“You can work from here.”
“What if I have court?”
“I’m sure any one of your coworkers would be more than happy to do you the favor.”
“What if I get hungry again?”
“You can place your order with me.”
“What if—”
He gripped my shoulders and cocked his head so we were at eye level. “No matter who Levi is, he’s still my client. I’m risking a lot by helping you. I could be disbarred. Don’t throw that away by getting killed, okay? Whatever you need, you talk to me, and we’ll figure it out.”
“Okay.” My insides twisted. I was asking him for too much.
“Good talk.” He looked at the pepperoni scramble Vic delivered and shook his head. “I’m ordering room service.”
“Oh, so you can order room service?”
“Yes.” He shot me a dark stare. “Is there anything you would like from the menu?
“I’ll have the pasta.”
“I see we’re in the mood for Italian tonight.” He smirked and picked up the room phone.
“In your dreams.” I plopped myself on the dining chair and shuffled some folders around while I grinned like a schoolgirl.
“Always in my dreams, Emilia. Always.” He glared at the phone handset, and his smile faded. “No. That was not meant for you. Could you let the chef know we’ll need a service for two tonight? Anything Italian. Yeah, sounds good. Surprise me.” He hung up.
“Thank you,” I said.
“Wasn’t that easy?” He poured himself a whiskey and refilled my wine glass before he took his place at the head of the table again. “Now, how are we going to help Ms. Morrow?”
“With cold cases like this, the best thing to do is to go through every bit of evidence and see what your gut tells you. Unless you have a reason for re-opening it?”
“Nikki is the only reason, really.” He scratched the stubble on his cheek. “But that’s a good question. What made her want to unearth all this after fifteen years? What changed?” He scribbled notes on his legal pad.
Who was this Nikki? What was she to him? Was she the reason he moved to Arizona? No, Dom wasn’t the type to proposition a girl in his hotel room while he had a girlfriend somewhere nearby, but I couldn’t care about that. I’d already made the decision, and it was a good one. Dom and I were a bad idea. Me and anyone, for that matter, were a bad idea. I had to stop thinking of Dom in that way. I darted my gaze away from him and forced myself to focus on the files in front of us.
The pictures in one of the folders caught my attention. Image after image of a man lying in a large pool of blood. It was a gruesome scene. A murder committed by someone without a soul. Only a monster without a shred of compassion could do this to another human being. The usual burn furled in my stomach. No one deserved to die like that. I let my gaze roam the picture, taking in every detail. Unfortunately, the only way to do the man justice was to look at him logically. The way I would look at a jigsaw puzzle. I started at his head and worked my way down.
“Do you have a magnifying glass?”
Dom’s head snapped up at me. He’d also gotten lost in his own puzzle. “Yeah. Hang on.” He retrieved a magnifying glass from the front pocket of his briefcase.
“Thanks.”
I scanned the first picture then moved on to the next. On the third image, I found our needle in the haystack.
“You found something?”
I glanced up and met Dom’s blue stare. Jesus, the man was gorgeous. “I don’t know. Maybe. Look at this.” I pushed the picture toward him.
He swallowed before he leaned in. “What am I looking at?”
“Right here.” I pointed at the man’s arm. “Look at the edges of the bruise.”
“It’s a bruise.” The area between his brows furrowed as he looked through the magnifying glass.
“It’s makeup. Poorly applied makeup. You don’t see it? It’s right there.” I pointed with my little finger.
He shoved my hand away. “Just give me a minute.” After a few seconds, recognition finally registered on his face. “It’s a cut.”
I nodded. “Right through the middle the skin split open in a ragged pattern. Do you think?”
“Hang on, I have the autopsy report here.” His eyes darted across the document while he speed-read it. “They cataloged it as a bruise on the arm, but this isn’t just a bruise. I mean I couldn’t see it before, but now it’s all I see. Like one of those optical illusion images designed to cover stuff up until someone tells you where to look.”
