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I also plan on stopping by Toby Whinthorpe’s and seeing what he has to say for himself. I know for a fact Rocco would take great delight in stringing the guy up for questioning just because I asked him to.
Maybe I will. See how far this guy is willing to go if he does have something to do with this.
I can’t think of any other reason for this unwelcome intrusion, and I have to get onto it quickly.
When I rap my knuckles on Sloane’s office door, which is already ajar, I hear one loud woof, and then a scampering noise across the floor. No sooner have I got the door open, and a little black dog appears. It’s Sloane’s dog, Charlie; she takes him wherever she goes without fail.
I’m a dog person, so I bend to give him a scratch, and he wags his tail happily while Sloane looks up from her computer and calls him back to her.
“Sorry about that,” she says, pushing up her thick-rimmed glasses and looking at me. “He’s a little bit excitable this morning.”
“Hey, no problem.” I hold my palms up and walk over to the desk, taking a seat.
She glances over at me. She doesn’t know too much about the situation at hand yet, just that I need a trace on some messages. I will show her the non-incriminating ones only.
I’m not a fool to believe if she’s hacking into my phone, she won’t see the other photos that I’d rather she didn’t see, but I’ll cross that bridge when I come to it.
“So, you had some random text messages from someone who was taking photos of you and Valentina?”
“I escorted her to a friend’s wedding a few weeks back, as a chaperone,” I say. “I had a run-in with an old flame of hers, so I suspect it could be him. You could probably start there. I’ll text you his details. Vaughn sent me a file on him because I was already suspicious he was up to no good. The guy’s clean, but I don’t trust him.”
“All right.” She nods her head like that’s that and we’re done here.
She’s a pretty girl, with long blonde straight hair with a blunt fringe just above her eyes, fair skin, her signature glasses giving her that true nerdy vibe.
“That’s it?”
“The info on the ex and what you told me so far should be enough to suffice for now.”
“Excellent, thank you, Sloane. I’m sure it goes without saying that I can be assured of your discretion until we know more.”
She smiles and nods her head. “Of course, Mr. Russo.”
I give her a level gaze. “Please call me Enzo.” I keep insisting on it, so maybe one day it will stick. I feel a nudge under the table, then a wet nose. I look down to see a fluffy black face looking up at me. He’s a handsome looking dog, I have to give him that.
“Charlie,” Sloane calls him back again, but he ignores her this time and pushes his face into my hands. Friendly little thing.
It’s then we hear another knock on the door and Rocco appears. Charlie immediately takes off and trots on over to Rocco like he’s known him his whole life. He reaches his front paws up onto Rocco’s leg for a stretch. I just about fall off my chair when Rocco bends down to give him a scruff behind the ears. I never took Rocco for an animal kinda guy. He’s always so gruff and weird.
I shake my head because just when you think you’ve seen everything, you get a zinger.
“Everything okay?” I ask him.
“Everything’s fine. I just came to play with Charlie.” He shrugs, like that’s the most normal thing in the world to be doing.
I distinctly hear Sloane chuckle quietly. “They have this thing, and he thinks I don’t know, but the minute my back is turned, they’re playing fetch.”
I scratch my head. “I thought we were running a casino and a security business,” I muse. “Not doggy daycare.”
“If only humans were as easy as you,” Rocco says to his newfound friend, completely ignoring me, though he does have a point.
I well and truly think I’m losing the plot as I stand, give Sloane an affirmative nod that our agreement is more or less covered, and leave to get on with things.
I have to tell Valentina about the photos. I just need a little bit more time for Sloane to see what she can dig up before I jump to any conclusions and freak her the fuck out.
If it is this Toby fuckface messing with me, he had better think about emigrating, because what I will have in store for him is not going to be worth sticking around for.
I’m still riled up about him having his greasy paws on her at the wedding and accosting her like that when he had already seen us together. Some people just can’t take no for an answer.
