Page 25 of Assistant to the Mafia

Romeo promptly shifted his attention to his brother.

A question popped into Grace’s mind and out of her too-shocked-to-function-properly mouth. “Could it just be a bitter ex-girlfriend?” He obviously had a history. She wasn’t stupid. And she had to imagine he hadn’t had clean, mutual breaks with every single person he’d been with in the past. That was the extent to which she could think about it before something in her chest twisted painfully.

Romeo grunted. “No.” His arm moved to her shoulders. “Been years since I had anything serious enough for that word.”

Flustered and absolutely not sure what that meant for her and them, Grace furrowed her brow. “Jilted lover, then. You know what I’m trying to say.”

Romeo opened his mouth with the clear intent to argue further, but his brother was faster.

“Has this been sent to Mikey?” Dante asked.

“Every second.”

Dante held the tablet toward Romeo. “Take a look. Does she seem familiar to you?”

Romeo held the tablet at an angle so he and Grace could both see it, and there was no way that wasn’t intentional. She shouldn’t have been grateful. She inched a little closer anyway.

It wasn’t a video, as Grace had assumed, but rather a still shot from the surveillance footage. A shiny, newer-model Honda was pulled up close to the console and a female with long, dark hair was leaning out. The hair reflected notably violet in the camera’s lens and Grace couldn’t help but think it was a wig, though she couldn’t technically see the woman well enough to be sure. More interesting than the hair, however, was the carton she had braced in her extended hand. It was a carton of a dozen eggs, as if she’d come straight from the store. Her hand was poised in such a way that Grace was sure the next image would be of the woman smashing those eggs all over the pedestal-like console.

Romeo swiped, and Grace was proven right. The woman’s hand was in the downward position and several eggs had fallen forward and already splattered against the console. In the next heartbeat the entire carton would be pressed wholly and insultingly against the technological surface. He swiped again, and this time the viewpoint was different. It was from the camera inside the console, before the eggs had struck.

The new angle provided a better look at her face—or it would have, but she was wearing large, dark glasses and a medical mask. The most the camera could do was confirm that the violetish hair was indeed a wig, based on the peek of almost golden bangs stubbornly poking over her forehead. The final picture was blurry and entirely useless, verifying only how thoroughly drenched in egg the console had become.

“Sonofabitch,” Romeo grunted as he shoved the tablet across the table.

Enrico took a lunging step forward to catch the device before it could crash to the hard floor below.

“Did you recognize her?” Dante asked.

“Under that damn wig and stupid ass shit on her face? Of-fucking-course not.” Romeo drew a breath. “Enrico, tell me someone’s already cleaning that up? I don’t want Lucy seeing that shit.”

“As we speak, sir. Mo’s checking in with the rest of perimeter as well.”

Grace opened her mouth, despite knowing she probably shouldn’t. “Did … anyone get the license plate?”

Enrico’s gaze flicked her way for half a second before once again dropping away.

“It looks like a rental,” Dante said.

“Right,” Grace said, nodding, “but someone had to pay for it. Even if they paid cash, there would have been paperwork, and possibly more cameras.”

Romeo blew out a breath and gave her shoulder a squeeze. “So, did you get the damn plate?”

Enrico nodded slowly. “It should be visible on the video footage, sir.”

Dante picked up his phone. “We’ll have Mikey make sure his team looks into that.”

“Anything else?” Romeo asked, projecting the question to Enrico.

“No, sir.”

“Then you’re dismissed.”

Enrico twisted in place and disappeared back the way he’d come.

Romeo leaned close, until his lips were above her ear, and whispered, “Was that jealousy I heard earlier, angel?”

Heat flashed through her, burning her cheeks and coiling down inside her body. Grace pursed her lips. She didn’t want to answer him, because she didn’t want to admit the answer to herself.

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