Sinful Secrets (Savannah Sharks Hockey and Mafia #2)

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

SPENCER

Why does shit have to hit the fan when Savannah is around? I can’t help with the crisis and tend to Savannah, nor do I want to.

If she’s around, she’s my priority whether or not the guys like it. It’s the same way Rhett prioritizes Francesca. They respect his decision, so I’ll accept nothing less.

My gaze stays locked on Savannah as she slowly sips on the bottle of water. Her body shakes as she continues to sway, even though she’s sitting on the hood of my car. She’s pale and sweaty and her gaze isn’t focused.

“We should get out of here.” I blurt out.

Her motions are slowed as she lifts her head to look at me. “How? The only exit to the parking lot is being blocked by a dead body.”

I look at Lorenzo’s lifeless corpse. “Yeah, the fuckers knew what they were doing.” They had to know this is the players and staff parking lot.

And they knew Arturo was still here. They wanted him to find the body.

What they didn’t know was that we were already on our way out of the arena and we were able to shield the body from the public’s view.

I think for a moment. “What if we go through the arena and get a cab out front?”

She cocks her head to the side. “You’d leave your teammates to deal with this?”

I run my hand through my wet hair. “If that’s what it took to keep you safe and shield you from this life, you’re damn right I’d leave this mess for them. They are more than capable of cleaning up any mess, and if they can’t do it, they will hire someone that can.”

Her gaze lands everywhere except on me. It’s almost as if she can’t believe I’d do it.

“Fuck, Savannah. Don’t you get it? I’d do anything for you. I’d give you the entire fucking world, if that were possible.”

Her voice is small and quiet. “I thought you hated me and never wanted to see me again.”

I blow out my breath. “I did too, but we can talk about that later. Right now, we have to get you to feel better.”

“I feel fine.”

At my questioning glance, she adds, “I feel better than I did a few minutes ago. It’s just a lot to process.”

She takes another sip of water and shivers before continuing. “The torture they put him through. The cuts all over his body. His…. his eyes.”

I walk the few steps over to her and wrap my arms around her. “Shh. It’s okay. We will get to the bottom of this. I promise.”

I’m not sure who I’m trying to convince more- her or me- but it’s a promise I intend to keep.

Movement on the road gets my attention. Several police cars pull up to the parking lot, further blocking us in.

The first one out of his car barks orders. “Alright everyone, move away and separate from one another so we can process the crime scene.”

Several other police officers grab clipboards and separate everyone, so they can get statements. They are the same officers that were at the club getting statements earlier.

An officer I don’t recognize walks over to me and Savannah like he’s itching for a fight. His lips are pressed into a thin line and his eyes are narrowed on me. “You heard him. Separate, or I’ll have you arrested.”

What the hell is his problem? He doesn’t even know me.

I glance at Savannah. “She’s not feeling well. She almost fainted.”

Savannah grabs my hand. “I promise I’ll be fine. I have water. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

She follows the cop to an empty corner of the parking lot, where he immediately starts writing down her information.

While I wait for my statement to be taken, I watch the medical examiner perform his check and cover up Lorenzo.

Cameras flash in the distance as news reporters flood the adjacent parking lot. The police don’t send them away. They continue moving through the witnesses and asking questions.

An older officer finishes with Rhett and walks toward me. He flips to a new sheet and asks, “What is your name?”

“Spencer Reed.”

“What is your address and phone number?”

He scribbles my information down like he’d rather be counting grains of salt than being here getting statements.

“What can you tell me about the incident?”

“I can’t say much because I wasn’t out here when it happened.”

He looks up from the clipboard. “When did you get outside? Take me through what happened.”

“I was walking down the tunnel with my teammates after the game when we heard tires squeal. A few moments later, I saw Savannah run away from the building.”

He writes down everything I said before glancing back at me. “And then what happened?”

“She screamed, so we all ran outside to see what was going on. That’s when we saw the body on the ground.”

He scribbles down everything before glaring at me. “So your first thought was to contaminate the crime scene?”

“We didn’t touch or go near the body, so don’t accuse us of contaminating it.”

Was he this hard on the others, or does he have something against me?

“If you didn’t touch or go near the crime scene, what did you do after you saw the body?”

“Several of my teammates blocked the view from the public, and I led Savannah to my car to sip on water because she was about to pass out.”

Speaking of Savannah, I glance around the parking lot for her. She is still off to the side with the young cop. She looks exasperated and pale.

This is too much on her. She needs to rest.

