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Yeah…
Umberto parked in front of a four-story brick building that didn’t look like much from the outside. After fussing at me to stay close and behave, he led us inside. The lobby was admittedly more modern than the outside had been, but it was still nothing to write home about. The walls were painted black, and a reception desk built from the original brick sat in the center. Large artistic photos of the city at night dotted the walls, lit by dozens of small track lights hanging from the ceiling.
“Can I help you?” A beautiful woman with short dark hair greeted us. She was outfitted entirely in black satin—snug pants that sculpted perfectly to her athletic frame and a matching cropped top with one strap sweeping over her right shoulder. It was a confident, bold look that I admired.
Umberto grunted. “Hell yeah, you can.” He muttered the words under his breath but loud enough that he knew we’d both heard him.
I had the clawing urge to kick my foot into the back of his knee and send him careening to the ground. Instead, I thinned my lips and shot her an apologetic look.
The woman flashed a feline grin of amusement. “You here for Reid?”
“Yeah, he around?”
“Let’s see. Follow me.” She led us back through a set of double doors and down a hallway containing a series of offices.
We followed her into the last office, which contained a modern executive setup complete with monitors and a fancy fireplace but no Conner.
“Guess he’s upstairs on the floor,” she said breezily. “If you want, we ladies can wait here while you look for him.”
Umberto peered at me as though he were conflicted, so I shot him an exasperated look that said,what trouble could I possibly get into here?
“Don’t move,” he snapped before disappearing down the hall.
The woman, whose eyes were a striking combination of turquoise and gold, laughed from deep in her belly. “What a buffoon. I’m sorry. Guess he could be a friend of yours.”
I shook my head adamantly.
“Good.” She held out her hand. “I’m Shae.”
Once my hand was free, I pulled out my notepad and wrote my name.
She grinned. “I know who you are, Noemi. Everyone in the family knows you.”
Super.
I held up the paper, relieved when she burst out laughing.
“It’s not so bad.”
Are you related to Conner?
“Cousin, but I also work with him here at the club. My dad was Brody Byrne.”
My face fell, recalling what I’d learned from Pippa.
I’m so sorry for your loss.
She shrugged and motioned to a red leather sofa in front of the fireplace. “That’s just a part of the life, I guess.” She sat angled toward me, one arm over the back of the sofa. “You try to guard against these things, but shit happens.”
I got the distinct impression that Shae was a badass. I didn’t know of many women who worked alongside the men in our family, and I figured the Irish were probably the same.
“I wasn’t supposed to come in this evening,” she continued. “But I’m glad I did. I’ve been curious to meet the silent Mancini.” She tilted her head, kaleidoscopic eyes studying me. “Not exactly what I expected.”
I arched a brow, encouraging her to explain.
Shae chuckled. “Guess I expected someone shy and demure, but that’s not you, is it?”
I scrolled neatly on my notepad.No voice doesn’t mean no opinions.
