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I didn’t get this far to only get this far.
“Understood,” I grit out.
26
LUCA
As expected, Alexander Barone made a visit to his daughter’s office. I finish watching their discussion. Bugging the jaguar statue in her office was a very crafty idea. However, I expected the conversation to be much different.
“Sir?” Lorenzo asks. “They didn’t mention anything about cargo that was stolen and retrieved.”
I close my laptop and hand it to him. “No, they didn’t.”
Considering I’d been the one to place those photos of my weekend with Ara anonymously to the media, I thought it’d draw him out or involve a revelation of crime and answers between the two. That he might feel betrayed and backed into a corner which would then lead to confronting her. Instead a conversation around Ara being engaged? Over my dead fucking body. I have barely enough fun with her.
“A matchmaker,” I repeat. “Keep an eye on the situation for me, Lorenzo. Until then, I believe I have a certain two men to deal with.”
“Yes sir. They’re downstairs as requested.”
Lorenzo follows me downstairs. Its midday and my club isn’t open until the evening. Which gives me hours of fun and torture. I walk past the empty fight ring, noticing a blood stain on the floor that evidently wasn’t scrubbed out from the last fight.
I consider Dmitri, who voluntarily put his name down for this Friday night’s fight, and I wonder how he’ll do.
Two of my masked hounds stand in front of the door. I acknowledge them and find the other three inside. My champion, Tony, is inside carving a piece of wood. Since having a daughter, it’s become a new hobby of his to carve animal-like toys. A family tradition apparently.
Since the last time I set foot in this room, all I was left with were details of a man who wore a white mask like my hounds and someone with a Russian accent. For the last few weeks, I’ve watched my hounds closely and uncovered any rock they’ve ever touched. Despite their demons, which naturally attracted me to them in the first place, all of their alibis check out. Their loyalty’s still intact. Which again, leaves me empty handed. This occasion serves a different purpose; it’s a message that has to be sent.
Two men stare at me in horror. The only resemblance they hold is both falling into ruin within the year. All orchestrated by a certain little viper. My gaze lands on Timothy Lanser first. I’m going to quite enjoy this.
I begin to take off my suit jacket and roll up my sleeves. “Quite frankly, I’m surprised neither of you have killed yourself considering how far you’ve fallen, but that just makes it my lucky day.” I offer a short smile and clap my hands together with anticipation. “Now, tell me everything you know about Arabella Barone.”
“Arabella Barone? As in my fucking replacement? Wouldn’t have a clue. Never met her,” the man in his early forties says. Timothy Lanser is a sorry piece for the man he used to be. When Ara had snaked into his life for two months under the alias Lisa Strutton, she’d done an immaculate job ensuring no one would look at him twice. Currently, he is living with his parents, the family name now under great scrutiny.
What a fucking idiot. Not even realizing Ara Barone was Lisa Strutton? Worse… To know out of the two men he was the one who touched her…
My skin pulls tight over every inch of my body.
The other man, Mr. Dalian is just a liability.
The mistake Ara made was leaving loose ends.
The mistake Timothy made was touching her.
27
ARA
My breath is at a steady rhythm as music pounds through my earpieces. I push away a stray blonde piece of hair in my eyes. I’ve purposefully worn the same wig, hat, and glasses I’ve worn every time I’ve gone running past the Armani mansion. I ignored the two text messages Luca sent last night.
Whatever his sick obsession is, I can’t fall for it again. Time is ticking, and I have to find a way to draw him out. It’s five in the morning and there’s no action happening outside of the mansion. I consider splitting my attention between Luca’s apartment and the mansion his brother lives in. So how do I draw him back to the mansion without being detected?
I consider Luca’s houseboat. Maybe I’ll find something there, but it’s most likely heavily guarded—like his mansion. Then there’s the other problem. My gaze lands on the man trying his hardest to keep up with my pace. His man isn’t even discreet about following anymore. Which is even more frustrating. Every move I make is being monitored, and I have no idea how to shake him. Unless, of course, I ask for help from Dmitri. In this city he’s starting to feel like my only ally, and that’s a far cry for help.
My watch buzzes, and I raise it and look at the small text message that appears from my father. My stomach sinks at the text. As promised, it’s a reservation at a restaurant to meet with a matchmaker.
I sit across from a woman at midday—Elanee Lane to be specific. She looks no older than me and there’s a regal air about her. I haven’t heard of her before, but New York is a big city.
We both sit over salad, untouched, as she finishes with small talk. Her blonde hair is perfectly curled and her pale skin is in contrast to my tan complexion. She speaks softly. “Every match I have made to date has been successful, but I’m sure your father has already shared that detail. You’re in safe hands.”
