I nodded, trying not to think about how charming he must have been. This young mobster with a natural knack for danger and lawlessness and, also, a sentimental streak. No wonder I loved him.
“The letter didn’t change any of my beliefs,” Reeve assured me, as though he were afraid he’d get a soft reputation.
“Of course not,” I said, smugly.
He chuckled. “God, I was eighteen, I didn’t know what I believed. But I knew that I’d loved my mother. At least as much as my father had. And she said in that letter that the true proof of his love had been how fully he’d stood against the Vilanakis way of life, for her. She ended it by saying she hoped I’d do the same.”
“So you walked away. For her.” And I’d begged him to talk to Michelis, something that might possibly undo all that he’d left behind. I’d wanted him to put Amber – to put me – before his mother. Boy, did I feel like an ass.
Except I’d seen him in pictures with Michelis when he was older than eighteen. “How did you get out? You said people couldn’t leave.”
“Michelis, actually. He became the head of the family when my grandfather died, and he allowed me to remain completely detached. He said it was a shame that they’d lost so many years with my mother, and that we should learn from those mistakes. When I moved back to the States, I stayed close to him and a few of my cousins. He advised me when I took over Sallis Resorts. He connected me with men capable of fighting against the Laskos or any other Mafia-related attacks I might encounter. He provided trustworthy people to work close to me. ”
More puzzle pieces fell into place. “The V monogram on your driver in Los Angeles. He was one of your uncle’s men. Do you pay him or does he serve you out of some debt to your family?”
Again, he seemed impressed at what I knew. “I pay him. I told you, I left the business.”
Next to me, Amber shifted to her side. But she settled again quickly, her breathing adopting the even rhythm of sleep.
I looked up from her to find Reeve staring at me intently, as though he were done with his story and was waiting for my verdict.
But he hadn’t explained everything yet. “He told me you betrayed him,” I said.
“Did he? I suppose from his point of view, I did.”
“By leaving the business? You said he was supportive, though.” How did Michelis the father figure turn into Michelis the man who beat Reeve’s ex-girlfriend? The dots weren’t connecting.
“He was supportive. But his support had a price, and I didn’t realize that until later. When I was dating Missy.”
I gestured for him to go on.
Reeve heaved a sigh, as he seemed to begrudgingly enter territory he’d hoped would remain off-limits. “At first, it was small favors. He wanted connections. He supplied Missy and her friends with drugs, which was fine. But then he asked me to launder the money for him through the resorts.”
Reeve reconsidered. “Asked is the wrong word, actually. Demanded is more appropriate. Said I owed it to him and the family. Said it was my role to play.” He lowered his eyes and frowned. “We were still arguing about that when he started talking about taking one of Missy’s friends.”
“Taking? Like, kidnapping?” I shouldn’t have been as shocked as I was. I knew he was involved with human trafficking – where did I think those women came from?
Reeve’s mouth tightened, and he didn’t have to affirm my question. His expression said it all. “I kicked him out of my life then. He’s tried to talk to me a few times since. Petros said he’s still set on getting me to launder for him. I suppose it wouldn’t be the worst thing I could do for him. But my father held out, and Sallis Resorts was his baby.”
“No. You can’t bend to him.” Though, really, I didn’t know what he could and couldn’t do. Reeve was a Vilanakis whether he wanted to be or not. His choices could have consequences that I couldn’t begin to fathom.
Now I definitely felt like an ass about pushing him to talk to his uncle. And I was frustrated for him. I wished there was an answer that he hadn’t thought of yet. “What about Petros? Who’s side is he on?”
“His own. He works for his father but he’s also sympathetic to my desire to stay out of the business. So he throws me a bone now and then.”
A bone. Like telling Reeve when his girlfriend had stupidly left herself alone with his father. Petros had told him about other women, too, I realized. “He’s how you knew Amber wasn’t dead.”
“Yes.” He leaned toward me, his eyes narrow. “But how did you know I’d ever have reason to believe otherwise?”
The last time he’d asked me, I’d dodged the question. It seemed pointless to lie about it any longer. “I looked at your e-mails one night. You can’t be surprised.”
“I’m not.” He sat back with a satisfied grin. “I just wanted you to admit it.” He was especially cute when he got cocky, and he knew it. “What else did you see?”
“Pictures of you and Amber together. You looked happy.”
His smile faded. “Maybe we were.” He moved his focus to her and studied her intently, as if he could find something he’d lost if he just looked hard enough.
I regretted bringing her up, and I didn’t all at once. Because, just like he was a Vilanakis whether he wanted to be or not, Amber was a part of our lives, whether I wanted her to be or not. And whatever Reeve felt for me, he’d felt it first for her.