Poker Face ✔

Chapter 60

The birds began chirping outside my window. I opened my heavy eyes to see my clothes resting on my bedroom floor. Chace was nowhere in sight.

Me Chace's affair went on for a while behind Jack's back. Twenty years old me honestly didn't care who she hurt.

I was angry and reckless, which lead me to where I ended up that day.

"What can you tell me about Paige Ricci" I asked the man in front of me.

"Come in" he smiled, allowing me into his mansion. "What do you want to know?" He asked as we stood in the man's living room.

The man had almost black eyes, a combination of grey and brown hairs through his eyebrows and mostly grey hair on his head that was tied in a thin ponytail. He was sixty-four years old in 2009.

"How do I get in touch with her?" I asked him.

"Does tu zio know tu qua?" Mario Larrunzario raised a brow.

He asks me if my uncle knew that I was with him.

"What do you think?" I rolled my eyes.

Mario took a seat on his sofa, where he sat back and smiled evilly. I entered enemy territory asking the opposition for help. Mario knew what was going to happen next.

***

"Yes?" The woman asked.

She had short dark brown hair, brown eyes, on fleek eyebrows, olive skin and was about 5' foot. She was about sixty years old and wore a red blouse with a knee height jeans.

"Are you Katerina Ricci?" I questioned as standing at the woman's front door.

"Yes, what can I do for you?" The woman had a thick Italian accent and perfect teeth.

"I'm looking for your daughter" I started slowly "Paige"

"Come in" she nodded, allowing me into her mansion. "I'm sorry what did you say your name was?"

This woman was my maternal grandmother; she was obviously unaware Katie or I even existed.

"Taylor" I informed her.

"Well I'm sorry Taylor, I haven't seen my daughter in twelve years" she admitted "she calls once every four years with an update and that's it"

"Oh I'm sorry" I nodded, "do you have a contact number for her or-"

I was torn; whether to tell her who I was or not.

"No, I'm afraid not" she sighed, "how do you know my daughter?"

"Just through a friend" I lied "they wanted me to find her current address so they could catch up with her...but it's fine...it was nice meeting you Katerina"

With that, I left her family mansion.

At that moment Katerina Ricci walked to her home phone where she dialed a seven digit number as pulling at her blouse impatiently.

"Paige yeah we have a problem" she cried.

***

"Didn't your father teach you not to walk through alleyways at night" I heard a voice cry from behind me.

It was now well and truly three am. I turned my head to see nothing; I shine my torch to see the woman I had been searching for.

My mother was 5'7, thirty-eight had long straight chocolate brown hair, chocolate brown eyes and olive skin. She wore black tighter, a grey tank with a black leather jacket.

"Paige" I greeted her.

"I hear you've been looking for me" she raised a brow.

"You heard correctly" I nodded.

"Oh my precious Taylorina" Paige took a step towards me before brushing the back of her left hand against my right cheek "I'm really going to enjoy killing you"

her eyes changed.
That's when I knew I wasn't looking at one of us.

We fought that night; most of which was a blur but this is what I do remember. Palm strick, elbow, punch to the floating ribs, headbutt, kick to the knee, flips and all sorts. I was quick but so was she.

Eventually, we both just fell to the cold hard concrete ground, against the brick wall. We both sighed than began taking deep breaths.

Looking into the eyes of my mother infuriated me. She was in front of me, living and breathing. Maybe a part of me wouldn't believe it until I could see her and touch her. That way I knew she was real. I grew up without my mother, believing she was dead. I mourned her. I grieved. Now she's working for the very family we thought had killed her. How could I not be infuriated?

"You know I have one memory of you" I started breathing heavily and wiping the sweat off my forehead, "I walked into you and dads bedroom early to find a man in your bed. It wasn't dad. I didn't know it then. It's always been uncle Jason for you hasn't it? Did he know you were alive?"

"What can I say" she shrugged, "...they want to kill you, Taylor... The Larrunzarios...don't trust them...not even the ones that seem good because there's no such thing"

"That means you too huh?" I nodded to myself before shaking my head "you don't want to kill me Paige"

"You sure about that?" She raised a brow.

"Yeah" I nodded "cause if you did you would have done it by now"

And that was that; I believe that she wanted to kill me that night, she had every intention to, but I believe she still had some loyalty to the Ashton's. She knew they needed me to continue the family business. Was that why the larrunzarios needed me dead? So where did her loyalties lie? With us or  with them?

"Kid what the-" Aunt Kat started as I struggled to climb up the staircase; I just waved her off. "Chace can you help her?"

"Yeah" Chace nodded as following me upstairs "You found her didn't you?" He asked once we made it to my bedroom.

I just nodded whilst laying down on my bed. He didn't say anything else; that was that. I assumed Uncle Nate already knew despite the fact that he didn't say anything to me. He always did know everything.