If he was here to kill me, why was he watching Julia? It was obvious that he knew her. Could he be the boyfriend she’d had a problem with? The reason she left New York?
Was he stalking her?
I shook my head. How could the woman I’d almost kissed three hours ago be involved with a low-life like him? Whatever it was, I intended to get to the bottom of it.
Even if it killed me.
Chapter 12
Julia
Imade it to my car after work before the shaking started.
Hands trembling on the steering wheel. Heart racing. Face flushed.
What just happened?
The break room. Quentin. The way he'd looked at me.
The way I'd looked back.
"This is probably a terrible idea."
"Probably."
We'd almost kissed. Right there in the break room with Barbara's farewell party happening twenty feet away. If his phone hadn't buzzed—
I pressed my palms against my eyes.
What am I doing?
One week. I'd been his assistant for one week, and already I was compromised. Already I was feeling things I had no business feeling. Already I was imagining futures that couldn't exist.
Because Quentin Vanetti was my assignment. My target. The man I was supposed to investigate and potentially—
I couldn't even finish the thought anymore.
My phone buzzed. Text from Silvio:Dinner. Luigi's. 7 p.m. Don't be late.
My stomach dropped.
I typed back:Can't risk it. They’re watching me.
His response was immediate:Wasn't a request.
I stared at the message, jaw clenched.Too bad. Not coming.
Silvio had been in Salt Lake for two weeks now, "as backup." Which really meant: watching me, pressuring me, waiting for me to fail so he could take over.
Every few days, he demanded updates. Demanded results.
And I had nothing to give him.
Well, not nothing. I had access to Quentin's offices. His files. His schedules. His secrets.
I just... hadn't used any of it.
Hadn't stolen documents. Hadn't planted bugs. Hadn't dug into his business dealings looking for proof he'd killed my father.
