Dominic Vitale - Christmas
I slip away from my own Christmas party, leaving behind the family celebration.
No one notices.
They're too caught up in their happiness. Luca and Elena are kissing under the mistletoe.
Marco, the last person besides myself I ever thought would fall in love, is cooing over his daughter and her first Christmas while Gabriella takes pictures of them.
Roman is playing hide-and-seek with his daughter and Luca’s kids, while Isabella chases after their toddler, Leo.
Don Leo Ferraza is sitting in the corner with Antonio Monti looking like they’re talking about old times.
Perfect timing for me to pursue something far less wholesome.
I take the elevator to my below ground garage and get into a nondescript black sedan.
Foreign sports cars are great, unless you want to go unnoticed. Which I do.
Agent Olivia Ricci. The thorn in my side who has somehow become an obsession.
I told the others we needed to use her to get to Blackwood, but that's only half the truth.
I would have followed her tonight regardless of La Corona's blessing.
There's something about her that intrigues me.
I park outside her apartment building and step into the shadows. I adjust my coat against the December chill, watching my breath cloud in the darkness.
The seductive thrill of the hunt pulses through me as I spot her car parked outside the building.
I should have brought this to La Corona weeks ago, but I didn't.
I've been watching Olivia Ricci for weeks now. Not the casual surveillance I had on her when I first learned she was investigating me two years ago.
Ever since that meeting in the diner, I’ve had an inkling that things aren’t what they seem with her.
So I’ve been watching.
Some might think it’s stalking.
I know her schedule, her habits, the way she takes her coffee from that overpriced shop three blocks from the Bureau office.
She lives alone in a modest apartment that she keeps immaculately clean.
No pets, no plants, nothing that requires consistent care.
Her job consumes her.
I admire her dedication to the job, although I wish she’d use it on someone other than me.
The men she occasionally dates are forgettable, lawyers, accountants, a doctor once.
Boring men who pose no threat to her career or independence. None last beyond one date.
I find myself relieved each time she sends them packing.
Her work record is impeccable.
