Cruel Betrayals (Savannah Sharks Hockey and Mafia #3)

Chapter 11

Chapter Eleven

ALEXANDRA

I’ve never been this exhausted in my entire life. All I’ve been doing on my days off is sleeping and cuddling on my couch while watching sappy romance movies.

“I need a new life.” I mumble to myself as I get up to grab yet another doughnut from the box on the counter.

I’ve been avoiding the Marino house like the plague. Tension with Arturo and Joseph has hit an all-time high. Neither has spoken about what happened between them, but it must be bad.

Arturo stays in his office either at home or at the arena. He calls and emails me when he needs something and has canceled all in person meetings for the unforeseeable future.

Joseph has practically locked himself in the gym when he’s not at the arena skating. I’ve caught glimpses of him from afar and can’t believe what he’s doing to himself.

He looks exhausted, like he hasn’t slept in days. His knuckles are swollen and bloodied from hitting the punching bag. When our paths crossed, he would glare at me as if I’ve done something to him.

Almost as if I did something worse than turning him down.

To avoid running into him at his house, I’ve been working from my office at the arena. It’s quiet and most of the time, I’m left alone.

A knock sounds on my door. I take another bite of the doughnut and ignore the person at the door.

If it’s important, they will call me or send a message.

The knocking continues, followed by Francesca’s voice. “Alexandra, open the door. I can hear the television on, so I know you’re in there.”

“It’s open.” I yell out to her.

A second later, the door opens, revealing a shocked Francesca. “Do you seriously leave your door unlocked? Do you know how dangerous that is?”

I shrug. “Having a locked door doesn’t really make a difference. If someone wants to get me, they will. The locked door is only going to piss them.”

She closes the door behind her and joins me on the couch. “That’s a very cynical way of looking at things.”

“It’s the truth.”

She huffs and turns to look at me. “Whatever is going on with you isn’t healthy.”

My heart races. “What are you talking about?”

There’s no way she came over here knowing everything that is going on. If she did know, she’d be pissed.

“The way you look. The food you are eating. This isn’t healthy.”

I glance down at my oversized t-shirt and leggings. “What’s wrong with the way I’m dressed? It’s after hours and I want to be comfortable.”

“Well, nothing, I guess, but something is bothering you.”

“I’m just tired and exhausted. Between moving, working more hours, and the threat from Giuseppe Rossi, I haven’t been sleeping well.”

She stares at me as if she’s trying to see if I’m telling the truth.

“I’m not lying.” I say with a yawn.

“I believe you, but keeping your door unlocked for anyone to just walk in probably isn’t helping the restlessness.”

“I always lock the door before I go to bed.”

She purses her lips as she thinks. “Maybe it’s the winter blues. It’s cold outside and you’re always stuck behind a desk. Plus, add in the stress of Giuseppe Rossi coming after us because of my impulsiveness-”

I interrupt her. “You did what you had to. From the way your brother and father explained things, you didn’t really have a choice in the matter.”

“I know that, but all of this-” She gestures to me cuddling on my couch. “-is directly related to my actions. All because I couldn’t stand to see the evil woman she turned into. Hell, maybe she was always that way and I was too blind to see it. Just knowing that she planned for me to stand beside her makes my stomach turn.”

I sit up straighter and place my hand on top of hers. “If anyone can relate to shitty parents, it’s me. Well, in your case, just one parent. Besides, didn’t she say she’d rather see you dead?”

At least, that’s what Joseph and Rhett said that night.

“Yeah, but I don’t know if she would have shot me. She had to have known it wouldn’t have turned out well for her.”

“Maybe she wasn’t thinking about the consequences. Maybe she was just speaking in the heat of the moment. I’m not saying she didn’t mean what she said, but it’s a well-known fact that mafia members are hotheaded.”

“Hey!” She throws a pillow at me.

“Tell me your father and brother are level-headed. Tell me you have never acted on impulse because of anger.”

“I guess you’re right.” Her phone beeps with a message. “Oh, right. You need to get ready. We can’t be late.”

“Get ready for what?”

She rolls her eyes and leans back against the couch cushion. “For the Sharks’ community event. Aren’t you coming?”

“Uh, I didn’t plan to. This is your event. Besides, Arturo said he wasn’t going, so there’s no point in me going.”

I don’t want to go anywhere close to the arena and Joseph, especially after just meeting with Giuseppe and giving him false information.

I feel guilty for ignoring Joseph and lying about everything. I feel even guiltier sitting here next to Francesca while carrying this enormous secret.

Francesca waves me off. “You helped me plan this event. It’s as much yours as it is mine.”

“Not really, but-”

She presses her lips into a thin line and narrows her eyes at me.

I sigh. “Fine. I will go, but I’m warning you now, I’m not in a social mood.”

