Chapter 8: Chapter 8

“I don’t blame her for drooling. He is handsome, and he’s the heir. Cat must have used all her nine lives to land a man like that,” Delca, one of the women at our table, commented. She laughed off her words as if they meant nothing, but I knew she was jealous.

Her words ticked me off. I hadn’t done anything to warrant this hostility. Did they think I would just sit there and take it?

I chuckled. “Handling a man like that comes with precision that I’m sure many of the women here lack, hence why I’m in this position. I’m not saying you’re not worthy, but give me a gun, and I can shoot an apple off your head. How about you?” I cocked an eyebrow.

Gabriella giggled. “You should aim lower than the apple. It’s spoiled, anyway.”

The table fell silent. Gabriella and I glanced at each other proudly. In my defense, Stefano told me to conduct myself respectfully, and my insult was very subtle. If we had been strangers on a street, I’d already be cursing her like the sailor my aunt raised.

Delca’s smile froze, and I made sure to let my words properly sink in by adding, “Also, my name is Catalina. Cat is reserved for close friends and family. I hope you understand.”

One of the women cleared her throat and said, “Yeah, that was a bit uncalled for, Delca. It’s not like he randomly plucked her off the street. She’s his actual lover.”

“Let’s be civil,” another woman pitched in. “We don’t know what might happen in these games.”

The group murmured in agreement, and I watched as Delca’s face soured, yet she said nothing else.

Gabriella leaned closer to me and whispered, “You feel like you’re in a circus too, right?”

I covered my mouth to stifle my laughter. Her presence made this gathering a bit more bearable for me.

“Catalina,” Stacy, another woman who had migrated to our table, called out to me. I looked at her curiously.

“Do you know who the Perez family are?” she asked.

I furrowed my brow. It was the same question Stefano had asked me. What did I have to do with the Perez family?

Seeing that she had gained everyone’s attention, she shifted in her seat awkwardly before continuing on. “I heard Michael talking about it earlier, and I was wondering if you knew…since you’re close to Stefano. They’re investigating everyone who’s involved with the Perez family.”

“The Perez family? Who’re they?” Gabriella asked.

Another woman chimed in. “I heard they’re a new family in town. It’s just a rumor, but from what my sister told me, they were the cause of the shoot-out last month. They’re Spanish.”

“How does your sister know that?” I asked.

“She’s a cop.”

“Huh. I thought there were only three mafia families running this city,” another woman said.

“It used to be,” someone else said. “The Roscottos are allied with the Petrov family, but I heard that they’re both enemies of the Volkov family.”

The women broke out into smaller conversations. Many of them spoke on matters they’d heard from the men, while others mentioned the whispers they’d heard on the streets.

I tuned myself out of the conversations, lacking interest. I already knew most of what they were saying from my friend, Jalen.

Jalen and I grew up together. He was the younger brother of my aunt’s boyfriend and was deeply involved in criminal networking, keeping close ties with the mafia world.

He had helped me a lot after my aunt and his brother disappeared, especially with taking care of Selena. He was the one who recommended I hire the private investigator. We hadn’t spoken in a while due to our busy schedules, but I made a mental note to get in touch with him once I convinced Stefano to get me a new cell phone.

“Stacy, what’s that?” someone asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.

I followed where she was pointing to see a bracelet clasped around Stacy’s wrist. I almost did a double take, my eyes drawn to the blinking red gem in the middle of the bracelet’s flower pattern.

Stacy laughed it off. “Oh, this? It’s a bracelet I got from my grandmother before she died.” She tugged down the long sleeve of her dress to try to cover it.

“Is it like a mood band or something?” I asked. “The color kept flashing. It’s cute.”

She quickly nodded and smiled tightly. “Exactly. It’s a mood band.”

Something wasn’t adding up, so I pressed her further. “Then why was it red? Were you angry or something?”

“Uh.” She stiffened. “I was thinking of Michael?”

I furrowed my brow in confusion.

A woman gasped. “Oh my, are you in love with him already?”

Stacy flushed and nodded shyly.

My frown deepened.

Stacy had gone from quiet to boldly addressing me to shy. Her mood changes were ridiculous.

“Were you guys dating before you were taken? Like Stefano and Catalina?” someone asked.

She shook her head. “Oh, no. It’s just that…he’s so sweet. I tend to fall in love pretty quickly.”

My mind reeled in confusion. Falling in love with a man you’d just met a few hours ago? Was that even possible? Suspicion pooled in my gut, and I eyed her warily, focusing on the way she hid her arm under the table.

“Can I see the bracelet again?” I asked as I leaned forward. “It’s really unique. I’d like to see it closer. Maybe I can get Stefano to get me something like it.”

