“I know.” Her voice is barely above a whisper. “I’m sorry.”
Ares covers her hand with his on the table. “I know you are. But whenever you’re involved, I lose my fucking cool and fuck the damn consequences. You’re new in town, princess. Youmight not know that Morelli and his family aren’t people you want to mess with.”
“In what way?” Zara shudders. “Mason gives me a bad vibe, but I just thought he was a bit of an asshole, like Cal.”
Lev explains before Ares or I can. “They’re criminals, Zara. The Morellis own several businesses in town and all over California. Mason’s father has made quite a name for himself on the East Coast. The thing is, everything looks legit for the most part, but those legit businesses are just the tip of the iceberg. A front to cover up their real businesses.”
“Like what?” Zara asks.
“Like drugs. That’s what Mason’s father's real business is out East. On this side of the country, the family is into even worse stuff. Prostitution and human trafficking. Obviously those are just allegations because so far they have been very good at covering their tracks and at using their legit businesses to launder the money that comes from the other stuff.”
Zara’s curiosity is peaked. “How do you know all that if they’re so good at covering it up?”
I’ve seen that expression on my best friend’s face before. “My mom is Enzo Morelli’s lawyer. My parents’ law firm covers pretty much every legal discipline. Mom specializes in criminal law, Dad deals with corporate law. My uncle is a family lawyer and his wife does everything to do with entertainment, cinema and sports. If I don’t get to play professional hockey, they expect me to go to law school and work alongside my aunt.”
I reassure him. “You’ll get drafted or even better, you’ll get offered a contract. You’re too good on the ice not to make it as a pro. And Dad has got plenty of contacts even though for now he passed all his clients to his business partner. Being Star Cove’s mayor isn’t compatible with being a sports agent. Hopefully Dad will get tired of politics soon and return to his old job.”
Ares interrupts me. “You and Lev would have every chance to turn pro if you kept your fucking noses clean. Forget about Dad for a second. But what would have happened if instead of letting you come home last night I had taken you to the station? No NHL team will sign a rookie with a criminal record.”
I’m about to tell him to fuck off. I’m tired of his holier than thou attitude. “You speak as if you had never done anything wrong in your life, Ares.” I bite out. “Ever since you got that police badge, you act as if you’ve never had a drink when you were underage or done something stupid.”
The tick in his jaw tells me that I struck a nerve. “One thing is using a fake ID to buy a keg of beer for a party, another thing is getting involved in an illegal racing and betting ring controlled by the fucking mafia. But even if bikes weren’t illegal in town, and even if Morelli hadn’t turned the whole thing into a huge event that will eventually attract the sheriff’s attention, have you and Lev thought about the possibility of getting injured?”
His words hit me harder than if he had punched me in the face.
“What would you say to your coach and to your teammates if you fell off your bike and couldn’t skate for the rest of the season, or worse put an end to your career even before it started?”
Fuck. He’s right.
“Jeez.” Lev runs a hand through his hair. “Just the idea of having to break the news to Coach Harrison is scarier than getting arrested or than having to face our parents.”
There’s a resigned look on Ares’s face as he looks at both of us. “So the real question now is what are we going to do? We need to get you guys and Zara out from under Morelli’s thumb.”
“Yeah, good luck with that.” I tell him. “How do you suppose we pay up what we owe Morelli?”
“If I think how close we were.” Zara gripes. “This is all my fault. If I had won last night’s race, all our problems would be gone.”
Ares sighs, but his tone is soft when he speaks to our stepsister. “Do you really think that paying him will make Morelli go away?”
Chapter 6
Endangered
ZARA
Ares’s question stops me in my tracks. “What do you mean?”
“Princess, I don’t think Morelli has any intention to ever letting you quit. He asked Chance and Lev to bring him Smith. He wanted you to race for him so badly that he promised Chance and Lev to let them off the hook. He would have probably found a way to trap you into racing even if you had won.”
“I agree.” Lev muses. “And I don’t think he would have let us go either. He wanted us all to race for him all along.”
Chance clenches his fists on the table. “He’s got us right where he wants us. And the races are getting bigger every week. Maybe we should call his bluff and not show up next week. What is he going to do, call the cops on us?”
“No, but I promise you, pissing off Mason Morelli isn’t something you want to do.” Lev warns him. “Remember last summer my parents guilted me into interning with them in the weeks before we had to report to hockey training camp?”
“Yeah,” Chance shrugs. “What does that have to do with anything?”
I’ve never seen Lev look scared before today.