“Right?” I smiled at him. “That’s it. That’s all you need to re-open the investigation. I mean it should be if the family doesn’t block you.”
“I have a friend who can get us what we need. Thank you.” He squeezed my hand and thumbed the inside of my wrist.
“Your girlfriend will be happy. You’ll be like her hero.” No doubt she’d be full of gratitude for him, and…I couldn’t think about that.
“She’s not my girlfriend. She’s just a friend.”
“I don’t care.” I slipped my hand from the grip of his fingers.
He threw the manila folder on the table and stood, gripping his hips. “Okay, good. You’re ready to have the talk.”
His hot gaze sent a warm rush down to my core. One look and he had me wishing I’d remembered to pack my battery-operated Dom. Though I didn’t think it would do me any good now that I’d gotten a taste of the real Dom.
How did he put it? I could do so much more for you.
“What talk?”
“The sex talk.”
Could he just stop saying sex? Every time he said the word images of him all sweaty and naked flickered in my mind.
“I don’t care what you do with your personal life. What we do need are ground rules. If we’re going to live under the same roof, I need to know what to expect. We both do.”
“That’s what I meant.” He grinned, crossed his arms over his chest, and leaned against the edge of the table. “Your room is your room. I promise I won’t go in, unless of course, you ask.”
“I won’t ask.”
“Fair enough, but if I’m not allowed in there, neither is anyone else.”
“I’m sorry?” I shouldn’t care if he cared. Or rather, I should be annoyed he was telling me I couldn’t have male company. Did he mean it? Or was he baiting me to see how fast I’d jump at the opportunity to tell him he couldn’t have girls over either, and effectively show him I was jealous? Why was I jealous?
“Fine.”
“Just fine?”
“I wasn’t planning on bringing anyone here. My life and Mom’s life are at stake. You think I’d waste my time with some guy? It’s not worth the effort.”
“Right. Why bother with a real person when you have good ol’ B.O.D.?”
“What?” Oh…battery-operated Dom. Heat rose to my cheeks. Why did he have to see that? He opened his mouth to speak, but I raised my hand to stop him. “Never mind. I got it.” That infuriating smile of his made me want to smack him. It also made me want to lock myself in my room and spend a few hours with the other Dom.
“One of these days, you’ll have to tell me how the whole good ol’ B.O.D. situation got started.” He cocked an eyebrow, his chest bouncing a little with suppressed laughter.
I chuckled at that. “Oh my God, you and your ego.” Before I could stop myself, I blurted out the truth. “It was after the almost kiss. I couldn’t stop thinking about it.” At some point, I had to stop divulging all my secrets to him. Why couldn’t I stop?
“It wrecked me too.” He reached for my face, and I shuffled back.
“Okay.” He put up his hands in surrender. “Just so you don’t accuse me of being unfair, I’ll do the same. I won’t bring dates back to the room.”
My heart squeezed tight. Me. Bed. Made. I had to let him go and get used to the idea that Dom wasn’t mine. He had every right to go look for company if that’s what he wanted. The sooner the better. I swallowed and forced a sm
ile.
“Good. I’m glad we got our sex talk out of the way.”
“My door’s always open for you. Anytime.” He turned his attention to the files in front of him.
The pressure in my chest unraveled. The big bad wolf, Dom Moretti, needed a friend. I wanted to put my arms around him, but instead, I patted his arm. I didn’t trust myself to do more than that.
“Same here. If you want to talk. I’m here.”
“Just talk, huh?” He flashed me one of his panty-melting smiles like he knew something I didn’t. “Thanks. I’ll remember that.”
10
To Family
Dom
The grin was something I couldn’t help. I ignored the idiot staring back at me in the mirror and rubbed the spot just below the base of my neck. I wore my scars and ink as a reminder of what life could turn into when I lost focus, but Emilia’s mark on my chest was something else. It was hope that an empty hotel suite wasn’t the rest of my life.
