Dangerous Thirst (Possessing Her Book 1), page 26
The waitress arrived with my espresso, which she said was customary after an Italian meal, and I asked for the check, ready to get to the real reason I was there.
My plan was stupid, but when it came to Olivia, I didn’t care. I needed to know the truth about her, and a large part of me wanted to prove that she was being honest with me. I wanted her to be the woman I thought she was when I risked my life and career to save hers. It would make everything worth it, but I knew how unlikely it was.
Finally, the waitress returned, leaving my check before tending to other customers. I looked down at my wallet to get the right bill, and when I looked back up a new character with a familiar face was at Anthony Bianchi’s table.
Vincent Marino, the senior partner from my firm, was smiling, slapping the shoulder of the most dangerous man in Chicago. I was stunned beyond words. This was my mentor, the man who had hired me and told me about the upcoming opening for partner at the gala.
What business did he have with the mafia? It seemed like a conflict of interest, but I watched on, wishing I could hear what they were discussing. The restaurant was set up to accommodate the boss, leaving no table within earshot of his conversation. It was useless, and I had seen all there was to gain from the interaction.
Leaving my waitress a hefty tip, I walked briskly out the side door, walking around the building to avoid passing my boss. I didn’t want him to know what I had witnessed.
I needed more answers, and I needed them fast. After seeing Vincent meet with the mafia and their comfortable greeting, I raced toward my law firm for research.
On the drive over, I tried to come up with acceptable reasons for their meeting, but there were none. A mob boss and a partner at a law firm could only be meeting if they had business together, but I had no previous knowledge of the firm working on cases involving the crime boss.
“Mr. Aimes!” the security guard greeted me as I stormed through the lobby.
After years of never taking a day off, it felt odd to miss so many days from work. Riding up the elevator for the first time in days, it didn’t even feel like I worked there anymore.
When I got off the elevator, there was a new set of photos lining the wall. They were from the ball, and I scanned the photos until I landed on a picture of me. I looked like another person, and even seeing myself, it felt like I was seeing a stranger. So much had changed since that fateful night when I was approached to kidnap Olivia.
Now, I’d spent more time with her than I had with any other woman in my life. I knew things about her she probably didn’t share with anyone, and I needed to get to the bottom of her story so that I could see if I could trust her.
I needed to determine whether I could let these feelings develop or if I should cut them at the root to distance myself from her. It was getting to be too much trying to pretend I didn’t care about her when I did. She was special, and I wanted to be myself with her, but only if she was doing the same.
Making my way to the case room, I began to rummage through files, taking anything that had to do with the Bianchi cartel and dropping it on the table. Our system was digitized, so all I had to do was type the name in a computer and the system would populate any connected cases and investigations.
There were more queued files than I expected, so I narrowed my search to Anthony Bianchi, only populating results that included his name specifically. I took those files and laid them out on the large mahogany table in the center of the room.
It was going to be a long night trying to figure out what was what, but at least once it was over, I would know exactly what Olivia’s role was. I was determined to find the answers I needed, even if they weren’t the ones I was hoping for.
If she had anything to do with her father’s organization, it would have to be listed in these files, and a small part of me was torn, hesitating over exposing her truth.
I liked believing her lies, or at least not being able to disprove them. She was innocent and sweet, but what I was about to learn could turn all of that on its head. The punishment for her crossing me would be more severe than even I was ready to hand out.
I opened the first file, and my mouth dropped open. It was just the first piece to the puzzle, but already more than I could handle.
The story continues… make sure to read “Dangerous Love” to see what happens next!
46. About the Author
Sarah has been writing since she was 16 years old and has published multiple Amazon bestselling books. No matter if her heroes are Billionaires, Bad Boys or both - she loves to write about hot and sexy alpha males, who are protective and sometimes bossy, as well as the women they crave. Her exciting stories are always steamy, with a lot of twists and turns and a guaranteed HEA that leaves you satisfied after a wild ride - just like it should be in the bedroom, you know?
Sarah loves to travel the world, because new places always inspire her. Right now she enjoys time in Europe while writing new books.
If you wish to get in contact:
Get THREE romance novels directly to your Facebook Messenger inbox!
Visit her Facebook Fanpage!
Join her VIP-Facebook-Group!
See you on the other side ;-)
Sarah J. Brooks, Dangerous Thirst (Possessing Her Book 1)
