Page 66 of Joey

“Fuck!” Dante slams his fists down onto his desk.

I take a deep breath and try to ignore my racing heart. I am Joey Moretti. I don’t wilt like some goddamn delicate flower just because things don’t go my way. All that matters right now is finding Max. Then, once he’s safe, I will cut off his dick with a blunt spoon and he can fuck off to somewhere far, far away and live unhappily ever after with his little girlfriend. “When was the last time you saw him?” I ask, my calm voice belying the torrent of rage that consumes me.

“Y-yesterday morning when he left for the airport.”

Dante takes over the questioning again. “You were in his apartment?”

Kristin shrugs. “I live there.”

She lives with him? No wonder the no-good, lying bag of shit wouldn’t take me to his place the other night. God, I’m so fucking stupid.

Hold it together, Joey.

“And when did you realize he was missing?” my brother asks.

“Later that day, when he didn’t call me like he promised. I checked that the flight had landed. And then I called the airline a dozen times. Late last night, I finally got someone to confirm that he didn’t board the flight. I didn’t know where else to go, but I know that he works for you, Mr. Moretti, so I came here.”

“Max doesn’t justwork for me,” Dante says. “How the fuck do I know you’re not a part of all this? He never once mentioned a pregnant girlfriend. Certainly not one who lived with him.”

Her cheeks turn bright pink. “You know he’s a very private person. The baby was unexpected.” Looking down, she rubs a hand over her bump. “But I do live with him. The code for the elevator is his father’s birthday. You don’t clap once to turn the lights on because Max thought it was too boring. You have to do a two clap, three clap thing. It’s so annoying when you need a pee in the middle of the night.” She gives us a faint smile as though we should be sympathetic to her cause, but all I want to do is scratch her eyes out.

Assaulting my mind is an image of her untangling herself from Max’s strong arms to get up and use the bathroom. I try not to think about the various intimate moments they must have shared, but the images persist like annoying little pop-up ads.

Dante pushes himself to his feet. “You’ll stay here until we find him. My wife will make up a spare room for you.”

I scowl at him, but I know he’s doing the right thing.

“Thank you,” she says, tears running down her cheeks again. “I’d like to help though. If I can do anything at all. I just want him back.”

I press my lips together to avoid saying any of the hundred things that are running through my head. She just wants him back? Well, Maximo DiMarco is a lying, cheating snake. And after I’m done with him, there probably won’t be much left worth having.

ChapterTwenty-Eight

JOEY

Kat doesn’t say anything when she walks into the dining room where Dante, Lorenzo, and I are sitting with Kristin. She simply sits beside me, reaches for my hand, and gives it a gentle squeeze, letting me know she’s there. My brothers have been grilling Kristin for over an hour, wanting to know everything she knows about where Max was going and why. Unfortunately, it appears she doesn’t know more than what she already told us.

I’ve spent that time quietly observing her. She’s young and vulnerable, yes, but there’s a quiet strength about her. She’s not as naive as she looks. Maybe it’s her huge doe eyes that make her look so innocent. Does Max stare into her eyes the way he looks into mine? Has he made her promises and broken them too?

Every few minutes, I remember what he’s done, and a fresh wave of pain crashes over me. My heart physically hurts—a deep, visceral ache in my chest. And then I look at the girl sitting across the table. She’s eighteen years old, almost nineteen, and she’s six months pregnant with a boy. How could Max cheat on her too?

Dante was right, Max DiMarco is not the man I thought I knew.

“Everything okay, kitten?” Dante asks his wife.

“I’m just about to put Gabriella down for the night and wanted to let you know that Sophia made dinner. I think it’s important our guest eats something.”

“I-I’m okay,” Kristin stammers. “I just want to find Max.”

“And we will,” Lorenzo replies. “But Kat’s right. You must eat.”

I squeeze Kat’s hand in mine, steeling myself. “We’ll be eating in here anyway. And we can talk while we have dinner.”

Kristin gives me such a genuine smile in return that it makes my stomach roll. She thinks I’m her ally, but I’m the woman who’s been fucking her baby daddy. No wonder the cheating snake wouldn’t take me to his place. That anger and pain bubbles inside me once more, but I swallow it down.

Kat releases my hand and gets up. “I’ll go tell Sophia to serve dinner then.”

“I’ll come with you. I need to kiss my daughter goodnight before she goes to bed,” Dante says.