Offers
Zorah watched the way the man Icaro called The Walrus swallowed and gave a nod before smiling softly.
“You are so strong, Zorah Esposito.”
“Lucchesi,” she corrected him bluntly. “While you don’t seem to understand it, we were actually married in a church ceremony with a license and by a priest. Divorce is not an option for me.”
“You really intend to stay married to him?”
“We can get the marriage annulled, if necessary,” Icaro spoke quietly. “It has not been consummated and she was coerced as you said earlier. If she wished to annul the marriage, it can be done.”
“However, we’re all getting ahead of ourselves and more importantly, it’s none of anyone’s business but ours.” Zorah huffed angrily. “I’m getting irritated with all of this. Our marriage is ours. It is not for anyone else to discuss or talk about without invitation. Whether Icaro and I can make things work is none of your business, Mr. Giarre. I do not consider you a friend. While Icaro and Vodingo have considered you a friend, this courtesy isn’t one extended from me.”
He gave a curt nod at her cold delivery. “Understood, Zorah. However, there is still the issue of your husband and his team believing I have something to do with a woman taking pictures of you and offering to help you leave Icaro. It was not me. I take exception to being implicated in this event.”
“Your exceptions are noted,” she lifted her chin defiantly. “My husband and our family will take this into consideration as they expand their search into why someone is trying to separate me from my husband.”
“Have you considered, Icaro, someone may be wanting to separate her from your protection?” The Walrus asked Icaro directly. He held his hand up when she hissed, “hear me out. I don’t like being made a scapegoat but what if someone is doing this for exactly this reason? What if it’s someone who knows I made my interest in Zorah known and is using subterfuge to make you all think it’s me trying to get her away from you.”
“Who would know?”
“You had a driver who liked to chat. Who else was he talking to?”
“Nobody,” Vodingo cut off the question.
“I’m only trying to help. Despite Zorah saying she isn’t interested in me, I still don’t want to see her harmed. She is safest with one of us and if it’s you, then so be it but she needs to be protected.” He looked at Zorah, “admit it. Did you think it was me behind the woman messaging you?”
She shrugged, “I considered it.”
“As did both your husband and head of security. Someone is setting me up to take the fall. What if you didn’t say anything and you went to meet with whoever this person was. You two,” he waved at the other two men, “would be chasing me while Zorah would be off with whoever it was trying to get her away from the protection of your family.”
“We have already considered this, Walrus,” Icaro finally gave his friend an inch. “We interrogated your group to rule you out, not to make you the scapegoat. I know you don’t run in shadows. You’re too fucking big to hide behind lampposts and corners. You would walk up to Zorah and simply offer to get her out of here. We ruled you out for a reason.”
“You’re making someone else think you suspect me.”
Icaro gave a tilt to his head as a nod of acknowledgment as his old friend finally caught up.
“You never suspected me?”
“Maybe for a tenth of a second but I remembered how you reacted yesterday when Sveva pretended, she was going to shoot Zorah with her fingers. You were pissed and you were bold. You called me right away. You’ve been doing everything right in my face. It made no sense to me you would offer to sneak Zorah away when you’ve been brazenly offering for her to jump on your dick and ride into the sunset.”
The Walrus rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “You knew I’d come here.”
“Yes.”
“You were thinking someone is watching and would know you brought me in to talk.”
“Yes.”
“Sometimes I forget you’re usually the smartest fucker in the room.”
Icaro gave a laugh, “I’m not feeling particularly bright. I’ve feeling lost to be honest but this,” he waved around them, “this search as to who is trying to screw with my wife and our relationship, is something I can deal with far easier than I can fixing my mistakes of our past.” He looked at Zorah sadly but then pulled her close and pressed a kiss to her forehead, “but I’ll work tirelessly to fix them.”
“I know you will,” she cupped his cheek. “Thank you for loving me.” She touched her forehead to his.
The Walrus gave a snort, “deny it all you want, Zorah but each day you stay with him is one less day you’ll be able to leave him. He’s sucking you in emotionally.”
“I’ll remind you, it’s none of your damn business.” Zorah stared into Icaro’s eyes while she answered the other man.
“Fine.” The man rose from his seated positions. “I’ll take my leave. My offer remains Zorah. When Icaro screws up and you realize it’s not worth it, all this mystical bullshit his family touts, is not worth it, you can come to me. I make sure you never want for anything.”
“Mr. Giarre. I never wanted for anything in the past. I lived a simple life. I was content with my lot in life. I don’t need to live in the lap of luxury and be traveled all over the world the way you think I should be. You have an illusion in your mind of who you think I am and it’s wrong. You think I am this subdued, downtrodden woman who lived in a small apartment because some fool told you how my mother and uncle abused me. It hasn’t occurred to you, I lived my life the way I wanted to when I moved out of my mother’s home. I don’t need flash. I need substance.”
At her firmly spoken words, he nodded. “Then I’ll take my leave.”
“Wait,” Icaro spoke as the man started to head out. “There is something else we need to do.”
“What is that?”
Icaro rose from his seat and moved to stand in front of his friend. “Since you’ve been hitting on my wife, you’re going to take one for the team.”
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