Page 35 of Finn

I point to the one on the left. “That will be yours.” Then I point to the one on the right. “And that’s for security.”

“What about that one?” she asks, pointing to the door at the end of the hallway.

“That’s my office.”

I open the door to the security office, and low and behold, there’s Cillian going through footage from a few nights ago.

“I thought I’d find you here,” I say as he pauses the recording and looks in our direction.

“Alessia, good to see you,” he says, standing and holding out his hand.

She takes it with a professional smile, already slipping into her role. “You too, Cillian.”

“I’m going to show her to her office and get her set up. Meet me in mine,” I tell my lieutenant.

He nods and turns back to the monitors, restarting the recording he was studying when we walked in.

Alessia and I cross the hall, and I open the door to her office. We’ve cleared it out after that rat bastard was caught stealing. The space is bare, with gray walls and nothing but a desk and file cabinet. I probably should have had someone come in and at least set her up with a plant or some shit.

“You can decorate however you like,” I tell her as she sets her bag on the desk.

“I doubt I’ll be in here much,” she replies, sitting on the chair behind her desk and wincing. “But I’ll probably at least get a new office chair.”

I smile at her distaste for the cheap office furniture. “Whatever you want, princess.”

She sends me a glare and rolls her eyes.

Making my way over to the file cabinet, I open it and signal for her to stand next to me. “In here, you’ll find everything you’ll need about all our clients. It’s similar to what I had you go over in the car but more in-depth. I like for each member to feel like they’re the most important patron we have, which means knowing their wives, mistresses, and kids’ names. Shit, even their dog's name, if we can get that information.”

“Finn, I’ve pretty much been preparing for this my entire life. Who do you think was at my father’s side at every dinner party or charity function? Trust me, my mother has been training me since I was old enough to carry a conversation.”

She grabs a stack of folders and sits at her desk, opening the first one. “Are you going to stand there and stare at me all night or get to your own work?”

I smile and shake my head. “There’s a phone in the top drawer of your desk with all the numbers you’ll need while you're here. Keep it on you when you’re on the floor in case anyone needs to get hold of you. If you have any questions, Cillian or I can answer them. I’ll be in my office if you need me.”

“Just come get me when the doors open,” she replies without looking up from her file.

Getting the distinct impression I’ve been dismissed, I head to my office, where Cillian is waiting patiently for me. It’s similar to the one I had set up for Alessia. I don’t keep my personal items here, all that stuff is at my home office, but I do keep a picture of me and my brother when we were kids with my dad and grandfather.

“Three generations of Monaghan men,” my grandfather said proudly that day. He died not too long after the photo was taken, but he’d made a huge impression on my brother and me. He made sure we understood the importance of keeping family close and the loyalty we need to have to each other above all else.

“Alessia’s set up?” Cillian asks as I have a seat in my dark leather chair. I’ll need to order one like this for Alessia’s office.

“Yup. Did you find anything on the security footage?” Since finding out our last host was stealing from us, I had Cillian reviewing the cameras, going back the last several weeks to see if he saw anything remotely suspicious from the dealers down to the coat check girl.

“Nothing. He may not have been working with anyone.”

“I want to make sure. I’ll be damned if anyone here thinks they can steal from me and get away with it.”

Cillian nods. “Hence offering the job to your wife?”

“You don’t seem thrilled with the idea, Cillian. Something you want to say?” I lean back in my chair and cock my head to the side, waiting for his reply.

“Nothing I haven’t said before. You take a lot of risks keeping her close to your business when this little arrangement is so new.”

He had similar reservations before we married, and I feel the same way now as I did then.

“She’s not going to fuck me over, Cill. Her family has just as much to lose as we do.”

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