“Look, I wish I knew who did this, but I don’t. Am I free to go now, or do you have any other trivial questions to ask?”

His lips press together and his jaw clenches. He’s pissed. “I’ll let you know when you can leave, but you are free to check on your friends.”

“Thanks,” I say to his retreating back.

As soon as the officer leaves, Rhett comes over. He gestures toward Savannah. “How’s she doing?”

“I don’t know. I just wish I knew who she’s talking to.”

It looks like more than the standard questioning, and it looks like they’ve met before.

“That’s the cop that threatened me. He’s part of the new class of officers that won’t be bribed.”

This is all starting to make sense. He knows Arturo and the Sharks. He knows that we are extremely generous in our donations to the police department, so they would turn a blind eye.

But he doesn’t agree with it.

“I think he’s the one trying to get Savannah to spy on us so he can arrest Arturo.”

If they can prove Arturo committed the crimes and bribed the department, the Chief of police will have to resign, leaving them to take over the supervisory roles.

This could be a disaster for us.

Arturo walks out of the arena and clears his throat. “I was able to check the security footage of the event. The truck that deposited the body had no license plate. The windows were too dark to see inside, but I could see that there were at least three men.”

Rhett scoffs and whispers, “So we really don’t know if it was Rossi or the Emerald City Reapers.”

“Why would Rossi do this when we agreed to work together to stop the gang?”

Rhett shakes his head. “I don’t know, man. They wouldn’t be the first family to go back on their word. Maybe we will get lucky and find the truck and go from there.”

“Given our track record, that would be too much of a coincidence. If we find the truck, it’s because they want us to find it.”

Our conversation is interrupted by the first officer, who started barking orders. “You are all cleared to leave, but keep your phones charged and nearby in case we have some more questions.”

I wave goodbye to Rhett and make my way over to Savannah and the officer. He isn’t speaking loud, but as I get closer, I’m able to overhear the end of their conversation.

“Please, just let me know if you find anything. No matter how tiny the detail, it may be the bread crumb we need.”

I interrupt. “What do you expect her to find? Are you the one asking her to spy on the team? On Arturo Marino?”

He glances around nervously. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

My gaze moves down to his nametag.

Yep. He’s the same guy.

“I found your business card with the name and number of an FBI agent on the back at her dorm. Do you realize you can be fired for bribery and harassment?”

Savannah grabs my hand. “I mean this in the nicest way possible, but please shut up and just drop this.”

The officer stands up taller and squares his shoulder, egging me on. “I have never harassed her.”

I snort. “I have it on good authority that she said no to your bribes, and you still kept asking. Hell, you are still asking.”

“I was asking her about the truck and the men in the truck since she was out here when it happened.”

What about the tiny detail and it being the bread crumb they need?

“I don’t believe you.”

He shrugs. “Your prerogative.”

I glance around the parking lot. Every set of eyes is on me, like they are waiting to see how I handle the situation. Normally, I’m not the instigator, but right now, all I want to do is deck the man.

Turning to Savannah, I say, “Come on. You need something to eat.”

The cop gives me one last glance before turning around and leaving.

Savannah glances at Lorenzo’s covered body. “I don’t think I can eat anything right now.”

“Give it some time. Your stomach will settle the further we are from here. I’ll get you some ginger ale to sip on.”

“Thank you.” She says as I lead her back to my car.

Being in the mafia life, these sights become all too familiar. The injuries stay the same, but the people change.

Sometimes, we are the ones responsible and other times, we are on the receiving end.

Like tonight.

I help her get settled in the passenger seat before closing the door and jogging around to the driver’s side.

I blast the air conditioner, hoping the cool air helps Savannah.

When Lorenzo’s body is moved and the police are on their way, I turn toward Savannah.

“Dinner?”

She drinks the rest of her water and nods. “That would be nice. I feel my appetite slowly returning.”

I drive in the direction of her dorm, stopping at Tim’s bar.

“Is this alright?”

“This is great, and this time, I don’t have a hurt ankle.”

As soon as we walk through the doors, we are met with the aromas of burgers, chicken wings, fries, and onion rings.

Tim greets us as soon as we sit down at a booth at the back of the bar. It’s the same booth as the last time.

“Hey Reed. Who do you have here?”

I grin as he checks her out. He doesn’t mean any harm. He’s just a notorious flirt. “This is Savannah, my girlfriend.”

He gives her a wink and claps me on my back. “Relax, I’m not a threat.”

I playfully shove him. “Then keep your eyes off her and grab us a couple of beers, would you?”

