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“I won’t go to the police,” she repeated. The trickle of a tear slid across her cheek, and she choked back a sob.
“Hush, Ragazza.”
Ludovico brushed back the single drop. She froze, her breath catching and a lump forming in the back of her throat.
“I know, but now I’ve met you, I want more. So, I think we need to get to an agreement.”
“An agreement?” she repeated numbly.
“Yes.” Ludovico rubbed his thumb and index finger together.
“What do you want from me?”
“This is how it’s going to work, Geraldine Evans. From now on you belong to me. In exchange, I will let you live, and I won’t tarnish your reputation.”
“For how long?” she muttered.
“Until I see fit, Ragazza. Don’t worry. I’ll take care of you, Gigi. To begin with, I’ll come pick you up tomorrow. After all…” A slow grin spread across his features. “Someone slashed your car tires.”
Gigi’s hand flew to her mouth, black dots danced in her vision. Horror threatened to overtake her.
“It was you.”
Ludovico shrugged.
Gigi covered her face with her hands, biting back a sob. There was no going to the police either. She didn’t have any proof. What would she tell them? That she’d seen her client murder someone or he belonged to the mob. Ha! It was impossible to prove. Just as impossible as explaining he’d threatened to kill her, or worse. If they had nothing on him, they wouldn’t arrest him, and those people were always extremely watchful of their steps. She couldn’t do anything except finish the consulting job she’d been hired to do and hope he got tired of her quickly.
You belong to me, Gigi.
His baritone voice echoed in her mind. She suppressed a shudder. He was bluffing. He was trying to scare her, so she’d do as he asked, but soon enough he’d tire of her and move on. He had more important things to care about than a woman like her. Right?
The car rolled to a stop. She made to run out, but Ludovico halted her with a hand on her knee. She froze, hating that her body had jerked alive at mere contact. What was wrong with her? Ludovico said something to the driver in Italian.
“Wait,” he said. He stepped out of the car and opened the door for her. “Come on.”
He walked her all the way home and waited for her to open it.
“I look after what’s mine, Ragazza, don’t you worry.”
“I’m not yours,” she uttered the words, fully aware the denial was nothing but dying leaves in the wind.
Ludovico laughed.
“Keep telling yourself that. I’ll be here at nine o’clock tomorrow to pick you up. By the way, wear a skirt.”
With those final words, he veered and headed back to his vehicle. Gigi hurried inside, locking the door. As soon as the car sped off, she slid to the floor, curled herself into a ball and wept.
Chapter Six
The car came to pick her up at 9:00 AM sharp. She’d spent another sleepless night tossing and turning, and ended up getting out of bed and ready for work at 6:00 AM. She’d opted to wear a pantsuit combo, with a turtleneck shirt. No cleavage exposure risk as yesterday. Then, she’d set herself to work on the case until the driver knocked at her door.
“Ms. Evans. I am here to pick you up on Mr. Ludovico’s orders.” He cleared his throat.
“I am ready,” she stated. “I just need to pick up—”
“I’m afraid your attire is not appropriate. Mr. Ludovico told me if you were not wearing a skirt, you had to change.”
“Excuse me?”
