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“Of course.” He nods with a sweet smile.
I speed-walk toward the campus to get to my class on time.
Nico
There she is, right in front of me, sipping her morning coffee. Oat milk and honey, what an odd combination. She doesn’t notice me. She’s playing on her phone. I sit at the table next to her, and some preppy douche approaches her. They must know each other.I wonder if I can get her attention.I look down, and her bag is within arm’s reach. I unzip the bag and grab the first thing I can feel. Earbuds. These’ll do.
Before I can interrupt them, I hear “RICO,” and that piques my interest immediately. She’s writing a paper on The Racketeer-Influenced and Corrupt Organization Act?Interesting.
Maybe she’s using the Violantes to extract information out of them? Damn, she’s one hell of an actress if that’s the case. I was even sold when I saw them outside of the restaurant the other day.
Barely listening to their conversation, I can tell Preppy has a crush and is trying to ask her out. It’s kind of painful to watch but amusing.
This is my opportunity.
“Excuse me,” I say to her, her black eyes shooting into mine as she sucks in a breath. “You dropped this.” I hold her earbuds to her, wondering if she felt the jolt of electricity I did.
She looks at them like there’s a mystery to be solved. I use the moment to take in her features. Her long dark hair and eyelashes that fan over her cheeks, silky skin that’s mostly covered by a long sleeve blouse and jeans, and full lips.
Damn, she’s stunning.
“Thank you,” she says.
The fucker coughs.
“It’s no problem at all. Have a nice day.”
I watch her for the next week. So far, I know she wakes up early and goes to a building with no cameras inside. I’m assuming it’s one of those private gyms that doesn’t allow cameras. Which is a shame. She has a killer body. I’d love to see her use it at the gym. Well, I’d actually like to see her use it in other ways, but I’ll take what I can get. Afterward, she goes to class or studies. She owns that Porsche but prefers her Audi e-tron Sportback.
She spends a lot of time with one of her tall supermodel-looking friends and some other classmates, usually studying on campus or grabbing drinks. I’ve come to learn that Preppy is actually named Jeremy. Jeremy van der Sar. His family is old money. I’ve seen him get handsy with her a few times, and I get this unfamiliar rush of possessiveness I don’t like.
She hasn’t spent too much time with Dominic, a quick lunch here and there. She frequents that Chinese restaurant every Thursday, according to her bank statements. Nothing seems unusual, except for the large sum of money that consistently shows up in her account.
I’ve had men tailing Dom, too, but he’s been quiet. It’s making me anxious. It’s like he’s genuinely here to see this woman. Hell, he doesn’t even sleep with her. He’s been staying at a hotel all week.
Are they just friends? I haven’t seen anything sexual yet. I’m oddly pleased by this. But she definitely means something to him. I can tell by the way he looks at her. I need more answers, and I’m tired of waiting. Dominic is a hard no. He’d be too difficult to grab, and even if we were successful, there’d be consequences. We really don’t need a war right now.
But her? Her, I can break. I almost feel bad.Almost.But it’s not enough to stop what I’m about to do.
It’s Thursday, and I order Joe, Rafaele, and the third guy—whose name, I learn, is Mario—to make a grab for the girl. They have strict orders to wait until she’s leaving the restaurant to make the grab. If she’s a regular and doesn’t show up, I don’t want to draw attention to it. I know Dom will be four hours north for the day—I tapped in on his phone conversation. Son of a bitch is a bitch of a hack. But soon, we’ll have her, and soon, we’ll have answers.
“Don’t forget to disable the cameras,” I tell them before walking off the club’s empty dance floor and back to my office.
These morons better not fuck this up. They’re already on thin ice after what happened at our shipping docks. If they can’t handle a small woman, I’ll have to kill them.
I spend the day making sure our spreadsheets are up to date. Legal andnot so legal.We’ve recently acquired a new nightclub, The KA.RA, and will be using this new location as our new main office. The owner was forced to sell when he owed too much money. We got this place for a steal. Great timing, too. Too many cops sniffing around the old one. A lot of them are on our payroll, but plenty still think they can change and make a difference. Fucking pricks.
After compiling a list of names of people who owe us money, I send it to Dante. As our enforcer, it’s his job to ensure we get those payments. It’s also his job to take care of it if they can’t pay us back.
In the evening, I finish a late dinner at one of the restaurants that pays us for our protection. I expected confirmation from Rafaele about the job by now. I’ve been checking my phone every ten minutes for the last hour. Nothing.
Chapter Four
Natalie
The week has gone by in a blur. Between class and studying, I barely have time to breathe. But Maya has plans for my birthday Saturday evening, and I’m ready to let loose. I wonder what trouble we’ll get into this year. I wouldn’t put it past her to have new ideas. It’s Thursday, so I came into Ming’s. I walk in and freeze at the sight.
“Surprise!” a number of voices yell.