I put on my suit jacket and headed out, leaving the bedroom door open so I wouldn’t wake Emilia sleeping next door. I smiled to myself. I liked that she was here, that I knew exactly where I’d find her at the end of the day.
“You look like the cat that drank the milk.” Emilia sat at the table, fully dressed in her fancy lawyer suit. A breakfast for two in front of her.
I jerked to a halt. “Fuck. You scared me. I thought you were sleeping.”
“It’s seven in the morning. You have a half day or something?” She sipped her coffee.
“I would’ve never pegged you for a morning person.” I plopped myself on my chair.
Yeah, we now had his and her chairs.
“The secret is in the coffee.” She pushed a mug toward me and poured. “Sugar? Cream?”
“Just cream. Thanks.” I gripped her wrist as she tipped the creamer. “What are you up to?”
“What do you mean?”
“This agreeable Emilia scares me.”
She laughed. “I’m trying to be nice. I’ve taken over your life. The least I can do is pour you a coffee.”
I released her hand. Maybe this was wishful thinking. “I’m sorry. For a moment it felt like you were using your female wiles on me.”
“My what?” She coughed into her cup.
“Okay. What do you want?”
“I need to go into the office.”
“No.”
She cleared her throat and set her coffee down. “I need to go. Jess called the firm and asked to cancel all proceedings on her divorce.”
“What?” I raised a hand. “You’re still not going. Jess is with your mom. Do you really think the Dragon Lady let Jess use the phone to put a stop to her divorce?”
I’d hoped Levi would take a few days to regroup and strategize, but it seemed he was ready for his next move. Admittedly, this felt too fast, too risky. What was he up to?
Emilia bit her lower lip and lowered her gaze. Female wiles.
“I thought maybe Vic could come with me and hang out in the break room?”
“Are you not listening to me? It’s a trap.” I sat back in my chair. “Not to mention, Vic has things to do today. And so do I. Can I trust that you’ll be here when I get back?”
“Fine.”
“There’s that word again. What are you planning?”
“Fine just means fine. I’ll have Jack bring over the files I need.”
I threw my napkin on the table. “Not fucking likely. He’s not coming here. Write down what you need, and I’ll get it for you.”
“Why can’t he come here? Your admin came over last night.”
“Because the cartel is not looking for me. They’re looking for you.”
Of that I had no doubt. Levi wouldn’t have summoned me if he wasn’t in the mood to do something illegal, something that could potentially damage his chances of getting custody of his kid…or kids. Last week, I would’ve told him I only took meetings in my office, but now Emilia was involved. I had to find out what he had planned for her, and the best way to do that was to meet with him at a place where his guard would be down…like his office.
I rose to my feet and grabbed a legal pad off the coffee table. “Write down what you need.”
She strutted over to the living area. The faint scent of her flowery perfume wrapped itself around my chest. When she handed me the piece of paper, I gripped her elbow and pulled her toward me.
“Please don’t go anywhere today. I’ll be back in a few hours.”
“I’ll stay put like a good girl.” She pressed her hand on my chest, right over the long scratch she’d left on me last night. Her eyes lingered on my mouth before she glanced upward.
“If I kiss you now, I won’t leave,” I whispered. She nodded and pushed me away. I had to get out of here fast before I changed my mind.
Vic stood by the valet podium waiting for me. When he spotted me, he strolled toward the black SUV and opened the door. “I thought maybe the sheets got stuck to you.”
“Good morning,” I said. “We have time. I just had to make sure Emilia didn’t get any crazy ideas.”
“Hmmm.” He shut the door and climbed in the driver seat. “She had a cool head on her shoulders when I first met her. I think you’re messing with her wits.”
“Save it. She already made it clear she doesn’t want to get involved.”
Vic met my gaze in the rearview mirror as the car rolled forward. “You’re both already involved.”
“You’re chatty this morning.”
He shrugged and grabbed a file off the passenger seat. “Here’s what I have on Levi.”
“Anything I should know. Am I walking into a trap?”
