Page 53 of Assistant to the Mafia

Grace reached out and latched on to sister’s arm, dragging her forcibly toward the nearest pathway to the back. She debated taking her sister all the way upstairs. They could argue in relative privacy, sure, but Cait had no claim for being there. She had no claim for being on the property at all. On the flip side, Grace couldn’t think of anywhere else that would allow her to at least still answer calls and perhaps take important notes. Upstairs it is.

“Grace, slow down, I can hardly walk,” Cait whined as Grace adjusted course for the security check point.

Grace released her altogether and pointed. “You go through there. I’ll meet you on the other side.”

Cait blinked, turning her gaze to the machine. It made no secrets about being what it was and she balked. “You want me to walk through a metal detector? Can’t we just talk in another room?”

Grace glared at her. “You showed up at my place of work, once again disrespecting that I actually have a very important job, and you think I will just blow it off to cater to your whim-of-the-week?” She pointed out, in the direction of the exit. “That’s your other option. Leave and take the next flight home, because I am busy and frankly ticked off. Choose, right now.”

Cait sighed as if greatly inconvenienced. “Fine, fine.” She started toward the machine.

Grace lost sight of her for nearly thirty seconds, watching as Cait’s purse was scanned and passed across the small conveyor belt system. Grace made no attempt to pick it up, choosing to wait beyond the space for guests allowed through and watching her sister’s behavior.

Now that she’d gotten what she wanted, Cait seemed to be in a much better mood. She even smiled a little flirtatiously at the man who returned her purse. It made Grace want to be ill. “Okay, now where to? Do you work on an upper floor?” Cait asked, eyeing the bank of elevators.

Grace ground her teeth. “You never listen to anyone but yourself, do you?”

“What are you talking about?”

Grace moved to the non-private elevator that would take them up and tapped the button. Of course, it opened immediately.

Cait cut her off, striding swiftly into the box as if she owned the building.

Further irritated, Grace followed her in and pressed the necessary button. “I’m only taking you up to my office because I’m tired of trying to speak the information into your self-absorbed brain,” she said. She adjusted to face her sister, standing sideways to the doors, and crossed her arms. “But understand that this is my place of work and my job takes priority. It’s barely after two in the afternoon, Cait. You aren’t the queen of the goddamn world. So when work needs my attention, work will get my attention.”

Cait rolled her eyes. “You always have been so dramatic,” she said. “Probably why you never kept a boyfriend.” She waved a hand dismissively, blatantly ignoring Grace’s sound of disapproval. “I think I can occupy myself if you need to take a call or something, Gracie.”

“A lot of what I deal with is privileged,” Grace said. The elevator settled with a gentle motion. “So you may get kicked out at any moment.” She personally hoped it would come to that, but until then, and before Cait could try cutting ahead again, Grace stepped off the elevator. She swept one arm out, toward the offices visible through the glass partitions. “Welcome to the offices of Mr. Dante and Romeo De Salvo.”

Cait followed her quietly around the corner, into the space that Grace generally occupied.

Grace tapped on the tablet on the desk to make sure she hadn’t missed a notification, then turned around and motioned to the chairs against the window-wall. “You can sit there. This is my office. This is where we can talk.” Maybe if her boss was a dozen feet away, she wouldn’t fall into a screaming match with her sister.

Cait snorted, her brown eyes dancing with amusement. “Gracie, please. You don’t have to put on with me.” She pointed to Dante’s closed office door. “That’s the owner of the company, right? Obviously, this office belongs to someone else. I want to see where you really work.”

Without looking away, Grace took another step to the side and reached down, resting her fingers on top of her personalized nameplate. “Take all the time you need to read the letters. I know attorneys like bigger words.”

Cait stared for several long seconds, her eyes widening. “Is this some kind of prank? I thought you were a receptionist, or a secretary. Mom said you were a secretary.”

Grace curled her fingers around the nameplate. “Mom stopped caring what I told her about my life in junior high. I’m amazed she still remembers I exist.”

“That’s ridiculous.” Cait shook her head and set her purse down on one of the chairs. “You seriously work up here?”

“There are only four offices up here,” Grace said. “The office of the CEO, COO, and their respective assistants.” She motioned toward Dante’s door, as Cait had previously done.

Cait looked around again, as if taking it in with an entirely new perspective. “Well. Maybe you are doing all right for yourself, then, Gracie.” She smiled across at her. “Seems like being the woman with the most power around here, you ought to have a few minutes for your big sister.”

Seriously? Grace folded her arms carefully over her chest. “Just being a woman doesn’t give me more authority at someone else’s business, Cait. I thought you were a lawyer?” She dragged in her breath. “Now will you please tell me what is really going on? There has to be something actually going on for you to be constantly calling, and now for you to be here. You’ve never come out to see me in all the years I’ve been in Jersey.”

Cait pouted. “Maybe I missed my baby sister.”

“And maybe you’ll get sick of me when I need somewhere to crash after you cost me this job.”

“There you go being dramatic again,” Cait teased. She folded her hands pleadingly. “I’ve been thinking we could spend some girl time together. Take a few days, maybe do some shopping, some sight-seeing, spoil ourselves at a spa or two—it’ll be fun, and we haven’t done anything like it in forever.”

Grace fought not to gape. “If by that you mean we’ve literally never done it in our entire lives.”

“Sure we have.”

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