“Fine. Well, now what?” She whispered. “We can’t hear anything.”

I smirked, reaching into the inner pocket of my leather jacket for a set of headphones that were much more than they appeared. Plugging in the jack to a port on my phone, I opened up the corresponding app that turned my cell into a surveillance aid.

“Good to go.”

Billie gaped at me as I just smiled and sipped the water the server had provided.

“That’s fucking…” She schooled herself. “That can’t be legal.”

I shook my head, the corners of my lips turning down. “Nah. But it is useful.”

“Oh my God. This is so bad.”

She buried her face in her hands, her cheeks turning a faint pink, and I absolutely adored how it looked on her. I only left one of the buds in place, so it was less visible when the server returned with the wine I’d ordered.

“Chateau du Mormot. 2002. An excellent choice. Would you like to test it?”

I held up my glass for a small pour. After all, this was part of the show, and it would look more suspicious if I didn’t. The sommelier poured enough to taste, and I sipped gently.

“It’s perfect. You’ll love it, darling.”

Billie forced a grin and cocked her head, looking up at the server. “Wonderful. Thank you.”

We put in our order, nothing too fancy that wouldn’t take too long to prepare, and then we were left alone at the table. Thank God. That was getting old.

Returning my attention to the audio coming through my phone, I listened to Emiliano drone on.

“It’s not enough, Tony. I need more to go on. You get me enough to take them down. Understood.”

His weasel of an informant, Antonio Brachello, squirmed in his chair when I glanced over, waiting for his response.

“It’s not that easy, boss. They cover their tracks as much as you do. If you want to go the legal route, you’re going to need to work with someone more schooled in that department. I don’t handle that shit.”

Emiliano glared. “Watch your language in here, Tony. You’re drawing too much attention. Did you at least secure Cohen for a meeting?”

“What are they talking about?" Billie’s voice cut through my concentration, and I nearly shushed her.

But then I saw that piqued curiosity behind her eyes and how she leaned across the table.

“Listen for yourself.”

I held up the other earbud, and she scooted closer, angling herself over the table so that her full breasts squeezed behind the button-down I’d snagged for her. It was a good thing Parker was about her size, if a bit smaller, but that just meant the clothes did a worse job concealing her body from me, and I liked that.

As she put the device to her ear, Billie dropped her stare to the table between us, and it took me a good five seconds before I started paying attention to Emiliano again.

“Make sure he’s there for the meeting, Tony. I don’t like being stood up, and I’m not taking that bullshit about entertaining Marks again. That fuck can be taken care of just as easily as anyone else. I’m done paying him to keep his mouth shut if he’s going to stand in my way.”

“Paying Cohen? I thought he was your lawyer?”

Emiliano sighed. “Paying Marks, you idiot. We got him to promote Cohen, remember? He promised to hand over the reins to someone else if we made it cushy for him. Ingrate.”

I flicked my stare to Billie, and she returned the gesture. We met eyes and held them. Paying off Marks was one thing, and it didn’t bode well for Cohen. But it still wasn’t proof. It was, however, enough to keep Billie interested.

Her outwardly calm demeanor cracked further, and Billie sagged into her chair, her lips parting. I wanted to swipe my tongue through them, taste her, claim her mouth.

“Aww, that’s so sweet. Are you playing her a song?”

The server arrived again, another two behind her with a large tray containing our food.