Page 68 of Her Boss

And if I’d permanently damaged my relationship with my uncle.

CHAPTER 31

Rick

I paced my office, loosening my tie, brilliant sunshine pouring in through the windows. The day was sticky and close, humidity off the charts, and I was sweating so much it felt like my white dress shirt was almost melting into my body.

But I had much worse problems than the heat. There was the fact that my biggest—and most dangerous—client had essentially given me an ultimatum.

“Prove your loyalty to me. If I’m not convinced, then you’re done.”

The truth was far more serious than that. Failure meant giving up a lot more than my best customer.

“Fuck!” I snarled, dropping into my chair.

The problem wasn’t truly the job itself. It was the subject of said job.

What Chester demanded was the taking down of his most hated criminal underworld boss. Marko Salazzo. The man’s reputation preceded him. And then some. Cunning and ruthless, Salazzo had a network of loyal followers that would do anything for him. I had tangled with him once before… and it had ended in a bloodbath.

It was clear that if I didn’t do the job, Chester would find someone else who would. And I knew too that if I refused, I would be marked as disloyal.

Goodbye, best client. And possibly goodbye to much, much more.

I closed my eyes, my mind racing. I had to think of a plan, a way to pull it off. I couldn’t let Chester win—but I also wouldn’t needlessly risk the lives of those who depended on me either. My team deserved better.

I burst out of my chair again, needing to pace, to think, going through the options available to me.

There was the easy way, and then there was the hard way.

Easy was catching one of Salazzo’s bag boys. There were plenty of them scurrying around. A little sweating, and we’d have what we needed—something Salazzo wouldn’t be expecting.

But the funny thing about the easy way was how fucking hard it was to actually pull off.

The hard way? Well, that was ironically a lot easier.

It would just hurt a helluva lot more. And not just Salazzo, either.

No, that was out—unless I had nothing left to try.

You better hope it doesn’t get that far, asshole.

I couldn’t take the easy way out though.

I needed to gather more information on Salazzo’s movements, his contacts, his weaknesses.

What I needed was something resembling a plan.

But I couldn’t shake the nagging feeling in the back of my mind, the weight of responsibility for someone much more important.

Geneva.

Which meant I had to come out of this alive, no matter what.

But, ironically, it was the very thought of her that gave me the idea.

She was young, but she was smart, and from what I’d seen to that point, remarkably brave. Did I risk enlisting her to help me?

I picked up the phone and dialed her number. She picked up on the third ring.

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