of this. His safety is my first priority.”
I nodded in understanding, forcing a small smile onto my lips, but before I could say thank you for her time, she cut me off.