Chapter 12
DOMINIC
Rafe is sitting in my office when I walk in on Monday morning.
“How was Vegas?” he asks with a smirk.
“A nightmare,” I tell him. “They were trying to skim four percent off the top of the deal. I think Calderone had something to do with it.”
“Why is that?”
I shrug off my jacket and drape it over my chair, then toss him the Ardent contract. “I traced the plan for that extra four percent. It was going to a ‘consultant.’”
“One of Enzo’s?” he guesses.
I nod. “Marble Ridge Consulting,” I confirm. “Sound familiar?”
“The same company that Bell Tower used in Jersey and Franklin used in Boston. Both had Calderone ties.”
“So,” I sigh, “he’s finally done it. He’s finally found a way into my operations.”
Rafe curses under his breath. “We’ll put a stop to it,” he says fiercely. “When has Enzo Calderone ever won against you?”
“There’s a first time for everything, isn’t there?” I ask, leaning back in my chair and pinching the bridge of my nose. “And those assholes really thought I wouldn’t notice. I guess technically I didn’t. Sofia was the one who picked up on it.”
“Ah.” Rafe laughs. “This is all making more sense now.”
I look up at him warily. “Don’t start,” I warn.
“Oh, I’m starting,” he says, leaning back in his chair with a satisfied grin. “Let’s be honest, all I really wanted to know about your trip is what happened with her. Tell me it was more interesting than her finding an accounting error.”
“A big fucking accounting error,” I remind him. “And not an error. A deliberate move against—”
“Blah, blah, blah,” he interjects. “Don’t tell me you flew her all the way to Vegas in a private jet and nothing happened between you two.”
I glare at him. “Nothing did happen,” I say seriously. “We slept in separate rooms in the penthouse and she was sick for most of the plane ride.”
Some of the light leaves his eyes. Nosy bastard. For as long as I’ve known Rafe, he’s been a shameless gossip.
The truth is, the only reason nothing happened is that I tore myself apart to stay away from her.
That first night, it took every ounce of self-control I had not to cross the penthouse and knock on her door.
I spent most of the night picturing her alone in her bed, and I was ready to be the one to fix that.
The second night was even worse. It wasn’t planned, so I wasn’t mentally prepared for how hard it would be to stop myself.
We got back to the hotel shortly after lunch, and she never came back out of her room.
Not even to eat dinner. I did lose the battle and knocked on her door at one point, but she didn’t answer.
It’s probably for the best. This weekend may have just gotten us back to a normal place, and I’m not willing to give that up. Not even for the most mind-blowing sex of my life.
“You need to focus on the Calderone problem,” I tell him sternly. “Find out how they got their hands in my business and make sure they don’t get any closer.”
He stands and hangs his head in disappointment. “One day, you’re going to have something juicy to share, and I won’t want to hear it,” he threatens.
I simply roll my eyes.
“You’ll be like a fucking dog with a bone,” I say, because it’s the absolute truth. Rafe just can’t help himself.
He shakes his head and smirks on the way out. Sofia doesn’t come in, thankfully. It gives me time to think. It also means she actually listened to me. Another small miracle.
I sit at my desk and lean over just a bit so I can see the corner of Sofia’s empty desk. How is it possible that I already miss her? I saw her less than twenty-four hours ago.
Nina is covering her desk again, and she’s still about as comfortable with me as a lamb waiting for slaughter. She jumps whenever the phone rings and writes things down so furiously I worry about her pens. I’m sure she does better at her own desk, but she’s no Sofia.
I look down again at the contract still on my desk and start to feel fury bubbling up in me.
Not only is Calderone sticking his nose in my business, Sofia is the one who caught it.
Nobody else is going to know that, but it worries me.
I killed that deal. I made sure Marble Ridge doesn’t get a cent of their “consulting fee.”
I sit up suddenly and consider the retaliation. I can take anything Enzo Calderone throws at me, but Sofia can’t, and she shouldn’t have to. She’s already been close enough to them because of her father’s foolish financial decisions. I won’t let her get hurt because of me.
The more I think about it, the more I realize that Sofia is already more entangled than I want her to be.
Armand worked with Calderone and he put his hands on her.
I put him on the floor for it. Andante held Marco Bellini’s debt and washes money for Calderone.
There are more than enough reasons that Enzo could potentially target her.
I pick up my phone and call Rafe.
He answers on the second ring. “Miss me already?”
“Put someone near Sofia’s apartment,” I tell him without saying hello.
He goes quiet on the other end of the line. His silence speaks volumes. He doesn’t like this. He wants answers I can’t give him right now. But he’s not going to question my authority.
“Visible?” he asks finally.
“No,” I say automatically. “I don’t want her to know.”
“Dom.” He sighs, the judgment thick.
“Don’t,” I warn.
“She’s going to lose her shit if she finds out you’re having her watched.”
It’s a good point, but that isn’t going to stop me. I’ve got more than enough evidence for why this has to happen.
“She isn’t going to find out,” I counter. “You’re going to make sure of that.”
