Trained? Trained in what?
“And she’s not a virgin.”
My head whips back to Gio at the same time Koen tightens his hold on me.
“Even better,” he smirks, his eyes meeting mine.
Giovanni stares at Koen for a long time before speaking again,“I want her back in one piece, O’Rourke.” His eyes narrow on Koen, and the uncertainty in them feeds my growing anxiety.
“I’ll try my best,” Koen says, and I know he feels me trembling.
“Fine,” Gio huffs, throwing back the rest of his scotch. “But before you go, I require a private word with Bella here.” He points at me.
Koen’s grip on my arm tightens, and he looks like he’s about to argue right before he suddenly releases me.
“Five minutes,” he growls, and then he’s gone. Leaving me alone with Giovanni.
Giovanni leans back in his desk chair, a smug look on his face.
“Well, Bella,” he says, shaking his head in almost disbelief. “I don’t know how you did it but you caught the eye of the Irish Devil.” He looks pleased, as if I’ve accomplished something by attracting Koen’s attention.
“This is a fucking joke, right? You can’t just—you can’t justsellme to him!”
“Bella!” His mock surprise at my attitude makes me want to hit him. My fingers curl into fists. “I did no such thing! It’s only temporary. Three weeks max.” He shrugs like it’s not a big deal. Like he didn’t just gamble my life away to one of the city’s mostnotorious mafia lords. “You go with him, and your debt… I’ll consider it paid.”
I perk up slightly at that. But there’s a sly look on Gio’s face that tells me it’s too good to be true
“So if I do this…” I swallow. “Go with him? You and me, we’re square? My debt is paid. I won’t have to work here anymore, and you’ll leave me alone?”
The smile that spreads across his face has the hair on the back of my neck rising. “I said it would cover what youowe. As for what yousawa couple of weeks ago?—”
“I didn’t see anything,” I’m quick to say—too quick.
“—that’s an extra cost.”
Extra? As in more than being sold to a mafia boss for just short of a month?
“What do you want?”
“Koen O’Rourke wants you as his for the next three weeks. You make him happy, you do everything he asks, and you tell meeverything.”
I just blink at him.
“He wants in on my operation and I need to know I can trust him. You—” he laughs, smiling to himself. “You will be my little spy. If your information is sound—useful…” He gives me a look. “Then we can call it even.”
Spy on Koen. On the O’Rourkes?
“That’s a death sentence.”
“Only if you get caught.” He shrugs.
“Gio, he’s the head of the Irish mafia. He’llkillme.”
“Then I suggest you don’t getcaught,Bella.” He looks at me like that should be obvious.
My thoughts are racing.
“It’s simple. He’s only taking you for collateral. Once he has what he wants, he’ll give you back to me, your debt will be paid,and you’ll be free to go. And that business at the warehouse? Forgotten.”
