Chapter 12 Allie
ALLIE
Ican’t stop thinking about the note while I feed Rosie breakfast the next morning. It was hard going to sleep beside Mass knowing someone was trying to contact me. I turned my back on him and tried to close my eyes, but the whole night was fitful and I didn’t get great rest.
Now I’m dragging like crazy.
Who could possibly have access to me in this place?
There are probably hundreds of people working here. I remember Mass mentioned something about a resort next door, which probably has dozens more. It’s possible the Five Families snuck some kind of spy among all those people, and now they’re trying to get me out of here.
But why would they take such a risk?
That thought keeps bothering me. I’m not all that important. My father probably wants to help me, and I’m sure my brothers are losing their minds. Mama’s probably worried, but it’s not like she has any power over this stuff.
I’m a nobody. I’m not worth starting a war with a Dragon.
But maybe his daughter is.
The idea chills me deeply. Mass kidnapped me because of Rosie, and now I feel like she might be the reason the Five Families want to get me out of here. Maybe they think they can use her against him in one of their endless power struggles.
Even if that’s true, does it change anything?
I still want to get off this island.
I’m deeply worried when the phone starts to ring.
I yelp in surprise. Rosie’s crawling on the floor, looking happy and content after eating.
She’s playing with a bunch of plushies and trying to cruise around the couch.
I tuck her into the playpen to make sure she’s safe before heading into the kitchen to answer.
“Hello, Allie, and good morning.” I recognize Satya’s voice. “I’m actually calling on behalf of Mr. Cardone. He requests your presence in his office.”
I frown and glance back at Rosie. “I’m a little busy.”
“Don’t you worry about the darling girl. I’ll be up to watch her for you.”
“No, thanks. Tell Mass I’m not available.”
There’s a short beat. Satya lets out a sigh. “I’m afraid that’s not an option. But don’t worry. We’ll gather some things, and we can bring the darling girl with us. Does that sound good?”
No, it does not sound good at all, but I clearly don’t have much of a choice. “Give me ten minutes to get dressed.”
“See you then!”
Rosie squirms in my arms as I follow Satya down endless corridors. She tries to give me a tour as we walk, but the place is too overwhelming. “Why does all this exist just for one man?”
Satya laughs lightly. Nothing seems to faze her. I’m actually starting to warm to her, which is probably a bad thing.
“Wonderful question. Most of it isn’t for Mass, actually. His empire is very large and includes many moving pieces. He can’t watch over it all at once, and so the most important members stay here. Imagine it like a big office.”
“An office filled with criminals.”
“Exactly! A crime office.” She chuckles, and it makes me smile despite myself. “Mass can easily access any part of his operation by simply calling someone to him. It’s very streamlined and efficient.”
“Did he dream this place up?”
“I suspect he’s the reason we’re far out on a remote island. But I have a hunch the rest is thanks to Lucy.”
“She’s that woman, right? The tall pretty one?”
“Lucy Hernandez is much more than a beautiful face. She’s a dangerous one. But I probably don’t need to tell you that.”
No, she really didn’t. “She must be close with Mass then.”
“Very close. They go way back. Ah, here we are.” We reach an ornate door hidden down what feels like a series of random hallways. Satya presses a button and waits until a loud buzz sounds before holding the door open for me. “Go on in. Have a wonderful day.”
“You’re not coming?”
“He didn’t summon me. Just you this morning.” She winks at me. “I think he misses you.”
I laugh again. The idea of Mass missing another human being seems absurd.
Satya shuts the door behind me. I’m left in a massive space.
For a moment, I’m slightly disoriented, and it takes a second to gather myself.
There are shelves all along the walls like it’s a library.
Several desks and cubicles are arranged to my right.
The soft sound of typing filters across the cavernous ceiling.
Lucy’s lounging on a couch near the back and flippantly nods at me as she taps quickly on her phone screen. I don’t recognize the other people.
It feels like I stepped into an open-plan office for some tech startup.
Except for Mass.
His desk is on my left. His space dominates half the massive room.
Silk curtains and fancy screens are left out to provide him with privacy, but they’re all folded and opened at the moment.
