“It means my flame. My little fire,” I say as I realize I've thought of her like this since before we met.
“Is it because of my red hair? People say it reminds them of fire–”
“It’s not,” I say as I tuck myself back into my pants. “Beyond your beauty, you are the most stubborn and most intelligent woman I have ever met, Fiona. You challenge me in ways no one else does. So passionate and easily fired up when challenged.”
“I…” Her voice breaks, so she clears it. “You really think that?”
“I do,” I tell her. “Now get some rest. If you’re going to help me with this project, I want you to be at your best tomorrow.”
“Okay,” she whispers, and when the call drops, I find myself oddly refreshed and energized. I get up to dispose of the wipes and make myself a fresh cup of coffee before diving back into work.
Chapter Four
Fiona
The fluorescent lights of the office hum overhead, casting a sterile glow on the scattered desks and half-empty coffee cups. I glance up at the clock on the wall and let out a sigh when I realize it's only a few minutes to four when I can finally clock out.
Who would have guessed spy work would be so boring? Sure, it was exciting the first couple of days playing the awkward, clueless intern so I could bug offices and scan computers of the people on the suspect list. But it got boring really fast. Maybe because I thought I would be in and out of the office, but it turns out there is quite a lot of work to get through.
A part of me—the part that watches way too many crime movies—can't understand why Lorenzo and his brothers can’t just threaten the truth out of these people. And no, not one of them is innocent. In their own ways, they've been skimming the Rossis' company, but they’re not stealing enough to raise flags.
Heck, the whole place needs an overhaul. Still, I haven’t caught whoever it is the Rossis are looking for. The bigger fish. The tuna…no, the whale. That’s not right—sharks are more ruthless. Yes, whoever is messing with the Rossis is definitely a shark.
“What are you thinking so hard about?”
“Fish,” I blurt out when a shadow falls over my desk. When I look up, I find one of my co-workers staring down at me. I try to work up a flush, to appear innocent and harmless. “I…um, was thinking about different types of fish.”
“Why?” Derrick, the dorky IT guy who's been hanging around me way too much, asks. “What's so special about fish?”
“Um, my friends and I are having a trivia night, and the topic is sea creatures.” The lie comes out smoothly, and when the man leans against my desk, I grimace. Derrick has been doing his best to flirt with me from the moment I started my “internship” here, and a part of me is nervous for him. It’s not going to end well for him when Lorenzo catches on to what he has been doing. Then everyone will know that the nerdy Rossi is no golden retriever.
He’s dark, dangerous, and intense.
Possessive.
“Trivia nights are boring,” Derrick comments, leaning a hip against my desk. “A bunch of us are going out for drinks to unwind. You should join us.”
“That’s so kind of you to invite me,” I say, a sweet, innocent smile stretching my lips. “But I can’t. Trivia night is an important tradition. I’m sorry, but I can’t miss it.”
I notice irritation cross his expression, but before he can speak, another voice joins in. “Leave the intern alone, Derrick.” I glance around Derrick to find Zack Pettibone standing by his office door, watching us. Zack is Matteo’s chief of staff, managing day-to-day operations across all departments. He keeps an office here on the IT floor because this is where the real nerve center of the business is—shipment tracking, financial systems, security networks. Everything flows through here, and Zack is Matteo’s eyes and ears on it all.
For a man who handles a lot, he sure has the cleanest sheet of everyone in this office. So clean, in fact, that it’s almost suspicious. On the surface, the man has never so much as lost a pen, while the others have cases of reselling hardware and software under the guise of upgrades and replacements and pocketing the profit. I imagine it would be annoying, but for a company this big, it would only be pocket change for them. Most alarming is their disregard for the vulnerabilities they expose their computers to that makes me want to audit my own company.
Then, there’s someone like Derrick, who, with a single look into his computer, practically sang all his transgressions before I could dig deeper. Time theft, unauthorized use of resources, and even dabbling in reselling software.
Yet, in an office of little sharks, Zack Pettibone, who manages said office, is as clean as a new pin.
I’m not buying it. But I flash the man a grateful smile and turn away to pack my things. Someone in this office has been stealing and selling information to competitors and the cops. Someone who wants to see this company fail, and I will root them out with every skill I have.
Later, at dinner with Lorenzo at my apartment, I can't help but update him about the people in the office and on his list of suspects. “Why do you keep them?” I ask, pinching absently at my garlic bread. “You know what they’ve been doing, right?”
“Yes,” Lorenzo says, taking a sip of his wine and watching me over the rim of his glass. “They're all great at their work, which is why we keep them.”
“But some of them are stealing from you.”
“It’s nothing we cannot handle,” he says nonchalantly, and I look away in irritation at his words. “Fiona, look at me.” Hishand grasps my chin and forces my gaze on his when I don’t immediately comply.
“We’re criminals,lamia flamma. We hire people who are brilliant at their work but would be more likely to look the other way when the shipment manifests aren't exactly the same as what arrives at port.” I look away again and start picking at the garlic bread, but he’s not having it as I find my eyes lifted to his again. “Does it make you nervous? Knowing what my family does?”
