Page 51 of Above ’N’ Beyond

“An asshole,” he finished for her. “Because I work for Paola and Tony.”

Her lips compressed as she nodded. “There is that.”

“Yeah, there’s that.” A solid mark in her favor, and another reason why she hadn’t fallen prey to Marco’s obvious interest in her. Clearly, she didn’t want anything to do with any of Paola’s soldiers. Or, he suspected, Paola’s entire operation.

He handed her his phone so she could see the image on the screen. “Once they’re all installed, you tap which camera you want to look at. You can also set them up to alert you any time it picks up movement. You probably don’t want that during business hours, or your phone will be pinging all night. Since you have sim cards, footage can be recorded.”

“That’s great.” She smiled. “So the next time I have to kick out an unruly customer and he decides to sue me, I’ll have proof that he deserved it.”

Jamie set the camera on the bar, then pointed to the ledge decorated with small statues and potted plants. Since there were string lights running along the entire ledge, similar to what was in the private banquet room, he assumed there must be electrical outlets in the corners. “I’d suggest putting them up high. That way they can take in more of the dining room. Do you have a ladder?”

“Yes, in the storage shed outside,” she said with a note of hesitancy.

“Once you get a new phone and sync up the cameras, I’ll install them for you.”

“Uh, thanks.” She gave him a fleeting smile that never made it to her eyes. Something was up with her, and he’d bet a case of Il Caggio that whatever Tony had said to her tonight had something to do with it.

The cop in him should stay out of her personal life and stick to business, but her personal life, and why he was there in the first place, were inextricably interwoven. Bringing up the argument he’d overheard yesterday between Bella and Paola was the tactically sound move to make. That argument could very well be a touchpoint from which he could segue into getting Bella to open up more, feed him vital information. The man in him—the one becoming increasingly attracted to her—also wanted to, but for totally personal reasons. To help her figure a way out of the spiderweb Paola had woven around her and the Bistro.

“You don’t agree with what Paola and Tony do.” He really hoped not. “Do you?”

“No,” she replied without hesitation, then gave a self-deprecating laugh. “Considering what you overheard yesterday, I guess you already know that.”

“What was that really about?” Because it was more than just Paola refusing to let Bella buy out the Bistro. The undercurrents he’d sensed were hot enough to singe his eyebrows.

“My aunt promised me that when I had enough money saved, she’d let me buy out her share of the Bistro. That was the agreement we made long ago.”

“And she’s reneging on that promise.” Jamie stated the obvious.

Ironically, Jenkins’s body wire necklace could help prove Bella’s innocence. It still wasn’t worth the risk of introducing a wire to the mix. Even if he changed his mind, which he wouldn’t, jewelry was something a man gave to a woman he’d either been intimate with or wanted to be intimate with. Sleeping with Bella wasn’t in his operational plan.

She shoved a hand through her hair, leaving some of it standing more on end than usual and making her look adorable. And sad. “Yes, but I don’t think she ever had any intention of keeping it. I was too stupid and naive to see it then.”

“See what?” he prodded gently.

Again, her lips flattened. “That she was using me right from the start. That this restaurant was part of a craftily orchestrated plan to create—” She covered her mouth with her hand and turned away.

She blinked rapidly, and when the first tear rolled down her cheek Jamie jerked back like he’d been slapped. It wasn’t that he hadn’t seen a woman cry before. Bella’s tears gutted him, tearing at every instinct inside him to help her, protect her, rescue her from her own family.

Protect her from the FBI.

“Hey.” He clasped her shoulder, forcing her to face him again. It was a move he regretted. The defeated, soulless look in her lovely, watery eyes broke down every one of his professional defenses as easily as snapping a twig.

Jamie watched helplessly as his arm lifted to do the unthinkable. He cupped her face, then used the pad of his thumb to wipe away her tears. Her skin was warm and soft beneath his rough, callused fingers. When an errant tear made its way to her lips, he brushed that one away, too. Another huge operational mistake, because now all he could wonder was whether her lips would be as soft and taste as sweet as they had the first time he’d kissed her.

She sniffled delicately. “The worst part is I don’t think she ever loved me. Not really. I might be her blood, but I’m not her daughter. I’m just someone she was forced to take in when my parents died.”

He remained silent, letting her vent what he already knew. That Paola Mancuso might not love anyone. Not even Tony, her own son.

“Maybe she’s right,” Bella continued. “Maybe the only reason this place is successful is because of her, not me or what I’ve done here. Maybe it’s because her name is attached to the deed and everyone knows it.”

“You’re wrong about that.” Jamie shook his head. “They come here for the great food, the atmosphere and hospitality. They come here for you. You’re the heart and soul of this place. Not Paola.” He truly believed that.

“I wish that were true.” She wiped at her tears. “But I’m not as stupid and naive as I once was. They come here to dine in the restaurant owned by a—”

“A what?” he asked, but she didn’t have to say it. A powerful criminal.

The Godmother.