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30: Beatrice
“Your brother’s company is in DC? I thought he lived in New York,” Callie said, trying to sound nonchalant as we drove closer to the industrial buildings on the outskirts of the DC Metropolitan area.
“Just his data storage,” I replied. “It’s held by a company in Annapolis.”
“Why did you need Mark to tell you that?”
“It’s not public knowledge but Mark’s his counsel,” I said. “It’s the reason I got hired at the firm.”
“That’s why your mother loves him?”
“Oh yeah, and Mark is an acceptable choice for a Welsh.”
I could see Alessio turning his head slightly to listen to our conversation. His eyes glanced back at me in the rearview mirror and I felt the intensity of his stare.
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Caught in the Crossfire 31: Beatrice
“What does that even mean?” I yelled in frustration. “I work for you forever and somehow that doesn’t kill me? I retire? Your father lets me walk away at the end of my career and spend the rest of my days in a little hut in Costa Rica? You know that would never happen. I’m with your family until I die, whenever that is. There is no reality where someone works for your family and then suddenly just doesn’t. Unless they’re dead.” Alessio stretched his neck as I huffed out the reality of my situation as if he were entering a ring and needed to loosen his muscles in anticipation. “I will protect you,” he said, ignoring the rest of my rant and zeroing in on my fear for my life. “I won’t let anyone in my family hurt you.” “THEY’RE TRYING TO KILL ME! I’VE BEEN SHOT AT AND THREATENED AND YOUR FAMILY IS THE TOP OF T
Caught in the Crossfire 32: Beatrice
I stepped out of the shower, the wound in my side a sharp reminder of my mortality as I hobbled to the room to find clothes. My hair stuck to the side of my throat and my eyes had small black circles along the bottom where my mascara had run in the steam. I was never great about removing my makeup before a shower and it showed. “Bea? You done?” Trey’s voice called out for me from the hall where he had gone after making sure I could navigate the shower on my own. “Not yet,” I called out. The drawers in this room were filled with clothes my size and I was hit again with the irony that Alessio had everything I needed before I even got here. It was almost as if he had planned it. The room blinds to the windows were closed and I could see the sun shining through the small slits on the side of the frame, casting
Caught in the Crossfire 33: Beatrice
“What is it like, then?” I asked. Then, without waiting for him to reply I went on a tirade. “I asked them for help dealing with your family. I went to them for help after they brutally massacred my heart last year but I sucked it up because I was sure I was going to get assassinated by your fucking henchmen and what were you doing? Conspiring with them behind my back, and for what? To try to play hero? To try to win me back for them?” I stopped to take a breath and I could see the hurt in Alessio’s eyes. “How long have you been selling out your family to the FBI?” Alessio’s eyes burned with anger at my latest accusation. “I’ve never sold out my family to anyone.” “No? Then what do you offer the FBI? What’s your value to them?”
Caught in the Crossfire 34: Alessio
“I told you that was a bad fucking idea,” I said, watching Beatrice, Trey and Callie drive away from my house. “Why did you tell her the Bianchi’s were trying to kill her?” David asked, turning to look at Devon. “Because that’s as close to the truth as we have and explaining all the shit going on right now to her would very likely break her,” he replied. I agreed but it felt dangerously like we were still lying to her. “The last year very nearly broke her, I don’t think finding out that there’s a mole in the Bianchi family and he’s trying to kill her but we don't know who it is, would do her in just yet,” I replied. My words rang in the room but no one was listening any longer. I felt Michael and Rachel leaving, heading toward the kitchen. I knew we’d find them there but we had other business first. Important business. I stopped and stared at David. I could feel Devon’s gaze on me too but I couldn't take my eyes away from David. “It’s been so fucking long,” my voice rasped as I
Caught in the Crossfire 1: Beatrice
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Caught in the Crossfire 2: Beatrice
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Caught in the Crossfire 3: David
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Caught in the Crossfire 4: Beatrice
My hands were shaking as I held my cell phone in front of me, moving the device closer to my eyes to better see the screen. I must need glasses. There was no way this was the correct account. I was staring at the balance of my firm's reserve account for the Trivisonnos and there were more zeros than I had ever seen before in my life. There were more zeros than I had told them to deposit. There were just too many zeros. At first, I thought it was a mistake, but then I remembered who I was dealing with.That's when I knew how seriously deep in shit I really was. No one deposited over a million dollars in their lawyer’s retainer account unless they were expecting a long, dirty relationship with lots of illegal and probably painful tasks.I mean, I knew before that this was not my ideal client, but now it was like reality had dropped an anvil on my head and I was shaking my head in confusion as I tried to finish running the damn race. I had been the gazelle and now I was the fucking coy
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