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Natalie’s chest rises and falls with hurried breaths, her fingernails digging into the chair’s upholstered arms. Still, her lips remain sealed.
Frustration and fury rise within me. I lean in close, my mouth nearly brushing Natalie’s ear. “You won’t like what comes next if you don’t tell me the truth. My daring side can be quite...creative.”
A tense beat passes.
I glance at Juno, unsure. Maybe I’m wrong. Maybe Natalie Moreau really is some innocent heiress, and not the Mancini plant I’ve taken her for.
Juno can see I’m wavering, though, and she takes over.
“You are going to die tonight if you don’t speak,” she tells Natalie, cool and unmoving. “Because, while I haven’t uncovered your true identity just yet, one thing’s for certain—you’re not Natalie Moreau.”
Natalie flinches. “I…no. I’m not.”
The confirmation comes as no surprise, but it ignites a fresh wave of hurt and humiliation within me. Whoever this woman is, she infiltrated my world, gained my trust. She slid into my bed and I, fool that I am, believed her pretty words and heated looks.
“Then who are you?” I demand, resisting the urge to slap her silly—for now. “The Mancinis sent you to spy on me, didn’t they?”
She shakes her head but refuses to speak again.
Juno steps a little closer. “Answer the question. Now.”
Natalie swallows hard, steeling herself. “I’m FBI.”
The admission drops between us like a stone. Juno and I exchange an alarmed glance.
The FBI’s involvement is a grave complication, beyond anything we anticipated. Far more dangerous than the petty maneuvers of Mafia Families seeking dominance.
Natalie goes on, more boldly now. “My name is Natalie Miller. Special Agent Natalie Miller. And my team is monitoring me, and I’m wired. If I don’t return safely, if my tracker goes offline, they’ll raid this place immediately.”
At this, Juno scoffs. “They’ll do no such thing. There are security cameras in the powder rooms here, Special Agent Natalie Miller. We saw you dropping your wire in the trash. It’s in lost and found as we speak.”
The color drains from Natalie’s face.
And I feel my fury building and building. “Bravo, Agent Miller. I have to admit, you played your part masterfully. Was it enjoyable, seducing me to get your answers? You certainly seemed...invested.” I force my tone to stay light, teasing. I won’t give her the satisfaction of seeing how deeply her betrayal cuts me.
She flushes deeply, her eyes dropping to the floor, but she says nothing.
“Tell me, Natalie,” I continue conversationally, beginning to slowly circle her again. “Do you make ahabitof seducing your targets? Gaining their trust, sliding into their beds, all to dig for information?” I shake my head in mock disappointment. “And here I thought what we had was special.”
Natalie swallows hard. “My assignment was to get close to you, yes, but I never meant to...” She trails off, emotion cracking through her composure. “Things between us went further than I’d planned.” Her voice drops to a whisper, and finally, she looks at me again. “I never intended to hurt you, Alessa.”
Her words spark a surge of anger in my chest. “Save your platitudes,” I snap. “Your intentions stopped mattering the moment you first kissed me.”
At my words, Natalie’s composure finally cracks. Her eyes dampen and she gives a sniff. “Alessa, truly, I never meant to hurt you. My assignment was to get close but then...things got complicated.”
Complicated.
As if her lies are just a silly misunderstanding between us.
As if this betrayal hasn’t shattered the very foundations of my world.
“Please,” she whispers. “Don’t kill me.”
“Don’tkillyou? Why, I would never.” I lean in close, my words a furious hiss in her ear. “What do you take me for, Agent Miller? I’m an entrepreneur. A philanthropist. Not some common thug.”
I straighten, smoothing my dress, and look to Juno. Her gaze is cool and calculating. We talked about how to play this. Juno offered to bring a gun, a knife, to set up an interrogation in a seedy warehouse down near the river, but I told her not to.
I didn’t want any excuses for the Mancini Family to move against me. And now I’m doubly thankful. We’ve given the FBI no probable cause for a raid.
