Page 31 of Dishonored

“This time, yes.”

Aria fixed one of her stray curls in the reflection of the window, and checked her carefully applied makeup at the same time. A perfect mask of beauty that was sure to be enough to distract any man, or at the very least, soften them to her.

There was only one she really needed to get to today.

“I’m not concerned about the fact he put men in there because we have been watching the restaurant since the day Angelo agreed to the meeting, and told us the location. Nothing has been happening; I’ve had people on it for twenty-four hour rotations. It’ll be perfectly fine.”

“I certainly hope so.”

“Hope is for the weak. Faith is for the confident.”

Nico said nothing.

Aria didn’t need him to.

It was another five minutes of driving before Nico smoothly pulled the car to a stop between two black sedans waiting in front of a modern-looking restaurant. The moment their car pulled in, the doors on the sedans opened and two men Aria had chosen to attend this meeting alongside her and Nico stepped out, and moved to the back passenger door of their vehicle. Nico stepped out, then, and moved back to open her door for her.

A purposeful move on her part.

She only wanted someone from the Accardo side of things to see the De Rose boss when she decided it was time. With three tall men flanking her front and sides, she was practically hidden from view entirely.

“The private dining area, yes?” she asked.

Nico glanced back, and offered her a nod.

“Good. And the others are not in there?”

“No.”

Even better.

Nico knew that for now, he was to appear as the one running their side of things until she said differently. It was how he posed the meeting to begin with. She was attending—as far as the Accardo boss knew—because she was Jac’s daughter, and because she had been the one to be approached first.

Simple as that.

And all a lie.

Inside the business, the restaurant bustled with patrons, and activity. Aria didn’t bother to pay attention to the décor or the seating arrangements as she wasn’t there to eat, or enjoy the place. She couldn’t care less what it looked like, or how good their food was.

She did, however, look for the one man she would recognize on the spot. Nico and her other two men were still flanking her, but between their shoulders she was able to get just a peek of Caesar sitting at what appeared to be a small bar. His friend sat beside him. She wasn’t sure where the third man Nico had mentioned was.

“Nico, let the others go in ahead of us,” Aria said.

Silently, he stepped back at her request. The other men moved forward, and moved to the left where the private dining area was located behind two frosted glass French doors.

It was then that Caesar looked.

It was then that he knew.

She stared him head-on, and let him take a good fucking look at her. She enjoyed the way his sky-blue eyes widened momentarily, and his jaw fell slack. His rough, handsome features were softened briefly as the realization washed over him, and nothing had quite looked better on him.

Except for maybe when he was fucking her.

That had been quite a sight.

She smiled, and waved two fingers.

A tease, really.