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I couldn’t wait to unleash the chaos that simmered beneath the surface. As soon as I figured out a viable plan for getting out from under the don’s thumb while still keeping my head, I’d carve out his heart.

My ass hit the hard cushion of the armchair facing him. The coppery tang of blood filled my mouth as I bit my tongue to keep quiet like he preferred. It physically pained me to sit there in submission, but after enough broken bones, I’d learned my lesson.

Patience was an action as much as it was a virtue.

The sound of the front door closing broke me from my thoughts, reminding me that my back was exposed. Not that it made a difference here. I was in danger regardless of where I sat while in Romano territory. The screen of my smartwatch lit up, revealing the video feed of the hallway. Being at the top had made Dominick cocky. It had taken me all of two seconds to tap into his security feed.

Enzo’s large frame strode past the camera. His dark hair was neatly trimmed, and I didn’t need the camera to know he was in a suit that hugged every muscle in his body. He knew he was handsome and never missed an opportunity to highlight that. I waited to see whether others followed behind the underboss, but no one appeared. A momentary chill flooded me. My most dangerous jobs came from meetings where only these two knew the details.

Heavy footfalls drew closer, and I tugged the cuff of my blouse over my watch. My uncle wouldn’t notice me looking at it, but Enzo would. He was almost as observant as I was. Or he had been. He’d gotten a big fuckin’ head in the last few years, since he was being groomed to take over.

“Enzo, if everything is in order, then shut the doors for this meeting,” Dominick said, not bothering to look up.

“Of course, boss.”

The closing click felt like the hammering of a gavel on my sentencing. Dominick’s eyes popped up and latched on to me. I nonchalantly raised my chin a little higher.

Silence continued to grow between us. It was a fun game he liked to play. See how long I can ignore Scarletta before she fucks up, and I can punish her. I’d lost a lot when I was younger, but now I was the queen of the icy stare. My shoulders dropped, and I settled into the chair, making a show of getting comfortable and setting my expression into a mask of indifference. I’d perfected my social chameleon act, becoming whomever I needed in any given situation.

The slight flaring of his nostrils revealed how pissed he was that I wasn’t showing him anything. A nervous cough from Enzo shattered the spell.

“Where’s the folder from last night?” Dominick sneered, running a hand over his trimmed facial hair as he assessed me.

A thunk sounded in the room as the manila folder hit his desk. His greedy hands snatched it up, eager to get the contents. “What the fuck is this?” His skin broke out in blotchy spots. In my peripheral, Enzo stiffened at his boss’s commanding bark.

“That, Dominick, is a flash drive,” I responded coolly, crossing my linen-covered legs.

“Don’t get smart with me, Scarletta. Where the fuck are the papers that are supposed to be inside?”

Jesus, how was this imbecile still in charge? The treaty made these fuckers lazy. They assumed they were untouchable, ignoring the murmurs of unrest that traveled through the criminal underground. All it would take was the right person to upend them all. Someone who knew the right strings to pull and palms to grease.

I picked off a nonexistent piece of lint, willing myself not to react with violence.

“Whatever papers you’re looking for are probably loaded onto that,” I answered.

He was about to have another fit when Enzo stepped in. “She’s right, boss. We probably just need to plug it into a computer to get what we need.” His placating tone worked on Dominick but managed to have the opposite effect on me.

“Did you look at this?” Pudgy fingers waved the drive around like he was flagging someone down.

I rolled my eyes at his antics. “Why would I, Dominick? What am I going to do with whatever’s on that?”

The lie fell seamlessly from my tongue.

I’d done more than look at it. I’d crafted a whole false packet of information to give Dominick instead of what was really on the drive. Last night, curiosity had seared through my veins the entire way back to my apartment. Turned out, Mr. Callahan was attempting to steal information about himself. I hadn’t had time to do a deep dive into what all was on there, but I’d quickly decided I didn’t want Dominick to have it.

Information was invaluable in this world, and I had a feeling having the file could come in handy.

“Good. And I assume everything went fine? No one saw you there?” Dominick asked, his beady eyes roving over my face.

Green eyes that burned with passion flashed in my mind, but I kept the memory from showing on my face. “Of course everything went fine. You haven’t heard any chatter, have you?” I challenged.

It wasn’t because of the kindness in my heart that I’d loosely tied up the Irish mobster. Blackmail was a form of currency, and I made a habit of having as much as I could on as many people as I could. I might not have known why Caleb Callahan was in that office, but I knew he shouldn’t have been. I couldn’t leverage that information if he’d been caught.

My uncle made his way to the bar cart, pouring a generous glass of whiskey. I was surprised the tumbler didn’t break with how tightly he gripped it.

“Now, to discuss the other reason you’re here today.” He paused. “Those fuckin’ stronzos assume they can muscle in on our territory? They aren’t going to know what hit ’em when I’m done with them. Think they can bargain with me? Me!” he barked. The crazed expression on his face made me think he might’ve finally lost his mind. And I didn’t have a clue what the fuck he was going on about.

The desk chair groaned in protest as he slammed back down. At one time, he might’ve been handsome, but he’d let himself go. Why work to look good when you could bribe women—or threaten them?