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Jesus Christ. She's a fucking fed.
"Because I'd rather not die tonight, Mr. Butera." She meets my gaze, unblinking. "And I don't believe Rafe Valentino would welcome me into his home with open arms, do you?"
Chapter Two
Athena
Standing in front of Diego Butera is like standing in front of the sun. He's one of the most powerful men in this city. He's rich. And he's gorgeous. I've seen more than my fair share of photos of him in the last two weeks, but they did not prepare me for this reality.
He towers over me, powerful and fierce…dark from head to toe. Messy dark hair and an olive skin tone pair perfectly with obsidian eyes and a five o'clock shadow. Even his suit is dark, black jacket, black tie, black slacks. It probably cost him more than I make a year. He wears it well. Too well, perhaps.
He plays the debonair lawyer to perfection, and it's distracting as hell. He's distracting. I'm never off my game, but I've been reeling this entire meeting. My heart pounds with nervous excitement, as if I'm meeting a potential date instead of a member of the mafia.
Despite knowing his file inside and out, he's still not what I expected. He was an informant, but he's been radio silent for the last year. It doesn't bode well considering he's one of the biggest criminals in this city. The man is a monster if his file is to be believed, but he looks like a Gucci model. He's also charming and intelligent.
It's disorienting.
"You're a fucking fed," he growls, his expression darkening.
"I believe the term you're looking for is federal agent." I tuck my shield back into my pocket out of sight. "If that's the case, then yes, I am."
"How old are you?"
I bristle at the question and his sudden hostility. Two minutes ago, he was flirting hard enough to make my stomach flutter. Now, he's hostile and suspicious. I suppose I should have expected it. It's nothing I haven't heard before. No one wants to talk to the FBI, especially not the mafia.
Even fewer seem to want to talk to me. I'm twenty-five. As far as most people are concerned, that makes me a baby. They certainly don't think I'm old enough to be a federal agent. I don't have enough fingers and toes to count the number of times I've been called cute in the last two years.
They usually switch to something else once they're in cuffs. It's equally as offensive, but at least it's not patronizing. My boss, Dennis Respert, is worse than our suspects. He's been dying to get rid of me since I was transferred to his field office three months ago.
As far as he's concerned, I'm too young, too female, and too dainty for the job. I belong behind a desk, answering phones while the men do the heavy lifting. He's old school misogynistic and makes no secrets about it.
Giving me an errant informant and mobster no one can crack right out of the gate is a surefire way to ensure I fail. I get to waste my time plucking at threads that the task force has already pulled for the last year. And when I inevitably fail, Dennis gets to gloat and say he was right about me. It's a win-win for him.
I should have quit as soon as he handed me the assignment…except I've never been one to let anyone decide what I'm capable of doing. If Dennis wants me out of the FBI, he really shouldn't have thrown down a gauntlet. I'm too stubborn not to pick it up. If he wants to fire me, I'm going to make him work for it.
And if Diego Butera thinks I'm too young to pose a threat to him and his boss, he needs to think again. I've spent the last two weeks reading his file backward and forward. If it's in there, I know it by heart.
"My age isn't your concern," I state firmly.
"It is when you're going to get eaten alive." He scowls, shoving a hand through his hair. "Jesus Christ. Did they at least send you backup?"
"Are you suggesting I'm not capable of doing my job without help, Mr. Butera?"
"I'm suggesting that you're a kitten walking into a lion's den, Athena," he growls. "Have you ever worked a RICO case? Do you know anything about the mafia?"
At least he's not going to deny being connected to the mafia. That ship sailed a long time ago. We all know he's a Made man. We all know who he works for, too. It's been common knowledge for years. He went to law school with an agenda. The ink hadn't even dried on his degree before he was back in the streets, swearing fealty to Rafe Valentino.
He's spent most of his career defending the Valentino family against any charges we throw their way. And then a few years ago, he flipped. No explanation, no reason. He just started passing on info about little things. Never enough to bring Valentino or his brothers down. But just enough to keep us clued in on what was happening here.
