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He folds his arms and glares down at me. “How do I know you’re not an assassin posing as an escort?”
I laugh. Again, it’s an absurd question. But I suppose they deal with the absurd regularly. “I can’t help your wild imagination. I was with one of the Bowden’s at all times last night.”
“It’s true,” Luke says from his spot, leaning against the back of a sofa. “We were nowhere near the mayor when it happened. The trouble is, I don’t know where Oliver was, and my dad won’t tell me.”
“Your dad is also angry with you over Donovan. I can see why he wouldn’t trust you with all the information. Look how my old man shut me out.”
I have no idea what they’re talking about, but I’m collecting bits and pieces of information from everything they say. Eventually, they’ll say enough that I can get a clear picture of who they are and what they’re about. Something tells me this isn’t a typical mafia partnership.
Luke drags a hand down his face and strokes his well-kept beard. “You’re right. I may not have many friends left in New York, but I’ve got some friends who were there last night. I’ll reach out and see what they can tell me.”
“Good idea. And Zara, we’re going to need more information on your date with Oliver. Was it urgent? When did you get the call?”
I blow a strand of wayward hair out of my eye. “It was last minute, but nothing felt urgent. More like the date he’d planned to bring fell through… or more like didn’t get approved.”
“Jamie doesn’t police who he dates, but if the mayor was a big part of last night’s opening, they may have tried to convince him not to bring his normal brand of woman,” Luke said.
For the next half hour, the men pitch ideas back and forth as they try to process what little information they have. I can’t keep my eyes off Luke, who has relaxed since we arrived. Now his suit jacket is off, and he’s pushed his sleeves up to his elbows. He’s still wearing his vest, and the slightly disheveled look on him is doing things to my insides.
“If you keep staring like that, I’m going to have to ask Matteo to leave so we can continue what we started on the dance floor.”
I blink and shake my head, cursing the blush I feel creeping into my cheeks.
“Excuse me. I should go get some more sleep, it’s been a long night.”
I swear he’s laughing at me as I head for my bedroom.
Chapter 5
Luke
Ispentmostoflast night staring at Zara’s closed door. After breakfast yesterday, she went in and hasn’t come back out. Now, Matteo is here for breakfast before he has to go to work. When we realized the feds weren’t coming just yet because they were still trying to get a warrant, we all decided to take a step back yesterday to allow ourselves time to come up with a game plan. But this morning, I’m still no closer to having a solution to the predicament we find ourselves in.
“Could we go to Novak for help?” I ask.
He stares at me as if I’ve grown a third eye. “Why would we do that?”
“Because he has a lot of interests in New York. I’m sure he’s got his ear to the ground.”
“And that’s exactly why we need to lie low. I’m on good footing with him, but I don’t want to do anything to fuck that up. Not when Skylar is finally living the life she wants.”
His girlfriend, Skylar Cameron, was at Hunter Novak’s mercy for years, but things are finally turning around, and she now has a residency at the newly renamed Diamond Desire resort. Matteo is protective of her happiness and even though she’s mad at me right now, I’ve accepted her as family.
“OK. But it would still be good to find out if he has any information that would help us. Jamie might be keeping me out of the loop on things these days, but he’s no liar. Our family didn’t do this, and I need to do what I can to keep Oliver out of prison since I killed his brother.”
Matteo nods. “I’ll see what I can do. But we also need to deal with this brewing conflict with the Serrano family. Victor is doing his best to keep the fight at bay, but he can only do so much.”
“You don’t think it’s the Serranos trying to pin this on us, is it? After five years, it’s starting to be more commonly known that the four of us work together. What if it’s their way of retaliating without directly retaliating, since there are still questions about who killed your dad?”
Matteo scratches his chin and leans back in his chair. “I suppose it’s possible. Let me reach out to Victor. He’s still in Mexico, but hopefully he’ll be home soon.”
“Sure thing. Did Owen hook me up with a guest profile for Zara?”
Matteo groans. “He did. But we really need to stop bending the rules.” He holds up his hands when I glare. “I know, I know. I did it with Skylar. That’s why I’m not making a fuss. But we do have to be careful.”
“At least I’m bothering with a guest pass. You didn’t even do that much.”
Matteo nods. “Fair. Letting it go. Will you be there tonight?”
