"Me too."
We said goodbye. I hung up.
Sat there for a moment, grinning like an idiot.
I'd hired her. She'd start Monday. One week of training with Barbara, then she'd be mine.
My assistant, I corrected. She'd be my assistant.
A knock at my door frame interrupted my thoughts. Stone stood there, arms crossed, expression unreadable.
"She said yes," I told him.
"I figured." Stone stepped inside and closed the door behind him. "We need to talk."
The good feeling evaporated.
"About Julia?"
"About the situation." Stone moved to the window, checking the street below out of habit. "Big Sal Russo's murder is still unsolved. The family's got to be looking for answers. Looking for revenge."
"You think I'm a target."
"I think you’re Carlo Russo's business rival. And I think if the Russos decide you're guilty, they're not going to wait for a trial." He turned to face me. "They'll send someone."
"You think they already have." I kept my voice level.
Stone's silence was answer enough.
"Julia," I said.
"She's from New York. She's got the skills. She showed up right after Big Sal died." Stone ticked off points on his fingers. "The timing is too perfect."
"Or she's exactly who she says she is—someone who moved here for a fresh start."
"In what world does a qualified executive assistant with New York experience randomly decide to move to Salt Lake City and work for a guy she's never heard of?" Stone's sharp voice echoed his frustration.
“She told us about her breakup… or did you forget? In light of that, it makes perfect sense. You’re being paranoid.”
His lips thinned. “If you’ll recall, my paranoia has saved your life more than once.”
He was right. "So, what do you want me to do? Rescind the job offer?"
"No. Keep her close. If she is a threat, better to know where she is and what she's doing." Stone pulled out his phone. "But we increase security immediately. I'm putting someone on your residence. Forrest will monitor her communications. And we run deep background—the kind that goes beyond official records."
"You already ran background."
"I ran standard background. Now we dig deeper. Friends, family, financial records, travel history. If there's a connection to the Russos, I'll find it."
I nodded slowly. "What else?"
"You stay away from her outside of work. No dinners, no drinks, no personal involvement of any kind."
Too late for that. The memory of her eyes, her smile, the way she'd challenged me during the interview—I was already involved. But Stone didn't need to know that.
"Agreed," I lied.
"I'm serious, Quentin. If she's here to take you out, getting close to her is exactly what she wants. Don't make it easy."
