“Fine, go, do what you gotta do,” Matteo finally says and grins. “It’ll be good for you to spend some time with Alice. You like her and she’s bossy enough to whip you into shape.”
The look of shocked confusion on Caputo’s face is priceless. He does not think this is a good idea at all. But he does consider Matteo his boss and I’ve never yet heard him contradict the man where anyone else can hear.
“Not sure I like this talk of being whipped into shape,” I say, grinning right back at Matteo. “But yeah, I do want to spend a whole lot more time with Alice.”
Matteo nods and walks over to his desk, sitting down with a sigh. “Good, go. Let us know if you need backup. But just do it all quietly. We seriously don’t need any extra attention on us at the moment.”
He’s said this twice now, so I’m sure he’s serious about it. But I’m not aware of any big threats to his growing empire at the moment.
I walk over to the desk and sit in one of the leather armchairs facing it, while Caputo remains hovering by the door.
“What’s going on? Do you need me here?” I ask.
Matteo shakes his head. “You’re fine to go, these problems will keep. It seems we’ve been expanding too fast and have earned ourselves all sorts of extra unwanted attention. My own fault for wanting to get as much done as I can before my son is born.”
His face always lights up in the most pleasant way whenever he mentions his son. Or that son’s mother, Gianna Codelli, for that matter.
I wonder if my face changes that way when I speak about Alice. Probably not. She’s just a conquest for me, a hard nut to crack, something new and exciting. So why do I feel so guilty for thinking that?
“It’s just a matter of going more slowly and bribing a few more people,” Matteo goes on. “And we still don’t have a solid man inside the LAPD. Once that’s settled, it should be smooth sailing. Maybe your new alliance with Rogue Angels MC could help on that front.”
“From what I hear, they do everything above board, legit and legal,” I say evasively.
I know we need a good person inside the LAPD so our many criminal enterprises go unnoticed by the authorities, but I don’t think Bianca is the ticket to finding that. I’m helping her because I want to. Not because I want something from her. Except the sight and feel of that sweet, tight little body of hers, that is. Her skin is as pale as milk… and I’m sure it tastes just as sweet. I can’t wait to find out.
“And yet they’re harboring killers and fighting in mafia wars,” Matteo says wryly. “But we’ll revisit this later. Go, do what you gotta do, I’m serious.”
I stand up fast, before he changes his mind or before I come up with any more arguments on why I should stay.
Don’t even know why I would, since spending some alone time with Alice is exactly what I’ve been craving for the past few months.
Maybe it’s because she needs my help with something personal and I mostly just need to see her naked.
But that’s not it either.
I think it’s something like first date nerves, which I haven’t felt in a very long time. Because I haven’t met a woman I want to impress as much as I want to impress Alice in a very long time. Maybe never. Whatever that means.
5
Alice
The sun is just starting to rise over the tall wall around the clubhouse as I wait for Nico to arrive, pale gold, the color of hope. A good omen for this mission, I think.
My saddlebags are packed and I’ve successfully managed to avoid talking about my reasons for going with my brothers and sisters, for the most part. But I’m not out of the woods on that yet.
I just heard the door of the clubhouse open and deliberately faced away from it, hoping it’s just someone opening it to let some fresh air into the bar. But I also hear footsteps, many of them.
“We just wanted to wish you good luck, Alice,” Rogue says with a smile in his voice.
I turn and all the founding members of the MC are there, some still in their morning robes. Rogue, Blade and Bella, Creed and Trinity, Rock and Minx. Even Judge and Skye. Apart from the last two, everyone else is also people I grew up with, went to school with, made a home with from the moment I left home at eighteen. But I still can’t handle their pity.
Trinity and Rock are dressed for the road. “Are you sure you don’t want us to come?” Rock asks. “We’re ready.”
“It’s fine,” I say and smile at them to lessen the blow. We’ve been over this before. “I don’t need a lot of backup for this. And it’s something I’d rather do on my own.”
I realized that when Nico offered to come with me, and I saw how easy it was to trust him with my vulnerability. It won’t be so easy with anyone else.
I haven’t had the chance to speak to Zane since I asked him to help me and he blew up at me. I keep glancing back at the clubhouse, hoping he’ll maybe appear too, but he’s nowhere.