“You can sit by yourself and watch the events.”

“I already said I’ll go. What should I wear?”

Her face scrunches up as she thinks. She grins and says, “Something cute.”

I head into my closet and pull out my favorite baggy team long sleeve shirt. The team name runs up the sleeves and the shark is dead center of my chest.

It’s also the one Joseph said I looked sexy in.

I change into the long sleeve shirt and grab a pair of slip-on shoes. Francesca’s frown tells me she doesn’t think my outfit is cute, but it’s comfortable.

“It’s cold outside and it will be cold in the arena.”

She holds up her hands. “I didn’t say anything.”

“You didn’t have to say anything. Your face said it all.” I grab my phone, wallet, and keys before adding, “Alright, I’m ready. Let’s get this over with.”

“This is an all day event,” Francesca says as she walks past me into the hallway.

I roll my eyes and lock my apartment door. “Yippee.”

The last thing I want to do is plaster on a fake smile and pretend everything is alright, but I will because no matter how bad I feel, Francesca is feeling worse. She’s still dealing with the guilt and grief of killing her mother, and that is far worse than my own secrets.

When we are outside, Francesca grabs her keys out of her purse. “You can ride with me. I promise I’ll bring you home at a decent hour.”

Her smile causes me to laugh.

Maybe, just maybe, I can forget about my problems and just enjoy the community event.

“Oh my God. Look at how long the line is!” I point to the line of people waiting to enter the arena. “It wraps around the building.”

Francesca chuckles. “That’s because our community really wanted to skate with a player. I had to extend it for two hours just to keep the crowd happy. Of course, there are probably upset fans that didn’t get a time slot, but I booked as many as I could.”

“That’s amazing. Just think of all the money we are raising for the children’s hospital.”

“You should see how much I dropped on the win a date with a player.”

“How much?” I whisper. I know she is pretty well off, so I’m not surprised she spent a lot to get a date with Rhett.

“Over ten thousand.”

My eyes widen. “That’s… wow.” I can’t form a sentence.

There’s no way I could or would ever spend over ten thousand dollars to go on a date with my fiance. I did check Joseph’s auction late last night, and it was already up to seven hundred dollars.

“Did you bid on anyone?” She parks in her assigned spot and gets out.

“Um, no, because they were all in the several hundreds.”

“Oh, that’s too bad. I’m sure there are several single guys that would love to go out with you.”

I shrug and follow her to the side entrance where the staff was instructed to enter. “Maybe. Maybe not.”

Even from here, I can see the extra security officers standing around the exits and entrances. It looks like a normal game night, but we aren’t going to have nearly the same amount of people here today.

Maybe tonight when they draw the raffle winners and allow guests to fill the arena.

I glance around the wide open lobby. Several people linger around, chatting animatedly amongst friends while others are buying last minute raffle tickets. A few people wander to the team store to buy merchandise.

The new windows and doors with the team’s logo and colors look great. Only a select few people know it’s actually bulletproof glass.

“Come on. We need to buy some raffle tickets for a chance to win a signed puck.”

“You can get a signed puck whenever you want.” I point out.

Francesca loops her arm in mine and pulls me toward the nearest table, selling raffle tickets. “Well, this is for a good cause.”

“Would you two ladies like to buy some raffle tickets? All proceeds are going to the children’s hospital. You can win some pretty amazing prizes.”

“Sure.” Francesca says as she reaches into her back pocket and pulls out a wad of cash.

She buys more than enough to secure at least one prize, and I buy a more modest amount, opting for only twenty raffle tickets.

The crowd that’s lingering in the lobby lines up at the arena doors for their fifteen minute time slot to skate with a player.

A security officer verifies their tickets before opening the doors and allowing them inside.

“Do you want to go watch the players and fans skate? We don’t need to stand here all day. We have workers that can handle everything.”

“Sure.”

If I can hide in the stands, then I can steer clear of Joseph.

I follow her all the way down the stairs to the ice. She sits in the row directly behind the team’s bench. Several players, including Joseph, glance our way. This is not what I wanted. I wanted to blend in with the crowd, not have all eyes on me.

I settle into my seat and watch as families skate with our players and get their autographs after their fifteen minute time slot.

Children’s faces light up as they hug their favorite player. It’s honestly the cutest thing I think I’ve ever seen. Who knew they even made ice skates that small?

Fans leave the ice with huge grins on their faces as they gush about this once in a lifetime event, promising to treasure these memories for the rest of their lives.

I turn and grin at Francesca. “This was such a great idea.”

“I was already thinking that we may have to host this event every year or even twice a year. It’s been such a tremendous success. The community loves it.”

I lean over and whisper, “And they don’t even realize the extra security we have because they are floating on cloud nine.”

“Exactly. Although, hopefully, next time we won’t have to have this many security officers.”

