Page 109 of Possess Me

“I didn’t. Karma did.”

“You like her and don’t try and tell me otherwise. I can tell.”

Somehow, he had me laughing. “Yeah, I like her. A lot more than I should, given who I am.”

His snort had me rolling my eyes again. “You and me both, buddy, but if I can keep a girlfriend safe and happy, you can.”

“You, a girlfriend?”

“I’ll have you know she’s a model from Milan.”

“This I need to see.”

He lifted his beer and we touched bottlenecks. “Time for you to settle down, my friend. Have a bunch of kids. You’ve got the dog.”

“Very funny. I’ve known her for two days.”

“That was long enough with Megan.”

Yeah, he was right. “Let’s just see if we can get through the night without getting ourselves killed.”

“You have no faith in me. That hurts.”

“Get used to it,” I teased. “Maybe at some point you can tell me everything you know about the Brunis.”

“Happy to, but not over dinner. I think the two of you need some down time. Let’s have some fun.”

“Fun. What the hell is that?”

“That’s what has been your problem all along. Just stick with me. Who knows. Maybe tonight you’ll get lucky.” His laugh was the one I remembered, the man the only person capable of bringing me out of my second round of depression.

“She’s in danger, Carlos. She just learned she is the granddaughter of Giovanni Bruni. I think she’s going to have a very difficult time with the news.”

“Tough shit to just find out. You know how to pick them. That makes her highly valuable. Let me guess. Her father is Marcos Bruni.”

“You knew. You’ve been keeping things from me.”

“Do you really think I was going to allow you to go off halfcocked five years ago? Come on now. I wouldn’t be a very good friend if I had. Besides, it’s just shit I hear from clients. Supposedly, Marcos Bruni was killed by a Bruni enemy, but there were rumors that he vanished and started a new life. You can imagine the bounty that might be on his head if found.”

“Someone did before Megan died.”

“Ah. I wonder if Megan had any idea she was royalty.”

There was that fucking word again. I thought about what she’d told me about why she’d come to Vegas to start a new life. She’d been vague, so much so after a while I stopped asking. “I think she knew and in some crazy way was trying to protect her mother and sister.”

“Well, that’s a damn tragedy. Now, karma has come full circle. There’s some irony in that.”

“Maybe so, but this time, the ending will go my way.”

“Like I said before. It’s obvious that you really like Fallon. I’m happy to see it. I’ll make sure you’re protected while here. But don’t get too comfortable. Giovanni is a shithead of a human being. That much I do know.”

Nodding, I scanned the area surrounding his house again, realizing the shit was just beginning.

After clapping me on the back a second time, he walked inside, leaving me alone.

Yet for the first time in so long, I didn’t feel loneliness. Instead, I felt something more exciting.

The joy of being alive.