Page 6 of The Boss

Normally, everyone would eat together in the kitchen, but for the last week, it’s been different. Mateo comes first.

Then my phone pings. Looking down, I see a new message highlighting my screen.

Unknown

You seem a little out of your depth on this. I can help you.

“What the hell?” I mutter to myself before shoving my phone in my pocket and heading up to Gino’s office.

Before I can enter, I hear Gino’s voice through the door.

“I have the photos to prove Lorenzo is a part of this,” I hear him say while he’s on the phone, I presume.

Whoever’s on the other line must speak for a moment.

“I don’t care, I want him back. I won’t stay away for long. If I have to, we'll be in Italy to get him ourselves.”

Then it goes silent, and I hear what sounds like his phone landing on the desk.

I softly knock on the door and hear him say, “Come in,” from beyond it.

I push the door open and walk inside, quickly spotting him behind his desk with his sleeves rolled up. His brown hair is slightly messy, and his olive skin is perfectly naturally tanned. I set the tray on the coffee table in front of the couch and turn to walk out, but he stops me.

“Jules, I can't keep eating in silence. Can you please grab yourself some food and eat with me?”

He called me Jules again.

What is going on?

“Umm, sure. Be right back.”

I walk downstairs and pile eggs, bacon, and toast on a plate. Then, I also grab two fresh cups of coffee.

Heading back upstairs and into his office, I notice he’s still hunched over, staring at something on his desk.

“What’s that?” I ask.

“The intel that Drew shared with us this morning about Lorenzo’s involvement. I need to know why he would do this,” he responds.

He comes over to the couch, sits next to me, and we sit in a comfortable silence, eating our food. This was how it used to be: we would sit and eat together and talk about anything and everything.

I stare at him for a second too long when he asks, “What?”

“Nothing,” I reply.

“You sure?” he presses. “You look like there is something you want to say.”

“Yep. It’s nothing,” I pop the ‘p’ too much, and his gaze shifts slightly, a tell-tale sign that he knows I’m lying.

THREE

GINO

Juliet is on edge. Everyone is, but she is somehow more so. She’s avoiding me, too. Just like she has been for the last two years, but this feels different.

To break the tension between the two of us sitting on this couch, I tap her knee with mine. “If you have anything you want to talk about, just tell me, okay?” I give her my best relaxed smile.

She looks up at me, her mouth opening, but the office door flies open, tearing her words from her, and Drew walks in. “I got some intel on why the Russos are holding Mateo,” he says quickly.