“You may have to because of over enthusiastic fans.” I nod toward the ice where a security officer is escorting a couple of women off the ice and away from Rhett.

Francesca leans forward as Rhett skates over to her. “What happened?”

He glances behind him to make sure no one is close by. “They were reporters.”

“What did they want?” I ask, interjecting myself into their conversation.

“To ask about the family and rumors circulating about the Marino family, Rossi family, and vigilante gang going head to head to head.”

“Ugh, leeches. Why can’t they just leave us alone? We have enough going on. We don’t have time for their bullshit.”

Rhett places his hand on the plexiglass separating him from his woman. “That’s why I signaled to security. We already figured a few reporters would slip in. That’s why we came up with a plan.”

“We’ll have better vetting next year, and I won’t wait until the last minute to plan an event of this caliber.”

Rhett gives her a smile before turning away and joining Spencer Reed, who is currently skating with two little boys and their parents. They laugh at something Rhett says before welcoming Rhett into their group.

Francesca and I watch as each new group takes the ice to greet the players, skates, and takes their picture before leaving with grins on their faces. Some fans sit in the stands and wait for the raffle.

“I bet their faces are going to hurt from smiling so much.” I scoot down in my seat and rest my feet against the boards in front of me.

“Why don’t you go for a skate?”

I glance around the ice where most players don’t have fans skating with them. “I’ll pass. Besides, it should be almost time for the raffle.”

Several ice girls, including Spencer Reed’s girlfriend Savannah Whitlock, take the ice carrying a giant bucket full of raffle tickets and place it on the ice in front of the group.

The remaining fans are escorted off the ice as the players skate toward me and Francesca and take a seat on the benches.

The bubbly blonde in the middle grabs a microphone from a staff member and taps it several times to verify it’s working.

“Alright, we are about to get started. If you are one of today’s lucky winners, we need you to hold on to your ticket until after we are finished and meet us at the Booster Club table on the concourse to claim your prize.”

She glances around the arena and adds, “If the winner is not present, we will hold on to their prize and notify them later today. Now, how about we give the players a huge round of applause for giving up their entire day to be here for us, the fans, and the entire community.”

Claps and cheers echo through the arena as the players smile and wave.

Each winning raffle ticket is called and told which surprise bag they won. The winning ticket is then stapled to the bag and placed in a box to be carried upstairs.

“Well, that’s all our winners. If you didn’t win, you can take your losing tickets to the team shop to get ten percent off any purchase until the end of the month.”

The crowd stands and makes their way up the stairs to the concourse. Francesca and I stay in our seats as the arena empties.

Her phone chimes and as soon as she sees the message, she grins and turns the phone toward me.

I read her message aloud. “Congratulations! Your bid of six thousand dollars on Rhett Montgomery was the winning bid. Stay tuned for another message containing the details of when and where to arrive for the event.”

“Wait.” I narrow my eyes at her. “You said you spent over ten thousand. This says six thousand.”

“About that.” She glances around nervously.

“Francesca.” I say her name in a scolding manner. “What did you do?”

“I didn’t want some random woman bidding on my brother, trying to get close to him and use whatever he says as leverage against the family, so I made a bid in your name.”

I yell, “YOU WHAT?”

My phone chimes with a message. I don’t have to look at it to know what it says. Francesca’s grin tells me all I need to know.

The message is from the generic Sharks texting account. “I won a date with Joseph Marino because I bid four thousand five hundred dollars.”

“It won’t be that bad. You and Joseph already know each other, so it’s going to be like friends eating a meal together.”

If only she knew the truth.

This is just my luck. I agree to come to the event and I leave, knowing I’m being sent on a date with Joseph.

My heart won’t be able to handle being that close to him, even if it’s not a romantic setting. My stomach tightens and churns.

“I feel sick.” I murmur before running up to the concourse.

I throw the bathroom door open and empty the contents of my stomach. After a few minutes, I clean myself up and make my way out of the bathroom, running into Francesca.

“Are you alright? I didn’t mean to upset you.”

“It’s not your fault. I just feel a little faint. Can you bring me home?”

Francesca stares at me for a few moments before nodding. “Yeah, let’s go.”

I sway on my feet, but make it to her car.

“You need to go to the hospital.” She says as she helps me into the passenger seat.

“I probably caught something. I just need rest.”

She runs around to the driver’s side. “Why not get checked just in case? I can bring you and stay with you the entire time.”

“I’m fine.”

We are silent as she drives across the street to the apartment building. She parks in the handicap spot right at the front door. “I’m going to go back and pick up Rhett, if you are alright.”

“I’m fine. Thank you for driving me home and spending thousands of dollars to win me a date with your brother.”

As soon as I get out of her car, my vision blurs, and I fall to the ground.