That had been fine for my twenty-five-year-old self. Now, I much preferred a woman with some curves...one who had a stunning smile and green eyes...
Annoyed that I was now comparing every woman to Alexis, I returned my attention to Scarlett. “Hey, Scar. How’s it going?”
“Okay,” she said, chewing gum as she scanned the room. “Busy night, which is good. My personal life, on the other hand? Not so great. Ryan and I broke up.”
“Sorry to hear that,” I said, cupping her shoulder. “You two seemed to really hit it off.”
“Eh, he’s a deadbeat, and he hated that I wouldn’t stop dancing for him.” She gestured around the room. “I mean, I’m going to make two grand tonight, and he was a mechanic. What the hell was I supposed to do?”
“True love doesn’t pay the bills,” I said, grinning.
“Damn right it doesn’t.” Her eyes roved over me and landed on the band-aid that peeked out beneath my suit jacket. “Collateral damage? I heard about you getting snatched with Bianca Rossi’s daughter.”
“It’s just a scratch,” I said, lowering my jacket over the bandage. “Just another day in paradise in my line of work.”
She tilted her head, her eyes narrowing as she studied me. “You look...different. More...settled, but angry at the same time. What’s that about?”
“Couldn’t tell you.” I shrugged. “It’s been a long few months with Victor’s death, and then John’s death, and Michael taking over the Rossi organization. I think I’m just tired.”
Her teeth played with her lip as she pondered. “If you need to get laid, I’m available. Haven’t been with anyone since Ryan. I don’t really trust men...” She ran her ruby red fingernail over the back of my hand atop the bar. “But I know I can trust you.”
I waited for my dick to get the message. Hell, it had always gotten the message around Scarlett. She’d been a walking wet dream to me years ago, but now, I couldn’t feel my body react at all. Perplexed, I gently encircled her hand and placed it on the bar beside mine.
“Sorry, Scar. I think that ship has sailed for us. I hope you find someone you can trust. You deserve to be happy.”
Her eyes grew wide. “Wow. You’re turning down sex. I’m worried.”
Laughing, I picked up my water and took a sip. “I’m just...not in that space right now.”
“Not in that space,” she repeated, her tone suspicious. “Does this have anything to do with Alexis Rossi? You two were holed up together for a while, and if she looks anything like Bianca, she’s bound to be gorgeous.”
If you only knew. The words flew through my head, and I inwardly told myself to shut up. Relaying my feelings for Alexis was the fastest way to get her killed.
“She’s a spoiled brat,” I said, the words almost sticking in my throat at their blatant falsity. “I did my duty and she’s going to get a job at some fancy company in the city and break free of this world.”
“Good for her,” Scarlett said, scanning the room. “Tell her to take me with her.”
Chuckling, I nodded. “I’ll see if she has an opening.”
Scarlett assessed me one last time, her eyes completing a slow trek over my face. Leaning forward, she whispered, “You know, you’re a pretty bad liar for someone in the mafia. That’s something you need to work on if you’re going to take over for Michael.”
Scowling, I remained silent and chugged another gulp of water.
“Good for you. Everybody deserves to find love. I found it with Ryan, for a while, and hope like hell I’ll find it again. Wish me luck.”
She winked before turning and sauntering back toward the main dance floor. Her ass swayed in her skimpy outfit, and I remembered how hot I’d been for her. Now, I just wanted to be in sweats with Alexis—while she wore those tight-as-hell yoga pants—and watch the gay hockey romance I pretended to hate.
Man, I’d really gone off the deep end.
Determined to get back to work and focus like a normal person, I ordered another glass of water and resumed watching the room for anything suspicious.
Chapter 20
Alexis
Several days passed, and I continued to monitor the dark web for suspicious activity while also tracking cryptocurrency flow between wallets that seemed suspicious. I knew I should be spending my time on updating my resume so I could get a “real” job, but I actually enjoyed the cyber-monitoring more. Something about it made me feel like a spy, and I enjoyed helping Michael, especially with the shit show I’d caused with the flash drive in the first place.
One afternoon, as I sat in the study Michael had assigned as my temporary office, I was filtering through a dark web crypto forum when I heard two deep voices in the hallway. Hearing Nick’s name, my ears perked.
