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“That’s violating,” I said, drawing myself up and folding my arms over my chest. His shirt rode up, exposing my bare thighs, and his gaze ghosted over them. A flicker of something passed through his eyes before he pulled them back to the phone.
“You post some very interesting photos, Miss Scavo,” he said, setting the phone aside. “Does your father know you do this?”
I shook my head. What was the point of lying?
“I don’t need his permission,” I said firmly.
“I know who you are and I know who your father is,” he said. “He’s a bookkeeper for the outfit. I don’t see him much, so I’m not familiar with your family, but it’s my understanding…they’re a bit traditional.”
My jaw went slack. “How…how did you find that out?”
He sighed. “Esposito.”
“What?”
“My last name is Esposito,” he said. “Duran Esposito.”
My whole body froze and my fingers curled in the sheets. I knew the Esposito family…everyone did. The Esposito brothers had taken the city by storm after the death of their father, carving a name for themselves in just a few short years.
Lucien Esposito, the older of the two had a reputation as a ruthless businessman and an even deadlier underboss in the mafia. He worked under Carlo Romano, the head of the organization, and some argued he held an even greater sway over the city. His younger brother Duran…well, he had a reputation for being an magnetic playboy.
I stared up at him and some of my fear ebbed. He was in the outfit, and technically I was by proxy even if I was a no-name, so he wouldn’t kill me. That would cause too much of a stir.
He saw the gears in my head turning and he narrowed those obsidian eyes. Pinning me to the wall with his gaze.
“Oh,” I croaked. “Okay, so you know I wasn’t a spy then.”
“No, I fucking don’t,” he snapped. “Just because your father works for my brother doesn’t mean you wouldn’t betray us. In fact, it makes it even likelier. Having someone on the inside, someone who isn’t going to attract a lot of attention, would be a decent plan for getting to me.”
“You’re fucking paranoid,” I mumbled.
He leaned in. “It’s my job. And I’m not paranoid, I’m careful. And I’m going to be very, very careful with you, princess, until I find out just how dangerous you are.”
CHAPTER SIX
DURAN
I left her sitting in her cabin, balled up with fury on the bed. I’d gotten myself into a fucking mess taking her on a whim like that. She was the daughter of one of Lucien’s men and it would be a problem when her parents realized she was missing.
Lucien would be furious, in his own ice cold way. My brother was stoic, rarely letting his emotions show beyond a flicker of disdain behind his hazel eyes. But I knew the twitch in his jaw muscle would be out of control when this got out, especially if she ended up not being a spy.
My hand drifted down to my phone. Maybe I should just call him and explain what had happened.
I didn’t have the patience for the verbal backlash I’d get from him.
“I fucking told you so,” he’d snap. “This is exactly why I don’t fuck around the way you do.”
No, I was going to handle this on my own. It was my business, I was my own man with an international network that spanned across the globe. I could broker deals, buy and sell weaponry without batting an eye. The least I could do was find out if this irritating girl was dangerous or just in the wrong place at the wrong time.
I went up to the empty upper deck. No one else could come on this assignment with me because the meeting last night had been strictly between myself, Lucien, and our target. My closest friend, Ahmed, had been on the boat this morning, but he’d left before we’d arrived to fly across the country with his girlfriend. It was his boat, but luckily he hadn’t minded me taking it so long as it was just out to the private island.
The ocean spray peppered the front of my shirt and pants as I leaned on the railing. As far as I could see was roiling blue, but at the center of my vision, a faint gray blotch appeared.
I narrowed my eyes as the island appeared and moved closer at a snail’s pace. Why hadn’t I been able to get her off my mind for the last two days? From the moment I’d looked down and caught sight of her on her balcony, she’d nagged me like a splinter under my skin.
Maybe because she was too perfect. She looked like the kind of fantasy I’d make up in my head while I got myself off in the shower.
Perhaps because Ihadfantasized about her while getting off in the shower.
