Stefano and Taviano entered the room, both obviously overhearing the last thing Giovanni said. They’d been watching and listening from the control room.
Stefano indicated the door that led between the lounge and the hall where the two men had disappeared. “That’s why their alibis checked out. When one was doing something, the other was seen. Once we went back and looked at anyone who would benefit from Aaron being out of the way, we concentrated on both Corlege and Mariland. Mariland is a firebug. He has a sealed record of starting multiple fires as a child. He went into the Army. They didn’t look at his sealed records, because they couldn’t. He also is very good at explosives.”
“And Corlege?” Giovanni asked.
“Corlege is a very sick man. He likes to hurt women. He’s had three relationships where his partner has ended up in the hospital,” Taviano said.
“Sheesh.” She rolled her eyes. “It’s funny that Tom is the one who hit me when Corlege probably wishes he could have.”
“Which is why none of us wanted you here in the first place, Sasha,” Stefano said. “You could have really been hurt.”
“You needed me to help carry out this plan. I told you I’d be all right.” She couldn’t help the smugness in her voice.
“He got his hands on you.” Giovanni glared at her. “You let him touch your feet.”
“I was getting information, and you burst in here like a crazy person,” she protested, feeling slightly guilty. “There wasn’t supposed to be hitting. In any case, I needed a foot massage.”
“You want a fuckin’ foot massage, Sasha, you get it from your man, not the ones we suspect of trying to kill you.”
“That’s my cue to leave. I have to go back to work.” She rolled her shoulder experimentally. It hurt, but not nearly as bad as it had when Tom hit her. More likely, he’d grazed her when she was rolling.
“You aren’t going back to work. We already have another server working the second tier, and Nancy shifted to the top one. You’re going to take it easy right here and then go home with me.”
She started to protest, looked around at the set features and then shrugged. “Fine.” She didn’t feel all that good anyway. Her shoulder did hurt, but she wasn’t about to mention that and get another lecture. “Why didn’t they just kill Aaron? They didn’t mind in the least killing me. Or Giovanni. Why the elaborate plan?”
“Best guess,” Stefano said, “jealousy. They wanted his title and wanted Aaron to see them in the winner’s seat. Or at least James did. He seemed to be the leader between the two of them. They both wanted to win the competitions for the groupies. They probably got talking over a bottle of booze one night, sat around talking smack about Aaron and then thought up ways to actually get rid of him. The more they talked, the more elaborate the plan and the better it sounded. We’ve seen it before.”
“We know all this, but can we get enough evidence to convict them?” Sasha asked.
The three men looked at one another. It was Giovanni who spoke. Gently. “Baby. We just have to get Aaron off. That shouldn’t be difficult now that we know where to look.”
“I don’t understand. The cops are going to want to arrest them.”
“They’ll try,” Stefano agreed. “Let’s go home. My woman is waiting for me. And for all you observant shadow riders, not one of you noticed she wasn’t drinking alcohol when we came to the club dancing. I bet her that you’d notice and I lost that bet.”
Giovanni and Taviano both looked at their brother like he’d lost his mind.
“She used to drink Moscow mules and cosmopolitans, but for the last few months, it’s been water. Or sparkling water. Maybe you haven’t been paying attention.” Stefano gave them his mean look. “There is very little Francesca does that I don’t notice.”
Giovanni nudged Sasha. “Pay attention, baby. I follow in Stefano’s footsteps when it comes to my woman. I notice everything.”
She thought about giving him a smart-ass answer, but she remained silent. She really wanted to go home and soak in that fabulous tub in the master suite.
Giovanni glanced at Stefano. “Will you be inviting our New York cousins to come for my wedding?”
“Of course.”
“Perfect. I can’t wait to see them. Come on, baby, let’s go home.” He knelt down to slip her heels back on her feet. His hands brushed her ankles as he did up the straps. “Who knew you were so good with a shoe?”
“I have many talents.” She sent him a small smile.
“One of them is not staying out of trouble when your man is fighting.”
“In my defense,” she said, “I didn’t know he was that good.”
Taviano choked. Stefano turned away, clearing his throat. Giovanni stood up slowly. “I’ve been keeping count of all your little indiscretions,” he warned. “I believe in punishments.”
She laughed. “I’ll be looking forward to that.” Her smile faded and she took his hand to allow him to pull her up. “You do know it goes both ways, right?”
Giovanni wrapped his arm around her. “Not sure what you mean, woman.”
“I’m very good with ropes. Hog-tying is something of a specialty. Torturing is second nature.” She leaned into him, and he put his head down so her lips were against his ear. “I’m very, very good with my mouth.”
He laughed as they walked down the hall to the private entrance and exit for the Ferraro family. Once in the parking lot, he handed her gently into the car. “Your shoulder is going to be black and blue. I wanted to beat the crap out of Tom.”
“Um … babe? I think you did. I think both of them are going to wake up very sore tomorrow.”
“They’ll be celebrating tonight, thinking they put one over on Aaron. You played your part beautifully, Sasha. I will say, I didn’t expect them to follow you into the break room. We had it set up to watch over you at their table, but this was so much better. Especially when they attacked me.”
“Do you have someone watching them?”
He nodded as he slid onto the seat beside her. “Ricco is following James, and Mariko is following Tom. If they’re together, which we hope, they’ll talk. They won’t be able to help but brag. That’s just another nail in the coffin. We’ll be able to provide that to the investigators along with everything else we’ve got on them. There’s going to be plenty of proof.”
“And Aaron?”
“He’ll have to stay in jail a little longer. Just until after we’re married.”
“That long?” She put her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes against the stream of lights.
“Baby, we’re getting married in two days.”
She couldn’t help but smile at the reprimand in his voice. Of course, she knew when they were getting married. “Aren’t you a little afraid for Mariko and Ricco? If one or both get caught, I’m sure Tom or James won’t have a problem shooting them.”
“They’ll never come out of the shadows. In any case, even if they did, they’re too well trained and far too fast. Ricco is the fastest of all of us.”
It surprised her that Giovanni would name his brother faster, but she realized none of the Ferraro brothers ever bragged. They teased one another, but they didn’t brag out of the family circle or in it. They were arrogant, but it came from a place of complete confidence.
“He’s really that much faster than you?” She’d just seen Giovanni in action, and if he was fast enough to take on two mixed martial arts fighters, then Ricco had to be insanely fast.
“Yes. And he never, never gets turned around in a city.”
“I didn’t think about that happening,” she admitted. She reached down to rub at her aching ankle. Her feet were still painful.
Immediately, Giovanni lifted her feet into his lap and undid the tiny buckles on the thin straps. He dropped the shoes onto the floor and began to massage her feet. His fingers were strong and they moved into her sore muscles, a deep pressure, until she wanted to cry with relief.
“That feels so good, honey,” she admitted. “I should have stopped James, but my feet hurt so bad I was shameless.”