AllFreeNovel
Share Us
I stared at it, my mind racing. If I saw anything that didn’t look right? What the hell did that mean? Why was Antony keeping secrets from me?
What did he think was going to happen?
And was he actually stupid enough to expect me to stand back and do nothing about it?
If so, he didn’t know me as well as he thought he did. I might be new, but I wasn’t the sort of girl who sat back and twiddled her thumbs while other people did the work.
I narrowed my eyes at the door—and the figure behind it—then turned and hustled for my room. We had half an hour and I still needed to dress for the party. Once the guests started arriving, I planned to be front and center. I wanted to see the man I needed when he arrived. I’d been assigned to him, and I wasn’t going to let Mattias and Valentine take the glory of bagging this one.
He was mine.
He just didn’t know it yet.
Chapter 3
duca
I pushed through the doors without an invitation and moved my gaze quickly across the crowd in the foyer. The place was decked out like it was fucking City Hall, and my eyes snagged on not one, not two, but three Christmas trees, each decorated with what had to be hundreds of gold and white baubles. They’d strung garland across the tops of the walls and from pillar to pillar, and I spotted several clumps of mistletoe hanging from the ceiling.
I’d have to avoid those. I didn’t have time to be caught up with any girls while I was here. Come to it, I didn’t think I’d know any girls here. Another quick scan of the room told me that this wasn’t an underworld sort of party. None of the usual suspects and no familiar faces. These people were from the other side of the street, so to speak. Politicians, high-society couples, and people so well-dressed they had to be members of the fashion world. I even saw a few movie stars amongst the crowd, their faces so perfect they didn’t look human.
I scoffed at that and turned to the man I’d brought with me.
Barney. This brought a quick grin to my face. He wasn’t exactly my first choice when it came to running a mission like this. The guy was huge, which was useful, but also the biggest cinnamon roll I’d ever met. He wasn’t Italian and I wasn’t sure he was even capable of hurting anyone else, but Michael Rossi had taken him on as a bodyguard and must have been pleased, because Barney had stuck.
More importantly, Michael’s new flame, Penny Lane, was completely enamored with the enormous man. Which was, I thought, probably why Michael had insisted I bring him with me. Penny wanted Barney to get more interesting jobs than walking her to and from the shops.
We were becoming a family run by women.
Not that I was complaining. Sloane and Penny were two of my favorite people in the world, and their best friend, Brooks Peterson, was...
Well. I didn’t think any word could accurately describe Brooks. I’d never tried to find one. But if I was ever in a jam, hers was the first number I’d call. She could fix almost anything.
“What’s the move, boss?” Barney asked suddenly, his voice low and husky in my ear.
I smirked. “I’m not your boss, Barney.”
“Maybe not. But you’re the boss right now, right? You’re the one calling the shots. So I guess the question stands.”
That was a good point. I was, evidently, the brains on this operation. “Let’s get a drink.”
I didn’t have to tell Barney twice. He moved in front of me and started pushing his way through the crowd, his bulk parting the partygoers like they were water while I rewrote my opinions about bringing him along. God, he was good at that. He was like a moving mountain; his body so big people didn’t think twice about getting out of his way. The glittering crowd moved quickly, clearing a path for us to the bar, and moments later we were leaning against it.
“You’re more useful than I realized,” I said, raising a hand to get the bartender’s attention. “I didn’t know you could part the Red Sea like that.”
I glanced up in time to see the corner of Barney’s mouth curl.
“What can I say? I have a body and I know how to use it.”
“No wonder Michael trusts you with Penny.”
At that, Barney’s face went suddenly pink, and I tipped my head. What in the...
Wait.
I grinned. “Why Barney, you’re blushing. And here I thought Michael didn’t hire men who had feelings.”
He coughed and looked down, scanning the rows of bottles in front of us like he was choosing a drink. “Martini,” he said roughly. “Dirty. Extra olives.”
