Finding Beauty in the Darkness

Chapter Eleven

GIOVANNI

This girl is getting to me. She’s making me joke around and laugh, and fuck, when she got excited about Italy, I wanted to call my pilot and fly her to Italy today. Then when she mentioned a boyfriend, my chest tightened and I wanted to lock her back up in the room and never let her out. I need to get myself together. What started as a way to fuck over Weston for nonpayment has turned into something more. I laugh to myself at the idea of seriously holding Aria captive because let’s face it, the entire situation has turned into a damn joke. This woman has been out of bed less than a day and it’s embarrassing the way she’s running circles around me. I’m vomiting out information about my business, assuring her I don’t have a girlfriend, and giving her tours of the place. I don’t know what the hell she’s doing to me but more shockingly, I don’t think I mind.

I handed her the phone so she could call her boyfriend and friend, but there was no way I was leaving. I played it off like I needed to make sure she didn’t mention anything that would incriminate me, but with Weston already knowing I took her, I’m not really concerned. If he was going to turn me in, he would have already done so. And even if he did, the police aren’t going to do shit about it. The truth is, I wanted to remain in the room to find out where she stands with her boyfriend.

Her boyfriend’s number wasn’t in service, but her friend answered her phone. Aria’s first question was if anybody reported her missing. I can’t hear what her friend is saying, but Aria’s facial expression is one of confusion.

“What do you mean?” Aria’s nose scrunches up, making me want to kiss the confusion away. Jesus, I need to get this girl out of my head. I can’t be thinking this way about her. While the age difference might not be a problem for her, after everything she’s been through, she deserves more than a guy who isn’t capable of anything more than a fuck. Nothing can happen between us. I need to separate myself from her. She’s here so I can keep her safe and find out what Hightower is up to, and I need to remember that.

“He told you I left by choice? Why the hell would he say that? I never told him I was going anywhere… Are you still at UNLV? Okay, hold on.” Aria presses the mute button and turns to me. “Would it be possible for me to visit Amber? Like at a coffee shop near the university? I don’t want to invite her here because… well…” I raise my eyebrows at her, and she huffs out, “I’m not going to run. You’ll have someone with me. Please,” her big green-blue eyes plead, and I give in.

“Fine, I can have Johnny drive you and stay with you.”

“Okay, thanks!” Aria gives me a huge smile and my heart tightens. A thought pops into my head and it scares the fuck out of me. I don’t want to see this woman sad. Her smile does something to me that I can’t afford for it to do. I need to figure out what Weston is hiding so I can fuck him over and destroy him for fucking me over. Then once I do that, I can let Aria go, and we can both move forward with our lives.

“Is Saturday okay?”

“It should be fine, and it gives you a few more days to continue to heal.”

“Saturday is good, Amber…I’ll see you then. Bye.”

She hangs up, frowning. “Amber said when I disappeared, she told Antonio they should report me missing, but he said I wasn’t missing, that I told him I needed to take off to clear my head. She said my entire dorm was cleaned out and a few weeks later, Antonio disappeared. We’re going to talk more on Saturday. It just doesn’t make sense. I need to find Antonio.”

“Do you know his last name?”

“Torino.” Why does that name sound familiar?

“I’ll have Johnny see if he can find anything out. We’ll get this all figured out.” I give her a small smile mentally vowing to myself to make sure this woman is safe if it’s the last thing I do.

“Thank you…for getting me out of that hellhole and for making sure I got treated. I hate that you’re keeping me here, but it’s a thousand times better than what Weston was putting me through. I guess in a way I owe you.” She shrugs.

“You don’t owe me anything, Aria. This is business,” I say, hoping to convince her and me of that fact. “Now what do you say you lie down for a nap and afterward I can show you the theater so you can watch a movie down there.”