The Moretti Arrangement by Katherine Garbera Page A

meeting. Does he search you when you arrive?”
    “No. At least he never has.”
    “He must be very confident that you won’t betray him,” Dominic said, a tinge of anger in his voice.
    “I think it is more that he knows he holds all the cards.”
    “Not anymore,” Dominic said. “What’s the plan, Ian?”
    “I want Angelina to wear a wire so we can record the conversation. I have a very sophisticated one that I can embed in a brooch.”
    “I can do that. What do I say to him?”
    “Just let him do the talking. Have you ever suggested information you can give him?”
    “No. He’s always known exactly what he wants and asks me for it.”
    “Good. That’s all I really need. Together with the photos we should have enough proof.”
    Angelina nodded. “I told my brother he had to come back to Milan this time. I really was trying to find a way to stop having to give Barty information.”
    “Why didn’t you go to the police or to Dominic?” Ian asked.
    She looked at both men. “I didn’t know what to say to the police. Renni has a criminal record. I couldn’t chance getting him in trouble, maybe have him go back to jail. I didn’t want that. He’s all the family I have.”
    “That’s understandable,” Dominic said. “But why not talk to me?”
    “Everyone looks to you to solve their problems and I didn’t want to be just one more person in a long line,” she said.
    “That’s a lame excuse,” Dominic said.
    “Yes, it is. The truth is I’m used to fixing my own problems. It never occurred to me to turn to you.”
    “I guess stealing from me seemed different to you,” he said with a bitter edge to his voice.
    She felt a sting of tears at his words. “I never thought of it that way, but I can see that you’re right. Stealing from you wasn’t the right thing to do. But, unlike the great Dominic Moretti, I’m only human and infinitely fallible.”
    “The important thing is that we’re moving on now. You’re making reparations to Dominic and making amends by helping us trap Barty,” Ian said.
    She could tell by Dominic’s lack of reaction that he didn’t think there was anything good about this situation. She realized that she’d given herself to a man who didn’t want anything from her beyond what their agreement stated.
    Suddenly she was very unsure that she could turn this negative into a positive. That she could find a way to make Dominic Moretti forgive her for her crimes. Because she saw the seeds of a man she could really like.

    After Ian and Angelina left, Dominic thought back to his earlier reaction. Perhaps he’d been too harsh with her, but hearing Angelina talk about meeting with his enemy had been more than he could take. And he was human, despite what she seemed to think.
    He needed to be alone. He was going to take one of his Moretti coupes to the track outside the city and drive it as fast as he could. Anything to get away from this mess and clear his head.
    He knew he was making mistakes with Angelina, which was one thing he couldn’t abide.
    There was a knock on his door. “Enter.”
    Angelina stood there with her notepad in one hand and a very hesitant look on her face. “Do you want to go over your schedule for the day?”
    No, what he wanted was to reaffirm that she was his mistress. That her loyalty was owed only to him.
    “Close the door and lock it, Angelina, and then come over here.”
    She swallowed and tipped her head to one side. “What do you have in mind?”
    “Whatever I want, remember? That is our arrangement.”
    Angelina locked the door and then leaned back against it. “I know I said…anything you wanted, but I never expected you to ask me for anything personal here at the office.”
    “Neither did I. But I want you and you are my mistress, aren’t you, Angelina?”
    “Yes, I am,” she said, straightening from the wall. “Do you want me, Dominic?”
    “More than I should,” he said, giving her the truth. She was a courageous woman and he