Tim lets out a loud laugh, causing several patrons to glance our way. “Are you sure you weren’t ever in the military? You fit right in.”

“No way I could do what you did and still be sane.”

“Who said I’m sane?” Tim gives Savannah another wink before heading back to the bar.

Savannah chuckles. “You really know him.”

“Yeah, Tim’s a great friend. Crazy as fuck, but he’d give you the shirt off his back in an instant.”

It’s one of the reasons I anonymously pay his rent every year.

Savannah looks around the bar, like she did the last time. “Pool, foosball, or darts?”

“I thought we were going to eat and talk?”

“We still can. I just figured it might be less awkward if we were doing something other than staring at one another.”

“I love staring at you.”

And that’s the honest truth.

I love seeing her cheeks redden every time she blushes. I love seeing the way she squirms in her seat every time I growl and tell her what I want to do to her.

My dick bobs in my pants.

Easy boy. We can’t just jump into things.

Her gaze moves to her hands. I reach across the table and link my hands with hers, running my thumbs over the scars on her palm. She hasn’t told me why she digs her nails into her skin, but she rarely does it when I’m around.

She gazes up at me and we both speak at the same time. “I’m sorry.”

We share a light laugh before I say, “No, I’m the one that should apologize. I didn’t handle the situation like I should have. I should have given you the opportunity to explain things.”

“Well, I can’t disagree with that, but I didn’t think you’d be this forgiving. I lied to you and I never should have. I was processing and weighing the options.”

Her confession catches me off guard. “Wait, you were actually considering it?”

“It was never really an option, but a list is a great unbiased way to make a decision. I needed to see the consequences written out to accept the fact that I was willingly going against the law.”

Our conversation pauses as Tim brings our beers and takes our orders.

When he’s gone, I continue. “You already went against the law when you started selling.”

Her gaze darts around the bar. “I know, but I could justify that in my mind because I desperately needed the money to pay for school. Ordinarily, I wouldn’t have done that.”

“Does it bother you that my moral compass is broken and I have no problem breaking the law?”

Her eyes widen and she sits up straighter. “No! Not at all. That’s one of the things I love about you. I love that you are spontaneous and over protective with darkness and mystery mixed in.”

I quirk my eyebrow and smirk. “Oh yeah? What else do you love about me?”

She nibbles on lip and I let out a growl. I can’t help it. She’s so tempting and irresistible.

Leaning forward, she whispers, “You know exactly what I love and how I love it.”

I grin. “You’re damn right I do, and I plan on spending the entire night making up for my actions.”

Tim carries our plates over, setting them in front of us. “Let me know if you want anything else.”

“Thanks.” I reply.

Savannah is quiet as she takes a bite of her burger, so I dig into mine. The grease and carbs are just what I need to recover from the hard game. I can always count on Tim to make great food.

After a few moments, Savannah looks at me with questions in her eyes, but she doesn’t ask them.

I put my burger down on my plate. “What’s on your mind?”

“What made you change your mind all of a sudden? Like, why did you want to come to dinner before you knew the entire story?”

“Your texts were full of sadness and desperation, and my heart and mind didn’t match up. You are the first woman I’ve truly loved in a long time, so when I thought you betrayed me and the family, it was easier to just walk away.”

She nods slowly as my words sink in.

I continue. “After I got to the arena for warm-ups, Gabe and I talked, and he made me realize I overreacted. He also told me you told him all about the mafia and the crimes we have committed.”

“I thought everyone knew.”

I shrug. “The Marinos have been in articles, but it’s not something we really vocalize to outsiders.”

“I’m sorry. Will I get in trouble? Will you?”

I shake my head and smile. “Not by Arturo, but I’m tempted to spank your perfect little ass.”

She gulps as her cheeks turn a light pink.

I can’t go down that road right now. There’s still one more thing I need to talk to her about.

I shake my head. “I want you to stay at my apartment while I’m gone.”

“What?”

“The team has a string of away games coming up and I would worry less if you stayed at my place. I can have Francesca keep an eye on you.”

“I’m safe at my dorm. Connor hasn’t been back since that night.”

“I’m glad he’s not coming around, but you’re going to stay at my place. In my bed.”

She opens her mouth to protest, but I shake my head.

“Didn’t you say you loved that I was overprotective?”

“Yes, but-”

“But nothing. You will stay in my apartment, even if I have to put a lock on the outside of my door.”

She swallows and nods. My dick hardens to steel, knowing that she’s going to keep my bed warm while I’m gone.