“Nah. I think you’re walking into a job interview.”
I barked out a laugh and threw his file on the seat next to me. “He couldn’t possibly.”
“Respected lawyers are hard to come by. I hope he offers you a lot of money. I need a raise.” Vic checked both side mirrors and merged onto the 101 heading south.
“I don’t need any more money.” I rubbed my clean-shaven cheek. Of all days, today I needed to look like a respected lawyer, one without a past. One that couldn’t be bought.
“What’s the plan, Dom?”
“Go in, hear him out.”
“Where do you need me?”
“Right at the front door. Anything other than that would definitely raise some red flags.”
“Front doors make me nervous. Too many blind spots.”
“I know. Forty minutes…tops. Then you know what to do.”
Vic scratched the back of his head. “’Kay.”
I should’ve brought a gun with me, but normal lawyers didn’t carry weapons to client meetings. As far as Levi was concerned, I was a lawyer with a reputable firm, meeting with an upstanding citizen of the community.
Vic pulled up to a building in the outskirts of downtown Phoenix with a big sign that read LS Real Estate and Associates. Creative front, I had to give him that. He could’ve gone with a dry cleaner or a nightclub, but he chose differently. He wanted to be regarded as a decent man. Did that influence come from Emilia’s family? I filed that bit away as Levi’s potential Achilles’ heel.
“Good morning, Mr. Moretti.” A tall woman in an expensive pantsuit met me at the door and ushered me to the elevator bay.
His office, with floor-to-ceiling windows, took up most of the top floor. Expensive art covered every wall. On the far right, two sofas faced each other over a Persian rug. The marble coffee table added to the lavish decor. It was as if he’d told his designer to make the room look extra-expensive.
“Mr. Smith will be with you shortly,” the woman said with a small curtsy before she left.
Lots of money, lots of theatrics. Vic was right. This was an interview. Levi left me alone in his office to take a look around and size him up. Fine. I played along…no doubt he was watching. I strolled to the painting on my left. An original. The next piece was more or less the same. Big and colorful. To my rig
ht, his oversized desk sat in the corner with a big monitor only taking up a small section of it.
As usual, anything related to Emilia left me dizzy with questions. Why the effort to turn this room into something so specifically rich? Yesterday, Emilia’s mom had said Levi wanted to be just like her husband. Could it be that this was Emilia’s Dad’s old office? Was he the one who had the idea to use a real estate firm as a front instead of the cliché nightclub? Was this building their feeble attempt at a normal life? A life that Levi ended in a matter of minutes when he decided he wanted it all for himself.
Emilia, I’m sorry you had to go through this on your own.
In school, we had our chance to lessen the load for each other, but I supposed we were too proud to ask for help then. This time around, it was different. It had to be.
The door creaked open and Levi strolled in, a smile plastered on his too-pretty face. The more I knew about him, the more I couldn’t stomach that ridiculous grin. He closed the space between us, extending his hand a few steps before he reached me. The brotherly act was worse than his fake smirk.
“Mr. Moretti. Thank you for meeting me here.” He sauntered around the massive desk to sit at his throne. He enjoyed playing the part of a top executive. My friend, Cole, was the real deal. This clown had no clue what he was doing. For Levi, this gig was about more than money. He wanted respect and status.
“Mr. Smith.”
“Please. It’s Levi.” He hadn’t asked me to use his first name the last few times we met. I didn’t bother to offer the same. We weren’t friends. “Please, have a seat. Anything to drink?”
“I’m fine, thanks.” I lowered myself onto the chair he offered and unbuttoned my jacket. “You asked to see me. How can I help you?
He put up his finger and hit the pager button on his desk phone. “Could you get us a couple of…” he glanced at me, “couple of whiskeys.”
I peered at the clock on the wall. It was fifteen minutes past eight. Must be tough to live with so many dead people on your conscience, but I didn’t give a shit about his drinking problem. I’d grown tired of his look how much money I have display.
“Levi, how can I help?”
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