“...so Allegra found out,” Carla finished. “Holy shit.”
“The agents who were on the case back then figured it might be worthwhile to keep an eye on Sal, just in case they could find a way to use him against Mario. 'Cept one day, accordin' to the files, Sal just up an' disappeared.”
“Mario killed him,” Carla said. “To keep the secret.”
“Maybe he did, or maybe he just sent the kid away again. No one could say for sure, an' the agents couldn't figure a solid way to use that tidbit in making a case against Mario, so they just made a note of it an' let it drift so it got buried in the files. Meanwhile, Allegra died from cancer five years ago, so since Mario was the only other one who knew about it, the whole dirty secret basically went with her.”
“Until now,” she mused.
“Think it could help?” Don asked.
“Maybe,” she said, thinking it over. “It depends on why Gio suddenly wants to know about it. Thanks, Don. You've been a big help.”
“So what should I tell the guys upstairs?”
“Tell them I'm close,” Carla said. “Tell them if they give me just a little more time, I can give them the whole rotten Mancini operation on a platter.”
“Godspeed, Carla,” Don replied, ending the call.
Carla dialed Gio's number. He picked up almost immediately. “Hey, it's only been an hour. You miss me already?”
“I found out what you wanted to know about Salvatore,” she answered. “We need to meet as soon as possible. Can I come over?”
“Nah, my father's got some asswipe scopin' out my place to make sure we don't do any late-night fraternizing. Meet me at the restaurant an hour before it opens. We can talk there and it'll look legit.”
“As long as you can make sure no one else is around,” Carla said. “Can you?”
Gio let out a low whistle. “It's that serious?”
“Yeah,” she said. “Trust me, it is.”
“You got it, then,” said Gio. “Just us, no one else.”
“Fine,” Carla agreed. “I'll see you there.”
She hung up, wondering how Gio would take the news when she told him. Even with his hatred for his father, finding all this out would certainly come as a shock.
Once again, she found herself feeling strangely sorry for him.
Chapter 24
Carla
At 10:00 a.m., Carla stood outside The Laughing Fish as Gio pulled into the parking lot in his 'Vette. He cut the engine and got out, swaggering over to her with a big smile as the sunlight glittered off his sunglasses.
“You sure Salvatore wasn't some pizza delivery guy, and this isn't an excuse to get me alone again?” he asked. “'Cause if it is, I have some handcuffs and a ball gag stashed in the trunk just in case.”
He was trying to sound casual and playful, but Carla could hear the tension lurking in his voice. Gio was clearly nervous about learning the truth behind the name, and after what she'd found out, Carla couldn't blame him.
“I'm afraid not, Gio,” she replied. “Let's go inside.”
Gio unlocked the door of the restaurant and they entered together, heading for the back room where they'd first met.
As they sat down, Carla realized that she was having a difficult time looking directly into his face after he'd conditioned her not to during their sessions. She forced herself to meet his gaze, wondering how most people who interacted with each other both inside and outside the kink scene managed their relationships. Did they maintain some hint of their Dominant/submissive roles, even when they weren't at play? Or were they able to simply switch off those modes completely when they were outside the dungeon?
As Carla looked into Gio's eyes, she saw the same domineering intensity burning there that he'd had when he was whipping her and ordering her around. Even though he'd joked about continuing their sexual relationship here, she was fairly certain that Gio was using this attitude as a defense mechanism, trying to control a situation he was worried about.
She was surprised to discover that there was some small part of her that wanted to go along with it, to indulge him somehow, if only to soften the blow of what he was about to hear.
But she knew she couldn't. She had to separate Gio the Dom from Gio the aggrieved son if she was going to have any chance of using this situation to her advantage as an agent.
Some previously-undiscovered element of her wanted to explore a sex life as a submissive more fully, but that element was still small compared to the part of her that had dedicated her life to a career in law enforcement.
“So spill it, then, if it's such a big deal,” Gio smirked. “Who the hell is this guy?”