She hesitated, clutching her arm protectively. “It’s custom-made, sorry.”

“So, I can’t see it?” I pressed.

Her smile wavered. “You’re being awfully pushy.”

“You’re being awfully evasive.”

“Catalina’s right,” another woman pitched in. “All she asked was to see it again. It’s not like she’ll touch it or break it.”

“Yeah, you’re acting weird, Stacy,” someone else said.

“Can you guys lay off me?” she snapped. “I don’t like people touching or seeing my things. Get over it.”

“Jeez, calm down,” one woman replied.

“What’s wrong with you?” another asked.

“I’m sorry if I made you uncomfortable.” I apologized, but my suspicions were confirmed. Something was going on.

The table got rowdy as the women whispered among themselves.

I sat back and watched as Stacy received odd glances from the other women. She tried to work her way back into the conversation, but she’d made herself an outcast by that point, and no one was engaging with her.

“She’s hiding something,” Gabriella murmured as she took a sip of her wine, her eyes focused on Stacy. “Spies wouldn’t try to infiltrate the games, would they?”

I stiffened.

Spies?

I hadn’t thought of that. Since women were randomly chosen to participate in these games, it was possible for a mole to pose as a participant.

Was Stefano aware of this?

I worriedly chewed my lip as I looked in his direction.

If there really were spies among these women, wouldn’t that be dangerous for all of us? Since we were working to be a part of the Roscotto family, if any information detrimental to us got out, wouldn’t we have targets on our backs?

Stefano finally turned my way, and our eyes met. He seemed to sense my turmoil, because he whispered something to Andrei before standing and walking toward me.

My attention was on Stefano, our eyes never breaking contact. Everything else became a blur.

The chatter among the women died down as they noticed him approaching. He didn’t spare them a second glance and came straight to my side.

“Are you ready to leave?”

“Oh.” I hurriedly stood. “I’m sorry to cut this short, ladies, but I’ll see you at the first game.” I quickly said my goodbyes.

Gabriella stood as well and excused herself.

I linked arms with Stefano and leaned close to whisper as we walked away. “Is it possible that there are spies here?”

He glanced at me in surprise. “It’s possible. Why?”

I hesitated as I glanced back at the table before admitting my suspicions. “Stacy was being weird. I don’t know what it is, but she’s clinging heavily to the bracelet she’s wearing. There was a blinking light in the gem, and when I asked to see it, she hid her arm under the table.”

He abruptly stopped walking, and my face slammed into his arm.

“Jesus, fuck.” The curse slipped out before I could stop myself. He’d startled me.

“Stay here. I’ll be back.” He whirled around and stalked back to the table of women.

“Who’s Stacy?” he asked, his voice a harsh command that made many flinch. The women pointed at Stacy and broke into murmurs, furtively glancing my way.

“Ah! Stop!” Stacy cried as Stefano forcibly grabbed her arm and tugged up her sleeve to reveal the bracelet.

The commotion attracted the attention of everyone in the hall, and a hush came over the room as people craned their necks to see what was going on.

A man pushed through the crowd, shouting as he got close to the commotion. “Stefano. What the fuck?”

Stacy’s chair screeched against the floor as Stefano dragged her up by the wrist. She cried out and struggled, but his tight grip restrained her.

“Where did she get this bracelet from, Michael?” Stefano roughly threw her onto the floor, and she landed on her elbows in front of Michael.

I gasped at the anger radiating from Stefano’s eyes.

Michael looked at the blinking bracelet in confusion. “I didn’t… I don’t… There wasn’t any bracelet when we left the house.”

“It’s a fucking recorder. It’s bugged.” Stefano’s icy voice sliced through the air, and my heart pounded in response.

I’d never seen him so angry before.

“A mole?” Xavier walked over with a few men trailing behind him. “They’re showing themselves already?”

He didn’t seem surprised, as if this was expected.

“Take her to the warehouse for questioning,” Stefano barked at one of the men.

Stacy screamed and thrashed as they apprehended her and dragged her away.

Xavier glanced at his watch, then barked an order himself. “Close down this room. Search all the women.”

~Search us?~

A scream suddenly erupted. Everyone watched as a woman grabbed a knife off the table and held it to the throat of another woman.

She glared at everyone in the room and backed slowly toward the exit. “Come closer and she dies!”

Screams reverberated through the room as women scampered away from the scene. The place was in chaos, but I kept my eyes glued to the woman with the knife.

Her frantic eyes scanned the room until they met mine. At the same time, a gunshot echoed across the room.

Blood splattered, and a body slumped to the floor.

My heart dropped.