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I turned to face him, letting my bare knee brush against his outer thigh. “I hear you’re an important man. Nothing happens in New York without you knowing about it,” I said, stroking his ego. “I’m hoping you might have some information for me.”
“Oh, well, now I’m disappointed,” he said, but the spark of interest in his eyes hadn’t dulled any. “Information pales in comparison to what I could offer you,signorina.”
“I’m sure it does, but I assure you I would be most appreciative,” I said, batting my eyelashes while I slipped my hand into the purse on my lap and withdrew the thick stack of bills. It wasn’t much in Harry Belemonte’s world, but it was every penny I could get in loans and cash advances from my credit cards. All my savings were being used up on plane tickets and hotel rooms.
I dropped my purse on the counter but kept the stack in my hand beneath the bar, letting his gaze linger at where it sat on top of my thighs.
“It seems this information is rather valuable to you.” He reached out and thumbed through the stack of bills, grazing my thigh in the process.
I resisted the urge to recoil from his touch. “Very valuable,” I said.
Five thousand dollars in value, actually. If I’d had more, I would have paid that too.
He thumbed through the stack again, then withdrew, grazing his fingers along my thigh to my knee as he went. If I’d thought slimy was bad, this was worse. It was like someone had injected live worms beneath my skin. I fought the urge to bat his hand away, focusing on the reason I was here. The satisfaction that would come when I pulled this off.
“All right,signorina. If you’ll tell me what information you’re seeking, I’ll consider your offer.”
“I’m curious about any recent aspirations of people like the Morettis, the Lucianos, the Lucas, or the Costas.” At least this way, it sounded like I was listing off families at random. But if I was going to make myself useful to the Costas, I needed to have some idea of what they valued.
“Aspirations?” he asked without missing a beat.
I’d really hoped to offer up as few details as possible. The less anyone knew about what I was planning, the better.
“Any aspiration in which they may benefit from outside help, or perhaps an aspiration in which more than one family has shown interest?” I treaded.
Technically, if I could help the Costas snag something away from the Lucas, that would prove the bigger victory. I didn’t want to hurt my family, but a part of me wanted to make them feelsomething.
Belemonte’s brow furrowed, and for the first time, his thoughts seemed to turn inward. I could almost see the calculations going on inside his head. Almost, but not quite. What was he thinking about?
I forced myself to take slow, even breaths, clenching the stack of money tight in my hand and hoping I wasn’t soaking it in sweat.
Eventually, he pursed his lips and let out a long, slow breath. “That would be very dangerous information to have, wouldn’t it?”
It seemed more like an observation than a question, but the expectant way he was looking at me said he was waiting for a response.
“It would beusefulinformation,SignorBelemonte.”
It was the only answer I could come up with.
“True,” he acknowledged. “But even if I had information for you—which I don’t—I don’t think it would be in your best interest to have it.”
I raised an eyebrow. “I’m a big girl,Signor.”
“Indeed, you are. In all the right ways,” he said as his gaze settled on my breasts once again. “But there is no information to give you, not that I’ve heard. And as you said, nothing happens in New York without me hearing about it.”
“Thank you,SignorBelemonte. I appreciate your time.” I pursed my lips, trying to hide my disappointment.
I grabbed my purse to slip the money back in, but he put his hand over mine. I paused.
“I’m not generally the magnanimous type, but I feel compelled to warn you that whatever game you’re playing is far more dangerous than you realize. Walk away,signorina. It would be a shame to find your delectable body at the bottom of the Long Island Sound.”
He withdrew his hand, and I stuffed the money into my purse and slid off the stool, trying to hide the cold shiver that rippled down my spine. I hadn’t fully considered the ramifications of what would happen if I got caught. Even Greta’s countless warnings had never really sunk in with me. But thanks to Harry Belemonte, I was now having second thoughts. I’d wanted to prove my worth. I’d wanted my family to regret abandoning me. I did not want to end up dead.
“Heed my warning,signorina. It isn’t often I give one for free.”
I nodded, knowing my voice would never make it out past the lump of fear lodged in my throat.
He stared at me for a moment longer. His gaze raked over my scantily-clad body one last time.