“I think she’s probably more perceptive than you think she is,” he answers. “But I’ll get it done. There will be someone on her door in half an hour.”
“Good,” I say before I hang up.
I hear a crash outside, then Nina’s soft “Sorry.” It occurs to me that as well as Sofia knows my schedule, I’ve been paying almost no attention to hers. That needs to change immediately.
“Nina,” I call.
She stumbles into my office like a drunk chihuahua.
“Yes, Mr. Vieri?” she asks in a small, eager voice. “How can I help you?”
“I need you to get me a copy of Sofia’s schedule,” I tell her. “I imagine it’s saved on her computer.”
She nods thoughtfully. “Right away, sir. Anything else?”
Her eyes are wide in terror. I’d bet my entire fortune she’s praying there isn’t anything else.
“That’s all for now,” I say. “And, Nina? I promise I’m not as scary as you’ve built up in your head.”
She blushes and nods before scurrying out of the office. Five minutes later, Sofia’s calendar lands in my inbox. I add it to mine immediately. I need to know where she is and whether she’s alone. Somehow, I’ll have to discreetly make sure she never walks to the subway by herself.
Scratch that, the subway is now out of the question. There are way too many unknown and unpredictable variables there. I’ll start insisting she take a town car home, especially on nights she works late. I’ll tell her it’s a new company policy.
I run my hands through my hair as I look over her schedule. It’s absolutely possible I’m overreacting, but I just can’t take that risk. Sofia is too important.
My intercom buzzes a few minutes later.
“Mr. Vieri,” comes Nina’s small voice. “There’s a Mr. Bellini here to see you. He isn’t on your calendar. Should I send him away?”
Mr. Bellini? I’m too curious to say no, so instead I tell her to escort him in. She walks in nervously, followed by a much more confident, much angrier-looking Marco Bellini.
I see the resemblance immediately. He and Sofia have the same nose and same eye shape. His are darker than hers though. The wrinkles around them portray a difficult life.
I stand to greet him and stretch out my arm for a handshake. He looks at it like it’s a venomous snake and goes to stand behind one of my chairs.
“Nina, please shut the door,” I instruct. I can tell by Marco’s face, this isn’t a conversation that should be overheard.
“I assume you know why I’m here,” Marco says darkly the moment the latch clicks.
“Honestly,” I say, sitting back down. “I can’t even begin to imagine.”
He huffs and glares at me. “I want you to fire Sofia,” he tells me. “Immediately. Give her a month’s severance and one of those bonuses I hear you’re famous for.”
I stare at him in confusion. “Sofia is the best assistant I’ve ever had,” I tell him honestly. “Why would I fire her?”
“Because I know who you are,” he says haughtily. “I’ve looked into you, and I know all about your nefarious business practices. I don’t want my girl anywhere near it. She’s too good for that world, and too good for you.”
I cock my head to the side and assess him. I realize he’s clutching the back of the chair, probably to stop his hands from shaking. He’s come in here with false bravado and plenty of anger, but he’s afraid of me. Not too afraid to warn me off of his daughter, though.
“Sofia isn’t in any danger,” I promise him. “She only takes care of my legitimate businesses, and I can assure you there’s nothing untoward happening.”
“Is that why you swept her away to Vegas for two days?” he asks, his eyebrows knitting together. “Why she works such late nights? I want to make one thing clear, Mr. Vieri. I don’t trust you, and I don’t think you have good intentions for her.”
Now I stand, walking over so I can look him in the eye. It’s a show of power, but what I mostly want to convey is my self-restraint.
“Mr. Bellini, if you know as much as you think you do, then it was brave of you to come here and speak to me like this. Very brave.”
He shrinks underneath me, but doesn’t flinch or back down.
“In fact, I’m surprised you chose to talk to me about this instead of telling Sofia to quit.”
“I think you and I both know how stubborn my daughter is,” he says calmly, though I see his throat bob with nerves. “There’s nothing that I could say or do to convince her to leave this job.”
“I don’t think she should,” I tell him. “And I don’t think you should want her to. She’s safer working for me than being the daughter of a debtor.”
His eyes widen just a fraction.
“Oh, yes,” I say. “I’ve looked into you, too, Mr. Bellini.
I know all about your bad investments and the loan sharks you’ve visited to take care of your debts.
I’m the reason those debts have been cleared out.
From what I hear, two men came to your garage while Sofia was there and were planning to hurt both of you.
My name was the only thing that prevented that from happening.
If anything, it’s her association with me that’s keeping her safe.
So, if I were you, I would just say thank you and leave it be. ”
The last part is a bluff, but I know he won’t call me on it. He’s too angry and too proud.
“This isn’t over,” he says, his face growing redder. “I’m not going to rest until my Sofia is far away from this place.”
I nod. I recognize his love under the anger. He’s just a concerned father who wants the best for his daughter. Still, there’s no way in hell I’m going to agree to his demands. I’m in too deep. I couldn’t if I wanted to.
“Shall I see you out?” I ask him.
He pushes past me and grumbles, “I know the way.”