Page 54 of Isle of Seduction

I knew she was a shark, but Shelly seems to have a lot of sway. She gives a call to someone and manages to get herself a hearing with the custody officer. He’s the one who’ll decide if Andrea gets bail. The meeting is planned for the next day at eight am.

Anxiety and fear linger at the back of my throat, but the weight on my shoulders eases to a bearable point. DeRossi excuses himself for the day.

“You okay?” Shelly asks and for the first time since I’ve known her, concern spreads over her features.

“Not really. But today’s been productive. I trust you with tomorrow’s hearing.”

She nods and purses her lips, then glances back at me. “Wanna talk about it?”

Yes, I do want to talk about it.

But not with her. There’s only one person I need right now.

“Thank you for offering, but I’m gonna head home. Can I walk you out?”

When she’s gone, I dial the person I love most.

“Hey G,” Lana answers on the first ring.

“Hi.” My voice trembles with emotion I barely dare speak into existence.

“Oh fuck, what happened?”

She always knows. Lana and I grew up together, as close as sisters. When my father neglected me and focused all his attention on my brother, Lana was my solace.

Tears prickle at the corners of my eyes, and a sob escapes my lips. “Andrea’s in jail.”

“What? How did that happen?”

“He’s being framed.”

“I’ll send you all my contacts for lawyers in the UK. Maybe I can even ask Maitre Duomo to help. I’m not sure he knows much about UK crime law, but that man knows more people than he leads on.” She sounds frazzled and speaks a mile a minute, ready to jump in and save the day as she always does. But this time, there’s nothing she can do. “Who’s doing this? Who do I need to kill?”

“It’s okay,” I snort, relishing in my cousin’s outrage. “I got Shelly on the case and Andrea’s solicitor. He’s good.”

“Shelly, huh?” she asks knowingly. “Bombshell-Shelly? That Shelly? The same Shelly you were too afraid to get involved with because she reminded you of your ex?”

I bristle at the mention of my ex. That bastard got what he deserved but years later, the memory of how much control he held over me makes me shiver in disgust. Not only for him, but also for me, for allowing it to happen. I take a deep breath and remind myself that I was sixteen. It wasn’t my fault.

“Yeah, that Shelly. She’s still hot.”

“But?” Lana teases, urging me to say more.

“But there’s someone else,” I answer truthfully, almost shy at my admission. Knowing what Andrea means to me and admitting out loud, even to Lana, are two very different things. But I can’t lie to myself or to anyone anymore.

“Fuck, those men are like catnip, aren’t they?” She should know, Andrea’s cousin Pierce claimed his seat as Heir of his family despite hating the mafia, just so he could marry her. Then he killed his own uncle to protect her.

“Yeah, they fucking are.”

“You want to talk about him?”

I tell her how much I’ve fallen for my husband. How I tried to make his life miserable, fucking up his bike, snapping at him all the time. How I got addicted to his scent, to his cooking, and to knowing he watches me sleep.

“That’s fucked up and sweet at the same time,” Lana laughs.

I keep sharing all the things I love about him.

Love.