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"Ask Medea how she killed Glauce and King Creon sometime. You would be checking all your clothes after that," Bellona replied, handing him the garment bag. He was still frowning when she closed the bathroom door. She checked the rest of his office, the hallways leading to a conference room and public bathrooms. When she returned, a man with a ladder and gear bag exited the elevator.
"Who are you and what are you doing here?" she demanded, striding towards him. The man froze like a startled gazelle.
"Ah, I'm here to install more cameras?" he said, pulling out his ID.
"Signora, the work order was placed by Mr. Asellio himself last night," Maria said, coming to the man's aid.
"I don't care. Bag on the ground. Open it and step away," Bellona instructed. Maria opened her mouth again, but Bellona's glare made her close it. With shaking hands, he opened the bag and moved away. Bellona knelt and went through it. She even felt out the lining for hidden objects.
"Lift your arms and spread your legs. I'm going to have to pat you down." Bellona could see the fear in the man's eyes as he did as he was told. She checked him over until she was satisfied.
"Ah, can I get back to work now?"
"Start in the conference room," Bellona said, and he hurried away.
"Was that really necessary? He was cleared by security before coming to this floor," Maria said, hands on her hips.
"Rafael's villa was firebombed last night, so you tell me if it was necessary. You are lucky I'm not going through your stuff as well, Maria," Bellona replied.
The older woman paled. "Firebombed? Who would do such a thing?"
"Cino, Tirone, and Rita Costa. Rafael has hired me to keep him safe. I'm going to do it to the best of my ability. Don't get in my way, or you will regret it."
Maria's eyes flared. "I have known Rafael for his entire life. I was in this position with Michele. I would never do anything that would put him in danger."
"Cino and Tirone have known him for his entire life too," Bellona pointed out. She wouldn't be easier on her because she was an old lady. Bellona knew one of the greatest assassins currently operating, and she was an old lady too. She liked to kill people in public and knit while she did it.
"Everything okay out here?" Rafael asked.
Bellona looked away from Maria to where he stood in the doorway of his office. She wasn't prepared to see him in a suit, and her brain stuttered in self-defense.
"Bellona was telling me your house was firebombed. She is going to keep you very safe because there will be trouble if she doesn't," Maria replied, looking at her over the top of her glasses.
Rafael put his hands in his pockets, a boyish grin on his face. "It's so nice to have such lovely ladies looking after me. Maria, can you bring Bellona the spare laptop and set her up in the conference room? She will need full access to all the servers and whatnot," he said, and his hazel eyes flicked to Bellona. "I'll shout if anyone attacks."
"If they are half decent, you won't get to," she replied, but she followed Maria anyway. The sooner she could find dirt on Cino and Tirone, the better.
Maria went to the cupboard behind her desk and took out a laptop.
"He likes you," Maria commented.
"I saved his ass once before, so he knows I'm capable."
Maria hummed and led the way to the conference room. "It's not that. I haven't seen him smile like that since his father died." Bellona didn't ask her to elaborate. She still hadn't fully recovered from seeing him in a three-piece suit. Her job was already too personal. She didn't want to know that she made him smile in a particular way. It would only make her job harder.
Within twenty minutes, the nervous-looking man had finished installing a camera in the conference room, and Bellona was alone with all the company's files at her disposal. She started with the obvious things—strange transactions on bank statements and security logs of people entering the building at odd hours. She didn't like that Rafael seemed to work twelve to fourteen-hour days regularly. No wonder he hadn't been able to maintain a long-term relationship. After an hour, she put her headphones in and called Medusa.
"Hells Bells, what are you doing calling me?" Medusa answered.
"I need your help with something. I can pay you—" Bellona began.
"You will do no such thing. I have an appointment in thirty minutes, so speak fast," Medusa replied. The Gorgon was busy running her software and media empire and the city of Styx with Asterion while Hades and Persephone were raising their twins in Elysium. Bellona was surprised Medusa still had the time to answer her phone.
"I'll give you the highlights." Bellona quickly told her all about Rafael and the bounty on his head. "It's too much data for me to go through alone. I know Rita has something on them that's pushing his partners to turn their backs on him like this."
Medusa's end of the line was quiet except for the rapid clicking of computer keys. "Okay, I'm going to call in some of my girls to help with this problem. We will focus on his partners. You focus on keeping your boy safe."
"He's not my boy," Bellona replied too quickly.
