Mila nodded, wearing a mirror expression.
She glared at them. They all approved of Jason’s manipulation? What the hell?
Jason looked surprisingly grim. “Don’t thank me yet.” Then he turned to Gia and took her hands. “You know I’d do anything for you, that I would move mountains to keep you safe and happy.”
“Yes,” she said cautiously.
He’d proven it again and again these past nine days. Really, since they’d met. She might not always like the boundaries he gave her, but she couldn’t deny that he had her best interests at heart.
“Always,” he vowed, then faced her family. “That phone call I just took was from an associate of mine. A week ago, I hired him to spread the word in Wayman’s neighborhood that I would pay anyone who brought information leading to the thug’s capture a hundred thousand dollars.”
Her father choked. Her mother gasped. Mila’s jaw dropped.
“What are you saying?” Gia demanded.
“Once word got out, one of his fellow criminals didn’t want to just give us information. Apparently, this one decided he could run the hood better, so he tried to turn in Wayman and collect a little money, too.”
“Wayman would never go in quietly. He’d fight to the death… Oh my god.” She pressed her hand to her mouth, shaking.
“Your reward put an end to him,” Mila said.
Jason shrugged. “His fellow gangster’s greed prompted him to turn on his ‘buddy,’ and Wayman chose to die rather than go to the station for questioning. Maybe I should cry or feel guilty, but I don’t. I don’t always get to use my money for something good, but I think in this situation, we got the best outcome possible.”
“You knew I wanted to bring Wayman in myself,” Gia said through her shock.
He nodded. “I knew it was going to kill you, too.”
She couldn’t argue that he hadn’t done everything possible to keep her safe, but he’d completely missed the point. Later, when she was less stunned, she might not be so angry. But not now. “You didn’t even discuss it with me.”
“I saw no reason to mention it unless my plan actually worked. And I didn’t know Wayman would rather die than be questioned.”
“Did you think he’d just go quietly?” She tossed her hands in the air.
“Most people do, so yes. My intent was simply to get him into the station, which I hoped would lead to his arrest and eventual conviction. I did this for you.”
She knew that logically, but somehow she had a hard time simply thanking him. “What gave you this crazy idea?”
“The night we met for Mexican food, I knew you needed closure. The way you spoke suggested your family did, too. I knew you’d kill yourself trying to provide it. So I took care of it. It took me a few days to find the right person and another week for results but—”
“That phone call this morning, the one I overheard after I first woke up… That was him.”
“Yes.”
“You threatened to fire him.”
“I wanted results. How does that make me the bad guy?”
It didn’t, and in her head Gia knew that. But right in her gut where the anger and rage over Tony’s death lived? Not so much. “You didn’t talk to me about this.”
“So you could tell me not to and go on risking your life?” he challenged.
She held up her hands, feeling seconds away from explosion. She didn’t even know how to put everything she felt into words. Jason’s heart had been in the right place, but that didn’t excuse his interference.
“You had me put behind a desk, then you blackmailed me into spending a few weeks with you. You bought me clothes without consulting me, forced me to introduce you to my parents. And now you tell me that you had my brother’s murderer turned to dust. When do I get to make some decisions about my own life?”
“Gia!” Mila screeched. “I couldn’t be more grateful to him.” She turned to Jason, then rounded the table to hug him. “Thank you. From the bottom of my heart, really. Thank you.”
He put an awkward arm around her. “I’d do it again.”