I stop touching myself and sit up against the headboard, my legs locked closed. I pull the sheets up around my hips, frowning as I try to figure out who the hell is texting me, but I already know, deep down in the pit of my stomach, it’s obvious who’s on the other end.
It’s got to be Danil. There’s nobody else who would talk to me like that, who knows what I’m trying to do so intimately.
Olivia: How did you get this number? What do you want, Danil? Why are you messaging me?
Danil: I want to know if you’ve figured out that your husband is the root of all your problems yet.
Danil: I want to know if you’re ready to hurt him the way I think he needs to be hurt.
Danil: The whole Bruno Famiglia is a stain on this city, and together we can bring them down and burn them into nothing. We can make them pay for what they did to us ten years ago, if only you’d help me. Why don’t you help me, Olivia? We can do so much together, you and I, like the old days, like chemistry lab. Don’t you think we’re good together?
I get dressed. I pace back and forth, and my phone rings, and it’s Danil, but I don’t answer. I’m panicking, afraid and uncertain. Do I tell Casso about this? If I’m not stripped and in that bed in the next two minutes, he’ll know something’s wrong. Can I really hide these messages after everything that happened? I’m terrified that I’ll do the wrong thing.
Casso might not understand. If he realizes Danil’s trying to get me to betray the Bruno Famiglia, he might think I really want to do it. He might rightfully wonder how Danil got my number in the first place. He might even think I’ve been talking with Danil this entire time. I ran away once, so it’s not a huge stretch to imagine I’d do something even worse. Can I tell him, even if it might ruin whatever we’re trying to rekindle?
I hear his steps in the hall. More texts from Danil come through and I’m too afraid to check. It’s like if I don’t read them then I can’t be held responsible for what they say. I’m trembling, terrified, and when the door opens and Casso looks in at me, his face falling at the expression in my eyes. I look back at him and taste his lips on mine, feel his body against mine, and I know what I need to do.
“Danil started texting me,” I say, holding up my phone. “I don’t know how he got my number, but Casso, he’s texting me.”
He walks over and I give him my phone. He says nothing, but I see the tension all over him.
Casso reads the texts, one by one. He frowns, shaking his head. “When did this start?”
“Just now.”
He grunts and makes a call on his phone. “Nico? How are things going? How many dead? Shit, that’s good. Yeah, I got some news. Danil’s been messaging Olivia. We’ll need to see what we can figure out from this number. Yeah, calling too. All right, send your tech guy.” He hangs up, puts his phone away, and hands me back mine.
“What are we going to do?” I ask, feeling somewhat relieved that he’s not jumping to the worst possible assumption.
He watches me for several long moments and I’m terrified of what he might say: you’re a liar, you ran away once, you’re a traitor, how can I ever trust you. I’m trembling and I brace myself to hear the words that I think I deserve.
“Come with me,” he says instead and steers me to the couch. We sit together, him with his arm across my shoulders, and I nuzzle close. “Do you trust me?”
I nod once. “I trust you.” And it’s true, I do trust him.
“And I want to trust you too.” He takes a deep breath and lets it out, his body slackening slightly. “Nico’s been running all over the city trying to smoke Danil out. He’s been killing Danil’s soldiers and hitting the underworld hard. It’ll blow back on us eventually and I suspect our friends in law enforcement won’t be friendly for long, but it’s working. I think Danil’s texting you because he’s desperate. So here’s what we’ll do. We’re going to use this against him. I’m going to tell you what to say, and you’re going to say it. Will you do that for me?”
I look up into his eyes and yes, I’ll do anything for him, anything he asks.
“Whatever you want,” I say.
“Good girl,” he whispers, and kisses me. “Now, about what I told you earlier. I believe you’re supposed to be stripped down on all fours with that sweet ass wiggling in the air. Can you do that for me now, little wife? Then after, we will deal with this other problem.”