Chapter 2
Chapter Two
FML
Raf
Marco Marrone is like a brother to me, but over the last six months, he’s become my biggest pain in the ass client.
Asking me to help him sever business ties with my father is one thing, but it’s the other investment deals he has in motion that have me wondering how much my friend values his life.
AJ Gigioliotti is not someone you want to mess around with.
I’ve been going through the paperwork all morning, and I’ve found a loophole that could have resounding ramifications—not only for Marco, but my sister Sophia too. So, yeah, he might be with a client, but I need to see him urgently.
I shake my head as I think about Marco’s obsession with my little sister.
Love makes even the smartest men do stupid things, take stupid risks.
I’m just thankful that I swore off love for good.
There’s no chance I’ll give a woman the power to unravel me again.
Been there. Done that. Marco and Seb may top the Most Eligible Bachelor lists, but I am more than content to be a bonafide proponent of the eternal bachelor club.
Once bitten, twice shy.
The loud chirping of my phone pulls me from the paperwork I’m going over for the fifth time. It’s Sophia.
“Hello, Raf. Can you come down and buzz me and Marco up?”
“Why can’t you do it?” I quiz her.
“The floor is locked and I forgot my pass.”
She hangs up before I can ask any more questions, and I huff as I discard my cell and make my way to the elevator.
The office is empty, save for me and Sophia, who came in to set herself up before she joins Princi Law the further I can keep myself from anything related to her family the better.
My friend has already gotten me too close to his business with them.
I barely nod my head towards her to acknowledge the introduction, but the devilish expression painting her features—which I will admit are striking, with her large green eyes and pouty lips painted siren red symmetrically set on her heart-shaped face—remains affixed.
It’s unnerving. She knows nothing about me, yet she’s acting like she knows all my fucking secrets.
The elevator reaches our floor, and Marco lets the girls out first before we follow. I catch Marco’s eye and simply nod towards my office, indicating for him to follow me. Chiara asks to use the restroom, but I leave my sister to deal with that. Marco and I have bigger problems to deal with.
I’ll be the first to admit I’m in a less-than-stellar mood today, and for some reason that whole interaction in the elevator has me vibrating with annoyance, only made worse when Marco saunters into my office like he doesn’t have a care in the world, a smug smirk on his face.
Wordlessly, he takes a seat across from me and steeples his fingers under his chin expectantly, like he knows I’ve been waiting to unleash a tirade.
I’m standing behind my desk situated in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows that reveal the view of the striking Manhattan skyline, though today it’s blanketed in a gray winter fog.
I’m too agitated to sit, so I remain standing, arms braced in front of me on the desk.
I ball my hands into fists and release them again a few times, like that might help expel the agitation crawling under my skin.
Lifting my head to look Marco directly in the eye, I add in a low tone, “Let me get this straight. That tiny woman wearing some sort of bear as a coat and waving spirit fingers at me is related to AJ Gigioliotti?”
“You’re already on nickname bases with her, so you tell me,” he teases, like any of this is the slightest bit amusing.
“Why the fuck would you bring her with you?” I demand.
“As I tried to explain multiple times when you were blowing up my phone, I’m working.
AJ has me doing security detail, including driving her around while she’s in New York.
She refused to travel with her uncle’s security, and he can’t use his men here because there’s too much heat on them thanks to the shit going down with the Rizzo family.
He was worried that would make her more of a target, so he called in a favor with me. ”
“Motherfucker.” I growl.
“And, well, you’ve met her,” Marco adds. “It’s like trying to tame a wild horse. As it is, she’s already thrown me a curveball. She’s staying with Arabella Belmont and not at the hotel with twenty-four-hour security that she told her uncle she’d be staying at.”
He thinks my outburst is a reaction to whatever this job is with the girl, but it’s the least of my—and his—worries.
I take a big breath then exhale, trying to temper not only my anger but also the incessant buzz of unease coursing through me.
“I just finished going through all the contracts for your business deal and acquisition of La Rosa with AJ Gigioliotti,” I start, meeting his trusting, expectant stare.
It trips me up, because as much as I want to tear into him for getting in bed with AJ so to speak, I can see how much these investment opportunities mean to him.
How strongly he feels about cementing his financial independence.
“Marco, are you sure about this? Are you sure this is good for your business reputation and Sebastian’s? Bella Donna makes you a package deal.” I deliberately soften my tone and expression, so he knows I’m asking as his friend and not his lawyer.
“Raf, stop talking in riddles. Just spit it out.”
So I give him the low-down on what I have uncovered going through all the paperwork for his purchase of La Rosa from the Rizzos.
On paper, the deal is completely legitimate, save for one piece of the puzzle that could have irrevocable implications.
Arty Bartholomew Jones is the director of Duo Law—the same firm acting on behalf of all the shell companies who run the clubs and bars owned by the Rizzos.
It’s not lost on me that Marco has hated Arty since he caught him making a move on my sister six years ago, only made worse by Arty’s renewed interest now that Sophia is back in New York.
There’s something seriously suspicious about Arty being involved in this.
“What the fuck! Isn’t he an entertainment lawyer?” he asks.
“Yes. Most of us just stick to our specialist fields, but if he’s got the qualifications, there’s nothing stopping him from practicing in other disciplines too.”
“I’ll get to the bottom of why Arty has his sticky fingers in this. That weasel aside, it’s all legitimate. I saw AJ just before I came here. He confirmed he’s smoothed things over on his end,” Marco argues.
“On paper it’s all legitimate, but I’m worried about the unwarranted attention you might be inviting and the ammunition you might be providing people intent on muddying your reputation.”
He may be lovesick, but Marco is no fool. His analytical brain never stops, so I see the moment the pieces click into place.
“Raf, it’s that motherfucker Arty who’s been feeding your dad information about my business dealings. I fucking know it.”
“It could just be a coincidence, but…”
“I don’t believe in fucking coincidences,” he seethes before abruptly standing and stalking down the hall towards my sister’s office.
I stride after him in hopes of convincing him to reconsider his commitment to the deal; instead, I am blinded by a flash of bright light.