He’s sitting hunched over a stack of documents, diligently reading them with a slight scowl on his face, which I’m pretty sure is his default stare.
There’s a couch near him, currently covered with books and more files, and several cabinets scattered nearby.
It looks like the working space of a scatterbrained professor, not a cold-hearted killer.
“Over here,” he says without looking up from his work.
I hesitate before going to him. I feel the eyes of the other people in the room. They’re all young women and very pretty. A strange surge of jealousy fills me, and I quickly force it back down.
“Close the curtains.” He’s still reading something.
I don’t move to obey. “Why did you bring me all the way here?”
“You seemed bored. I’m giving you a job.” He finally glances up, face hardening more. “Close the curtains.”
“Please,” I suggest. He doesn’t move.
I sigh and cover the space. I catch a glimpse of Lucy. She’s smiling to herself.
Once we’re in relative privacy, I put down Rosie near the couch and clear a space for us. I can tell Mass doesn’t like it when I dump the files on the floor, but he doesn’t say anything about it.
“What kind of job are you giving me?”
“Data entry.”
“Seriously?”
“And a bit of filing.” He leans back and stretches. I glance at his lean, muscular arms and have to quickly look away.
“Don’t you have employees who can do that for you?”
“None are as nice to look at.”
I let out a surprised laugh. “Is that flirting?”
“Statement of fact.” He gestures at the files I put on the floor at my feet. “Those are out of order. Please file them alphabetically. When you’re done, there’s another stack over here. I need you to input the sums into a spreadsheet. I’m trying to digitize.”
“You’re digitizing your crime empire?”
“You’d be surprised how much accounting and logistics are involved in moving around billions of dollars every day.” He arches an eyebrow. “Is this too complicated for you?”
“I can handle some filing, it’s just that—” I hesitate and glance at Rosie.
She’s crawling around and seems content to explore.
We need to be out of here and in the solarium in an hour, but I don’t even know where that is.
Based on the mountain of files and the way Mass is looking at me, I really doubt I’ll get out of here with enough time to figure it out.
“It’s just what?” he prompts.
An idea occurs to me. “It’s just that you’re so handsome, it’s very distracting.” I try a pleasant smile.
He just stares at me. “If you’re done, please get to work.”
“How am I supposed to work with such a big, gorgeous man around?”
“I can’t tell what you’re trying to do.”
“Currently, I’m trying to hold myself back from sitting in your lap.”
He scowls and looks down at the papers in front of him. “Get to work, Allie.”
I smile to myself and hum softly as I gather up some folders. I let Rosie help. She drags over papers and pulls out more when I open up a cabinet. Each file is marked with what I assume is a company name. It’s pretty obvious where each one goes.
I let Rosie do some of the work. She’s terrible at it. Just awful. “That’s right, baby girl, go ahead and play. Mommy doesn’t mind one bit.”
Daddy clearly does. His jaw works and he’s glaring daggers at the pages in front of him.
I leave Rosie to her task, which she’s excelling at. I head over and plop down in a chair in front of Mass’s desk. He struggles not to look up.
“You’re sexy when you’re doing paperwork,” I say casually.
He rubs the bridge of his nose. “What are you doing?”
“Just trying to start a conversation with my attractive husband.”
“You have an ulterior motive.”
“A girl can’t simply want her gorgeous man?”
“No.” He glares up at me. “Get back to work. Your daughter is making a mess.”
“Oh, she’s my daughter now?” I’m grinning like crazy. “What happened to she’s my daughter too?” I do my best grumpy Mass impression.
He is not amused.
“I called you in here to give you something to do.”
“It’s working beautifully.”
“If you’re simply going to annoy me—”
“No, no, that’s not what I’m doing.” I stand up very casually. It’s too early to get kicked out. “I’ll be good. I promise.”
He doesn’t look convinced.
And he shouldn’t be. Because I spend the next twenty minutes singing to Rosie, helping her fling around the files, and basically making a huge mess.
When he gets frustrated, I pretend like this is just what it means to be a parent.
I alternate between being as incompetent as possible and shamelessly hitting on him.
