Except nothing about this felt simple anymore.
And I had a terrible feeling it was only going to get more complicated from here.
Chapter 4
Quentin
I'd dreamed about Julia Russell.
Not vague, easily-dismissed dreams. Specific ones. Her laugh. The way her eyes lit up talking about that horse race. The flush across her cheeks when I'd held her gaze too long.
This was a problem.
Stone knocked once and entered my office. "Got the background reports."
"That was fast."
"Forrest worked over the weekend." He dropped three manila folders on my desk, then lowered himself into the chair across from me. "We need to talk."
"About?"
"About the fact that you've already decided to hire Julia Russell."
I opened the first folder—Lori Johnson. Gave it more attention than it deserved to avoid Stone's knowing look. "I haven't decided anything."
"Boss, I've known you eight years. You've decided."
He wasn't wrong. But I wasn't ready to admit it.
"What did Forrest find?"
Stone tapped on the folder. "Lori Johnson checks out but feels wrong. Last company listed was a Detroit manufacturing plant owned by Matteo Caruso. She left under suspicious circumstances which highly suggests a payout.”
I opened the next folder holding Susan Chambers’ information. “What about her?”
“The last company she worked for was in Miami, before that Cleveland. Both connected to that trucking scandal a few years back."
"The shootout in Atlanta?"
"Midtown. DEA, local police, blood everywhere. Not the kind of employee we want connected to us."
"Agreed. That puts her out of the running as far as I’m concerned. That leaves Julia Russell."
"Exactly. She’s clean. Too clean, maybe." He tapped the folder. "Good schools. Employment history checks out. Grew up in New York."
"Then what’s the problem?"
"She's from New York, and Big Sal Russo just got murdered. Carlo Russo isn't returning your calls. That timing makes me nervous."
"New York has eight million people, Stone."
"And one very pissed off crime family that might think you killed their father."
He had a point. The Russo situation was deteriorating fast. Carlo's silence was deafening. I’d only met him once, but since becoming the don, he wasn’t returning my messages requesting a meet. That was a bad sign.
"You think they'd send someone through The Agency?"
"I think when a don gets killed, everyone's suspect until proven otherwise." Stone leaned forward. "Including us. And if they're looking for revenge—"
