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“What?” Bash asks, standing. We walk back over to Uncle Ricky. “Her prints are unreadable.”
“What does that even mean?” I ask.
“I’ve scanned them a bunch of times. It just says ‘error,’ like the system doesn’t even recognize them as fingerprints.”
“So, what? She like an alien or something?” I ask sarcastically, irritated.
“What prints does she have to get her license?” Bash questions.
“That’s the other thing I thought of, too. When you look her up, the prints on her files don’t match the one from the water bottle,” Uncle Ricky answers.
“Are you sure this is hers?” Bash asks, looking at me.
“Yes. I watched her pick it up and drink out of it and put it back down,” I answer.
“Then, whose prints is she using?” Uncle Ricky asks.
“You and Dante, look into her some more. Nothing’s adding up, but there’s bound to be a mistake somewhere. Don’t know why this girl comes with more questions than answers, but we need some soon,” Bash instructs Uncle Ricky.
He nods as Bash and I leave the room.
“You still good to go to the gala this Friday?” Bash asks me.
“Ah shit, forgot about that. Yeah, I’ll be there,” I reply as we walk outside.
He’s talking about the annual Black Rose Gala, the most exclusive event. I don’t want to go, but Bash had already accepted the invitation to meet with one of our new “business associates.”
“Good,” he says as he pats my back. “Now, remember, it’s just a low-key ass-kissing event, schmooze the right people, so we can get our construction projects approved and on time.Don’tcause a scene. Most of the men’ll be kissing your ass anyway since they’ll need access to our docks.”
“When do I ever cause a scene?” I ask sarcastically.
“Bastard,” he laughs, shaking his head as he gets into his Maserati before driving off.
Natalie
“I can’t believe you’re going to the party of the year tonight! I’m so jealous.” Maya screams as she beats my face with a beauty sponge.
I’m going to the Black Rose Gala tonight, and if you’re a New Yorker, you know it’s bigger than the Met. Hell,Hell’s easier to get into than the Met.
Dom blackmailed one of the hosts with images of him participating in the Outfit’s illegal side of business. Dom was then added to the list with a plus one once he heard Sebastiano Delucci was going. Usually Papa would go, but since Dom will be capo soon, Papa thinks this is a good opportunity for him to network. We’re also going to see if there’s any talk of the Cosa Nostra’s plans. Dom didn’t bother letting them know he was going to be in attendance, since they’d make it obvious they already knew he was in New York.
“You know I don’t care about these things, Maya.” I roll my eyes.
I really don’t. I try to stay away from high-profile events out of fear of being recognized, which I know is ridiculous, since nobody knows my secret. But a small part of me is actually excited to be attending a party only a select few gets invited to.
“I know, which is why I’m going to try to rein in my green monster and not make you look like a clown on purpose,” she says, maneuvering through a rack of dresses my stylist had sent over.
She’s helping me with choosing an outfit and with my hair. What can’t this woman do? I could hire someone, but for some reason, I only like the way Maya does my makeup.
“How very kind of you,” I say sarcastically.
Maya puts me in a form-fitting black silk gown with a very low back and high slit. It goes up the length of my leg to my hip bone. I have to be strategic about my underwear placement all night. And my gun. She puts my hair in an intricate, loose updo. I don’t wear makeup every day, but I love when Maya does my makeup. I feel like a queen when she’s done with me.
* * *
We’ve been at the ball for about an hour now. Dom is connecting with a lot of people, but we’re not hearing anything useful for our problem. No sign of Sebastiano yet. I’m sort of nervous there’s going to be a brawl. Nevertheless, I play the dumb socialite and get nothing but gossip.
I try not to cringe when Dom tells people I’m his date. It just feels wrong and sick. I know he feels the same way, too. If you didn’t know him as well as I did, you’d never be able to tell. We’re both pretty convincing to others that there’s something going on between us, especially every time he leans in to kiss my temple. But I can feel his body tighten and jaw flex every time he says the worddate. It’s kind of funny at this point. I never thought I’d see him squirm so much.