“You know, I love that look you get when you’re concentrating,” I say, draping myself against him. His shoulders are big and strong, and even though I’m messing around, he really is sexy as sin. “It’s the same look you get when you’re deep between my legs.”
“I doubt that.” He stares at me. His look is laced with desire and rage. “When I’m ripping you to pieces, I’m too lost in bliss to concentrate.”
Oh, shit. A thrill flares between my legs. I can’t let myself actually get excited though. That would be counterproductive. “Now I think you’re just teasing me.” I pout suggestively.
“And I think you’re having too much fun,” he says softly. One hand laces into my hair and tugs lightly.
I gasp in surprise. He’s close now. His hand presses against my hip, toying with the hem of my shirt. My pulse pounds wildly.
My plan might be backfiring.
“Don’t you have work to do?” I lick my lips and push myself closer to him. His grip on my hair tightens. Our mouths are inches apart. “You’re a busy man. You don’t have time to fool around with your wife in the middle of the day.”
“I’m a Dragon.” One thumb grazes my lower lip. I’m tempted to ask him to slide it onto my tongue so I can suck down hard. “I get to do whatever I want.”
There’s a moment hanging between us where my fake, absurd flirting might lead to the real thing.
I wanted to annoy him. I thought if I acted all stupid and sexy, he’d throw me out of there. I figured combining it with letting my daughter make a mess of his stuff would mean he wouldn’t be able to control himself.
Instead, it’s like I’m honey and he can’t help but need a taste.
And I managed to turn myself on. Mass really is gorgeous. I can’t pretend that the masculine aura of power and intensity that surrounds him isn’t completely alluring. I want to give myself to him, if only to get a glimpse of that one good night we had together—
Until Rosie bangs a drawer shut, falls on her butt, and starts crying.
Mass instantly lets me go. Before I can turn, he’s pushing past me and going to her. I stare in horror as he stoops down, lifts my daughter into his arms, and begins to shush and bounce her.
My jaw nearly hits the damn floor.
“You’re okay, little one, you’re just fine.” Mass’s muscular arms cradle my little girl protectively. “Are you even hurt? Or did you just scare yourself?”
I expect Rosie to melt down harder. She’s never been good with people she doesn’t know, and Mass is still a stranger.
But she doesn’t. Instead, her crying slows, and it comes to a sudden halt.
A smile spreads across her face.
She reaches up and touches his cheek.
For a moment, he lets her touch him. They stare at each other. My uterus clenches like it wants to fall out of my body.
Then I remember where I am and hurry forward.
“I’m so sorry, I’ve got her.” I take her from Mass. He doesn’t fight me. He seems as surprised as I am by that sudden, tender moment. “She’s okay, don’t worry. We’re making a big mess, aren’t we?”
He clears his throat and strides back to his desk. He seems somewhat shaken. “Perhaps this wasn’t the best idea.”
“No, no, it’s great. Rosie and I are having a blast.”
“But this work really does need to get done.” He settles himself in his chair and leans over his papers again like he’s trying very hard not to look at me and my daughter. “You two should go. Explore the Fortress. I’ll send for you again later when I’m finished.”
“Are you sure? We were just getting started.”
“I’m positive.” The stormy look he gives me threatens to overwhelm me. It’s like he’s struggling against an intense, passionate feeling. “Go now.”
I don’t need to be told twice. I turn and get the heck out of there, sliding past the curtains and out into the main room.
Lucy’s still on her couch. The other young women are still typing away at their computers. None of them bother to look over. I wonder how much of that they heard.
I’m mortified as I hurry to the door. Once I’m on the other side, I pause in the empty hallway.
And a smile spreads across my face.
“You’re a good little girl, Rosie baby,” I whisper, hugging her tight.
I’m not sure Mass would’ve sent us away if it weren’t for her.
But I got what I wanted.
Unleashing my daughter’s toddler chaos, plus my shameless and silly flirting, must’ve finally done the trick.
He kicked us out and told me to explore.
Which means if anyone stops to ask me why I’m wandering around looking for the solarium, I have a built-in excuse.
This is perfect.
Now I just need to go meet whoever wrote that note and find out if I’m ever going to get out of this place.