Reputation's Play (Book 1)

Ch.46 Lay Low

Chapter 46

"Do you want me to drive?" Gia asked, noticing the way Daniel gripped the steering wheel.

"No," he said, his eyes constantly moving to all the mirrors in the car.

"What is it?" Gia asked.

"There's a black car behind us," Daniel said. "It's been there for a while. Since we left the clinic."

Gia's heart shuddered, "Do you think someone's following us?"

"I don't know," Daniel muttered, taking a right turn instead of heading straight for the hotel. The black car followed close behind. Gia watched it in the mirror with her hands gripping the seatbelt.

"Motherfucker," Daniel said under his breath as he took another turn into an unknown street.

Gia's heart began to pound inside her chest. She sat quietly, muttering prayers as Daniel drove in circles, taking left and right turns until they shook the other driver off and made it back to the hotel's underground parking lot.

"Do you think Dante knows?" Gia asked as Daniel killed the engine. "Did he send them..."

"He's being detained by my dad," Daniel said. "They have him under house arrest in Del Mare."

"He could have called someone," Gia said. "Or someone could have called him. Do you think it was Dr. Shau? Or the clinic admin?"

"I don't know," Daniel shook his head.

"Why would he do this?" Gia wondered. "He shot Luca thinking he was the one asking around for Stella....and now we're being followed."

"As far as I know, he should not have any form of communication with anyone right now," Daniel informed. "They took away his phone, his computer. No visitors either."

"Who else could it be?" Gia asked. "His ex-wife?"

"I don't know," Daniel sighed once more. "But we do have to go talk to her."

"Elene?"

Daniel nodded, "She lives close by."

"Will she talk to us?"

"She has to," Daniel said stubbornly. "I'm not leaving without answers."

Gia's heart contracted from the way Daniel's face twisted in pain. His eyes were hollow but a thousand different emotions could be seen lurking behind them. His shoulders were tense and his jaw worked as if he could grind away all his stress. Slowly, Gia reached out once again and took his hand. Daniel turned towards her for the first time since they had left the clinic.

"It's going to be okay," Gia said, her voice betraying her by wavering.

Daniel opened his hand and intertwined their fingers together. Gia looked down as he closed his fingers around her and squeezed.

"I'm really sorry for how much I hurt you," Daniel whispered. "I know I can never take it back and I also know I will never truly know the extent to which I made you suffer. But I hope you can forgive me someday."

Gia felt the corners of her eyes water. She sat biting down on her lip as the emotions inside of her swelled up to fill her lungs and then her heart. She couldn't inhale properly as the cold from Daniel's hand melted against her warm skin.

For the first time since everything had gone wrong, Gia didn't feel angry. There was no great desire inside of her chest to set everything around Daniel on fire in hopes that it would ease the burn in her heart. She looked up at him in the dark parking lot and felt her heart mourn for the life she could have had with him. He really did have her believing they could run away.