Page 35 of Mafia Manipulator


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“Took you long enough,” Soren blustered, pointing to the empty glass across from him. On the table sat a bottle of the establishment’s best bourbon. He only drank that when he was neck deep in shit. “Pour you a glass and we’ll get to work.

I frowned. “That bad?” When he didn’t answer, I did as he asked, filling the tumbler in front of me halfway.

“Depends on how you look at it,” Soren grumbled. “I think it’s good and bad news.” He produced a manilla envelope and pulled out a stack of photos. “Remember her?”

Gritting my teeth, I nodded. “Yes.” How could I forget her? She’d been a whirlwind of chaos in my house, turning everything upside down. Just the sight of her now made me nauseous. Allowing my dick to make judgement calls was going to get me killed.

“Looks like she’s been meeting with Mario Torino for the last six weeks. Seems they have a thing for each other or...” It was theorpart that bothered me more. She was a high class escort of sorts, a woman who knew how to get by in high society and within our society. I’d used her because sometimes it was easier to find a woman for the night in my line of work than it was to find a person who’d accept who I was and what I did. Soren shrugged. “She meets with him at the same time every week and in the same location. I thought about sending one of my people in to observe. See if I could catch a conversation or two, but...”

“No, don’t risk your people,” I said, agreeing with his non-verbal assessment of the situation. “How long are the meetings?”

“Three hours,” Soren answered. “I suspect she fucks Mario or one of his men after she spills her guts.”

“More than likely.” I sighed. “I don’t talk business while I’m around her or, should I say,whenI was around her.”

“What could this little bird be telling Mario about?” Soren quirked a brow. “Since she was your longest bed fellow to date, she must have some kind of dirt on you.”

I wracked my brain trying to think of anything I might have let slipped then it hit me. “Collins.”

Soren frowned. “Why though?”

I downed the contents of my glass and shook my head. It was a waste of good liquor, but I also needed a beat to think. “If we go by our assumptions, maybe she’s telling Mario about my new employee.”

“Are you thinking she’d use Collins as a leak? Or are we back to thinking Collins is Stephanie Hollis?”

“Both?” I couldn’t put my finger on why I’d become more convinced over the last few weeks that Collins was Stephanie, other than they almost looked alike and her brother’s hair wasn’t white-blond either. They were hiding. I’d become more convinced of that after our little spat when I walked in on her and Robbie. Now, she was putting as much distance between us as she could, and I didn’t like it.

“Explain.” Soren poured himself another drink before shuffling the photos back into the envelope he pulled them out of.

“Benny and Antonio have been working out with Lucas. They said the boy’s injury was a bullet wound to the shoulder. I don’t know if he got sloppy in hiding himself or what, but he took off his shirt for the first time since they arrived. The scar is pretty bad, according to them, and I bet if we lined up his scar with the puddle of blood on the floor of Kyle’s closet, they’d match.” I uncapped the bottle and poured myself another glass.

“Just because he has a scar there doesn’t mean it’s him, though,” Soren retorted. “Could be from anything.”

I nodded. He had a point. A scar in the long run meant nothing. Happenstance, quite frankly. “He’s also not a natural platinum blond.”

“Well, I could have told you that.” Soren laughed.

“His hair color matches Kyle Hollis,” I replied in a droll tone.

“Son of a bitch, how did you find out?”

“Benny and Antonio noticed the other day in the gym. His hair is curly like Kyle’s as well. Seems Collins and Lucas haven’t been keeping up with his disguise.” Of course, again, this was all conjecture on my part. I wouldn’t know if it was factual until Collins told the truth or I uncovered the entire plot.

“Shit.” Soren sat back. “We need to find out with certainty. You’re blind in this situation and withthatwoman talking to your enemy, you’re in real trouble.”

I agreed. “I have this as well.” Producing my phone, I placed it on the table, then played the video. The same one I made Collins look at. It was a dick move, making her watch Robbie screw another woman because I told him to. Some possessive part of me wanted her to see she couldn’t trust a guy like him, while another part thought of it as being revenge for trying to take something—someone from me.

Hitting play, I sat back as the scene unfolded on screen. I’d keep it for blackmail and perhaps, after learning what I had, use it to scare Brooke from ever going back to Mario. I should have known that crazy bitch was feeding him information. I had chalked the incident in the foyer the night of the gala up to Brooke being a stupid, petty bitch, trying to hurt Collins. Now, I wondered if she’d been hoping to cause a scene and get Collins angry enough to say something incriminating.

Thankfully, Collins hadn’t taken the bait, and neither had I.

“I’ve seen that ring before,” Soren said. “Haven’t I?”

“Yes.” Running my finger around the lip of my glass, I contemplated telling him the truth. “That’s my bonus from the Dimitri contract.”

Soren paled. “What was she doing with it?”

“I went to the gala. I couldn’t go by myself without looking suspicious, so I took her.” Obviously, now, knowing the truth, I’d fucked myself the minute I walked into the event. It also explained why those who were slated to be there weren’t. If I had to guess, the bitch ratted me out. I exhaled slowly. What to do? What to do?

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