Chapter 7
CHAPTER SEVEN
MARCO
I t was hard to sleep. Not just because I’d been robbed but also just thinking about the mystery of Audry. The resemblance to Amy wasn’t just artificial. She had some of the same mannerisms. Like the left corner of her mouth turning down when she didn’t get what she wanted, or the slight twitch in her hand when she was afraid. I just didn’t know what to do with all of this.
Valerio and I had discussed things and we’d decided that the first priority was to get the money back. If the other families even got an inkling that we’d allowed such a major security breach, there would be hell to pay.
I turned over to the side, looking towards the window. I had an apartment in Hollywood but until this cluster fuck was solved, I didn’t intend to leave the compound. Still, the fact that this wasn’t my usual bed might have had something to do with my inability to sleep.
Much as I enjoyed my role as boss of my clan, the constant pressure was something I needed time away from now and then. My Hollywood apartment was my haven – a place where I could just be Marco, the man, rather than the mob boss.
This Audry thief had me feeling so unsettled, so wrong-footed that I wasn’t sure what was up and what was down. I opened the drawer and plucked a cigarette from my stash. Slipping out of bed, I went over to the window, lit up and watched the rain fall. It was always a cozy thing to do, watching inclement weather from a warm place.
Is she warm?
I knew the dungeons were cold because we didn’t heat them. I knew that Audry wasn’t as comfortable as I was. Forcefully suppressing the urge to go and check on her, I reminded myself I had to be the one in control.
“What’s your full name?”
Audry glared at me from across the room. She was sitting on a chair, but was not restrained. It wasn’t as if she could go anywhere.
“It’s Audry Martin. I’m thirty-one years old, enjoy long walks on the beach and-”
“Robbery?” I interrupted.
She snorted. “That’s just my day job. I’m a con artist.”
“Congratulations. Where’s my money?”
“Do you know James Martin?”
I cocked an eyebrow. Of course, I’d heard that name. It was legendary in the underworld. “Let me guess, he’s your husband?”
“Ew, no. He’s, my stepfather.”
I inclined my head. “I see. And what does James Martin want with my money?”
She shrugged, “I just follow orders.”
I walked slowly over to her, holding her gaze. I leaned forward, my hands bracketing her on the arms of her chair. “You’re gonna have to do better than that.” I said softly.
She closed her eyes tight and sighed, “Hey, how about this, I promise I will try to get your money back. In the meantime, I’ll work on a score for you, get a good chunk of money back in your account. How about that?”
I looked away, rolling my eyes, “Now why should I believe you can even do that?”
She opened her eyes, looked right into mine. “I did it to you , didn’t I?” She leaned back, looking smug, “Call it an audition. A demonstration of what I can do. For you .”
I inclined my head to the side, still keeping eye contact. “And why would you want to do anything, for me ?”
“Because I don’t want to die.”
I wasn’t expecting such a stark answer after all the flirty nonsense that had gone before. I straightened up, crossing my arms and considered her closely. “Fine, Ms. Martin. You have one week to replace the money you stole. Should you fail…” I leaned forward, “Then prepare to meet your maker.”
She slowly nodded, unblinking, keeping her eyes on me. I still didn’t trust her as far as I could throw her. This could all be a trick.
I gave her a half smile. “So… Aleksandr Yegorov, do you know that name?” I began to pace up and down in front of her.
“Pakhan of the Bratva. I’m familiar.”
“Also a mortal enemy of mine.”
“Mmmh, also not breaking news.”
“You seem to know a lot about us.”
She just shrugged. I stopped pacing, fixing her with a piercing stare. “How do I know you’re not in cahoots with him?”
She threw back her head and laughed. I cocked an eyebrow. “What’s funny?”
“You think he wants you dead? Yegorov really wants to kill me.”
“Why?” I demanded feeling a curious kind of protective rage that Yegorov would want to touch her. I pushed it away, unacknowledged. I didn’t have time for inconvenient emotions.
“I conned him of some money.”
I huffed, shaking my head. “Do you have a death wish?”
She shrugged, self-deprecatingly. “Some of us are thrill seekers.”
“Clearly,” I snorted. I gave her a serious look, “How can I believe you?”
“You don’t have to take my word for it. My assistant sent the relevant files to your inbox. Check your email.”
“You just… ‘knew’…I would ask about it?” I asked skeptically.
“It was a bargaining chip.” She gave me a sheepish look, “an introduction, a presentation of my credentials. Consider it my portfolio.”
“What do you want, Audry? What do you really want?”
The door opened, and Valerio came in. He had an iPad in hand which he handed to me. “This came through from the woman’s email.” he said, flicking a glance at Audry.
I looked down, opening the attachments. Five of them detailing an elaborate hoax where they’d gotten Yegorov to bet on a certain horse, and once the horse won, and he’d collected his winnings, they did a bait and switch, took the money and disappeared.
“Impressive.” I said involuntarily, especially knowing how paranoid Yegorov was.
“Thanks.” She batted her eyes at me and smiled. “So, you ready to try me now?”