Twisted Bonds (The Camorra Chronicles 4)

“Don’t blame yourself for what happened to Remo,” I said as I led him toward the infirmary we’d furnished a few months ago.

“Who else should I blame? I got myself caught. They would have never got Remo without that happening.”

I didn’t contradict him. “Focus your anger on things you can actually change. Focus on getting stronger, on making wiser choices…”

“On getting revenge?”

“That too,” I said quietly. “You made C.J. cover for you when you disappeared to that race against Remo’s clear orders—”

“No,” Adamo said harshly. “Leave her out of it. She didn’t know where I was going. I asked her to pretend she was with me, that’s all.”

I regarded Adamo for a long time. “What’s going on between you and her?”

“Nothing,” he muttered, turning his eyes away.

“Nothing wouldn’t make her keep secrets for you. You’re spending a lot of time with her. If this is so you can gather experience, that’s understandable, but don’t turn it into more than that, Adamo. People always try to gain something from being close to us, and a whore from one of our establishments certainly won’t be the exception.”

Adamo ignored me in favor of glaring at his wound.

He wouldn’t reveal the details of his relationship with C.J. to me. I’d have to talk to her myself.

In the afternoon I headed over to the Sugar Trap, knowing C.J. had a shift. I nodded at Jerry in greeting as I stepped inside. “Is C.J. in her room?”

“Yep, but she’s with a John. They should be done in ten. Only booked thirty minutes.”

I nodded and headed in the direction of the room, then waited by leaning across from the door. Like Jerry said, the door opened ten minutes later to C.J. and a middle-aged man with glasses and a slight paunch. I picked him as an insurance salesman, or something similar, with a pregnant woman at home who didn’t want to put out for him in the last trimester.

His face turned red when he spotted me and he quickly excused himself. C.J. looked at me uncertainly. I pushed away from the wall and stalked toward her. She backed off, clutching a towel around her body. I entered her room and closed the door, then took in the ruffled sheets of the oval bed and the condom on the ground.

C.J. picked it up and disposed of it, then said without looking at me. “I can have someone change the sheets and take a quick shower if you don’t mind waiting.”

“I’m not here for sex. I have a wife.”

She tilted her head up, tensing. “I didn’t know. Honestly, I didn’t. I just wanted to help him.”

I moved closer. “What didn’t you know?”

She swallowed. “That he’d go to that race … I just wanted to help.”

“Where did you think he’d go? It would have to be somewhere we disapprove of or he wouldn’t have to ask you to cover for him.”

Her pulse hammered in her throat, her chest heaving in rising fear. “I didn’t ask. Adamo always says it’s better if I know as little as possible so I don’t get in trouble with you.”

I studied her face closely, trying to detect if she was lying. Her gaze rested on my chest. “Look up.” She raised her eyes. She was scared, but I didn’t pick up any deceit.

“What’s going on between you and Adamo, the truth,” I demanded.

“He came to talk, just talk in the beginning—”

“About what?”

She blinked. “About school, about Harper, about racing, anything really. Never business, I swear.”

I nodded. “Go on.”

“But then we slept together. I thought that’s what I’m supposed to do.”

“You have sex, all right, but that’s not all.”

“When we have sex, he doesn’t just stay for the deed. We talk beforehand and then afterwards, and …” Her cheeks turned red. “And we just lie in each other’s arms sometimes. It’s less like a work relationship and more like friends with benefits.”

I narrowed my eyes. “Why are you doing this? If you think you can get something out of it, you better be careful.”

Her eyes widened. “I’m not using him. Why would I not like to spend time with him? I get compensated for spending time with him like I do with every client, and he’s nice and considerate, and I enjoy being with him.” Her face turned even redder.

“So you’re only doing this because sex with my brother is pleasant for you and allows you to take on fewer of the unpleasant clients.”

She looked away. “Yeah.”

“All right. I don’t have a problem with that, but don’t cross any lines, C.J., understood?” She gave a small nod. “Adamo might need you now more than ever, so take good care of him.”

I left, satisfied with my findings.

I didn’t care if Adamo only fucked C.J., even if his longer sessions cost a fortune. It’s not like my brothers and me hadn’t used the services of our whores. Of course, we never had to pay that much because we didn’t keep them around for hours.