TIES: Gio's Story

Chapter Four

Diana

The secret to a perfect pizza is in the crust. Too thin and it'll be flimsy, too fragile to hold heavy layers of sauce and cheese. Too thick and you'll feel like you're eating a loaf of bread.

Flour, salt, yeast, oil, and water—the purer the better. A thin layer of garlic butter brushed across the top once it's baked. The perfect amount of char from the wood-fired flames.

It really is an art—one I had to learn quickly when Rita and George took me in. I spent hours in the kitchen watching George craft the perfect concoction. He insisted on only the finest ingredients—olive oil, garlic and the sacred 00 flour imported straight from Italy. There wasn't much room for error, but under George's guiding hand, I eventually perfected it.

When the chimes of the front door rang, I was elbow deep in my latest batch of dough.

"Just a second." I called, wiping my cheek off on the shoulder of my shirt. Flour smudges were an occupational hazard around here.

I washed my hands quickly and went out into the dining room. My heart nearly stopped when I came around the corner and saw who was waiting for me.

Liam Moretti.

He was seated in a booth, accompanied by a man I didn't recognize. They were engaged in an intense conversation, but Liam looked up and met my eyes with a devilish smirk.

"Ah, Diana." He purred. "Just the girl I wanted to see. Come meet my friend."

I swallowed the growing lump in my throat, my fingers curling around the cell phone in the pocket of my apron. Why the hell didn't I program Gio's phone number into it last night? The paper he gave me was sitting completely useless on the desk in the back.

Slowly, I walked toward them, the anxiety tightening in my chest as I got closer and closer.

When I was a few steps away, the other man turned around. His salt-and-pepper hair matched the stable on his sharp chin, and the icy blue of his eyes sent a horrendous shiver down my spine. Whoever he was, he didn't look friendly.

"Diana, this is Igor." He said. "He's visiting from Los Angeles. He might be in need of a little entertainment tonight if you're free." Liam shot me a wink that literally made my stomach turn.

"I'll be here tonight, actually. I have a shift." Trying to remain cordial, I pressed my lips together before I could say anything more. What I really wanted to do was take the knife from the table and stab it right through his groin. I'm sure many people would thank me. That would never happen, though.

Any type of reaction from me would only come down on Rita and George, so I would do almost anything to stay in his good graces. Almost.

"That's a shame. It would be a good way to work off your debt."

"Debt?" I asked. "We paid you last week."

"Yes, but that was before your little performance the other day. Your dues doubled, which makes you behind in payment. Will that be a problem? Like I said, I've got a lot of ways that a pretty thing like you can work off that money."

"It's no problem." I gritted my teeth. "In fact, I've got the money in the back. I'll go grab it."

Liam wasn't expecting that response, and didn't respond as I turned on my heels and ducked into the kitchen.

Instead of grabbing any more cash for the bastard, I frantically searched for Gio's number.

"Hello?" He answered on the sedan ring.

"Gio, it's Diana. From the pizza place." I was rambling, but how did I know he would know it was me? The guy probably gave his number out to all kinds of women. I was probably at the bottom of a long list.