Each comment makes my stomach clench tighter, and my nerves fray further. Each one a reminder that my past isn’t as buried here as I’d hoped it would be. That the risk of someone recognizing me since I came back to New York is very real.
What if he tells Basili?Everything would fall apart. Hell, I’d be lucky to walk away unscathed if he did.
With each comment, I continue to deflect and deny, but I can see in Rafaello’s eyes that he doesn’t believe me. He’s playing with me, waiting for me to slip up.
At this point, it’s making me paranoid and irritable. Which is why on the afternoon of the second day, I find myself marching toward Basili’s office with pure determination.
Rafaello, naturally, follows close behind.
“How do you know where the boss’s office is?” he asks, sounding amused.
“Maria,” I tell him without slowing. “And before you ask, yes, I’m going to talk to him. About you.”
With a chuckle, he asks, “Should I be worried?”
“You should be hopeful that I can convince him to unassign my bodyguard.”
“Is that so?” Still amused.
“Yes, it is.” I growl as I reach the door. I knock sharply on the heavy door, but I don’t wait for an answer before pushing it open.
Basili is behind his desk, papers spread out in front of him, a phone to his ear. He looks up with mild surprise when I enter, one eyebrow raising when he sees it’s me who is intruding.
“I’ll have to call you back,” he says into the phone, then hangs up without waiting for a response. “Chloe. This is unexpected. What can I do for you?”
“I need to talk to you — about him.” I jerk my thumb toward Raffaello, who’s leaning against the doorframe, looking entirely too smug.
“Oh? Is that so?” Basili leans back in his chair, arching his fingers together in a pyramid in front of him. His expression is unreadable, but I think there’s almost a grin tugging at his lips. “Is there a problem?”
“Yes, there’s a problem. I don’t need a bodyguard following me around twenty-four seven. It’s crazy, not to mention completely unnecessary and intrusive —”
“Raffaello is there to see to your safety,” Basili interrupts smoothly. “I’m afraid this is non-negotiable.”
“I can see to my own safety like I told you before,” I argue, crossing my arms and shifting my hip to one side in pure stubborn annoyance. “I’ve trained with Jay for ten years. I can defend myself as he —” I look at Raffaello over my shoulder with a piercing sneer. “— found out the night you all barged into the orphanage.”
Something flickers in Basili’s eyes — interest or skepticism, I can’t really decide. He stands slowly, moving around the desk with predatory grace to stand before me, stepping toe to toe with me. So close that my pulse quickens, heart thundering in my chest.
“Show me.”
I blink. I didn’t hear that right. “What?”
“Show me that you can defend yourself.” He’s so close now, close enough that I have to tilt my head back to meet his gaze. “If you can prove you don’t need protection, I’ll consider reducing Raffaello’s presence.”
“You want me to fight you?”
“I want you to show me that you can defend yourself.” His lips curve up in a nearly lethal smile. “Unless you’re all talk that is?”
The challenge in his voice sparks a competitive streak in me. “You’re on. Just name where and when.”
“Now.” He looks past me to Raffaello. “You can go. I’ll handle this.”
“Sure thing, Boss. Good luck, Chloe.” I look over my shoulder at Raffaello, his grin widening. “You’re going to need it.”
I shoot him a glare as he says the last part, then turn my attention back to Basili. Neither of us moves for a long moment, his gaze intense as he looks down at me, almost as if he is waiting for me to call his bluff the way he called mine.
“Where do you want to do this?” I ask, distracting myself more than anything. “I’d hate to trash your office.”
“The gym,” he announces in a tone that saysah duhas he steps around me to lead the way out of the office.
