Reputation's Play (Book 1)

Ch.4 Ten on Ten

Chapter 4 Ten on Ten

The early morning light was beginning to peek through the ugly curtains as Daniel pulled on his pants and grabbed his shirt off the hanger. He pushed his arms through the sleeves and began to button up when Gia began to mumble in her sleep.

Pausing by the foot of the bed, Daniel looked down at the girl wrapped up in the blanket. Her hair was a tangled mess of wild brown strands. Her hand rested beside her head as she frowned in her sleep and muttered something about rainstorms and trees. Daniel couldn't make out what Gia was saying as he stood watching her and putting on his cufflinks. His eyes scanned her restless face and caught on the small black beauty mark on the left side of her chin.

"Gia," he called her name. "Gia, wake up."

"Five more minutes, Carla," Gia mumbled as she turned away and curled up.

"Gia," Daniel called to her again, his voice impatient and hard. "Get up."

Grabbing the edge of the blanket, Daniel tugged it down. He froze when he realized Gia had fallen asleep wrapped up in the bath towel. Her arms were clutched to her chest with her long brown hair spread over the pillow like wings. She pulled her legs up and shivered from the air conditioning as Daniel stood staring at her.

She was a beautiful girl. Daniel could acknowledge that without feeling shitty. He had always heard his aunts talk about how pretty the Silvano girl had grown up to be. And now he was seeing it for himself.

The last time he had seen Gia, she was awkward and shy. Some people thought she was too plain but never Daniel. He never thought she was plain with her glossy brown hair, apple cheeks and moss green eyes. But her clothes were always church appropriate and her long brown hair was cut to a boring safe length unlike the other girls her age. It made everyone in town form an image of her as a porcelain doll.

It was an unexpected surprise when Daniel had caught sight of Gia standing in front of the restroom at the banquet hall with her big green eyes watching him.

She looked...different. Polished, put together, smart....like a trophy. A trophy that people were not allowed to touch.

To Daniel, Gia was the kind of girl everyone knew had a bright future ahead of herself. She would go to an Ivy League college, graduate with honors, do nothing with her degree, travel the world collecting designer bags, marry some rich senator or business mogul and then have children she would never raise herself.

Life was a show for girls like her. And Gia had it in her blood. People like her and her family never cared about the lives they destroyed while maintaining their reputation. The Silvanos could spend millions trying to keep up that image of grace and poise, but Daniel could never unseen the blood in their hands. His sister's blood. They would never be able to wash off that much red. Not even with all the money in the world.

"Gia," Daniel tugged on the blanket once more, raising his voice. "Get up. Let's go."

I should just leave her here, Daniel thought to himself. Let her figure out how she wants to get back to her family.

"Carla," Gia whined, searching for the blanket. "Five more minutes."

Spoiled brat, Daniel narrowed his eyes and leaned down. He grabbed her ankles and gave it a good squeeze, earring a gasp from her.

"Get up," he barked as Gia picked up her head and fluttered her eyes open. "Put your clothes on."

Confused, Gia pushed herself up to her elbows and looked around the room. The yellow light made her cheeks appear dewy and puffed as she gathered the blanket and covered her shoulders.