Page 55 of Assistant to the Mafia

“What’s your counter?” Cait challenged.

Dante didn’t blink. “Your sister and I were in different parts of the city when it happened.”

“Awfully convenient. Did you also happen to lose your phone after or shortly before?”

“Damn, you’re exhausting,” Mikey said, stepping out of Dante’s office, phone in hand. He looked between all of them and settled his gaze on Grace. “Romeo’s on his way up.”

Grace almost felt like she was betraying someone with the wave of relief that washed through her, but there was no denying it. She was safe in the office, but she was safest with Romeo.

“Who are you?” Cait asked. “Wait, Romeo? The COO, right? I have a bone to pick with that jerk.”

There went the sense of relief. Grace bit back a groan.

Dante tipped his head. “This is my youngest brother, Mikey. And if you’re referring to the way Romeo spoke to you on the phone yesterday, I’d recommend saving your breath.”

“For all our sakes,” Mikey said, not quietly enough to hide.

Cait cut a glare at him. “You’re a real charmer, aren’t you?” She looked between them. “It’s no wonder Gracie’s afraid to come forward.”

“You want me to come forward?” Grace heard herself ask. A strange out-of-body experience took over her. “How about I just come forward with everything everyone’s ever done to me, then? How about I start with how it is I spent nearly two whole years grounded for stealing money and random valuables from the house when you were the real culprit?”

Cait turned this time and gaped at her.

“Or about why it is my one toe is prone to breaking and always hurts like hell in the cold weather?” She couldn’t make her mouth stop now. “Or about the way my perfect sister was really the one who chopped all my hair off when I was ten, but then she waved the scissors at me and said she’d find something else to cut if I ever told Mom or Dad?”

“Jesus, shut up already, Gracie! We were kids, okay?”

Some part of Grace registered movement in her peripheral vision. Some part of her knew it was Romeo coming around the corner. But she was in it now and had to see it through. “You treated me like it would ruin your whole life if Mom or Dad ever said one single word of praise to me! You made it your mission not just to be better, but to sabotage me at every damn opportunity.” Tears of frustration blurred her vision. “Did I get a better score in a class you’d taken years earlier? Well, let’s make sure Mom and Dad understand how thoroughly dumbed-down the academic system has become even in the short time since your tenure. So it’s ‘poor Grace’ instead of ‘well done, Grace’. You have kids now, you should have some idea what that does to one.”

Indignation sparked in Cait’s eyes. “Oh my God, you’ve really let this job turn you into a bitch, Gracie. All I’ve been doing is trying to help.”

Something made a solid clunking noise on the desk behind her, but before Grace could turn to look, Romeo had his arm around her shoulders and his hand in her hair. He deftly avoided the remaining butterfly stitch as he turned her toward him like they weren’t at work at all. “Yeah,” he said, the derision in his tone making it clear which sister he was speaking to. “You’ve been doing a real great job of that, haven’t you?”

Mikey whistled. “And now I understand why she worked so hard to be perfect all these years.”

Nobody spoke for a long second. Then, in a cooly calculating tone, Cait said, “Oh, I see. It was you. The jerk on the phone. You’re the one beating my sister.”

Romeo tensed. “Fucking excuse me?”

“Your brother tried covering for—”

Grace pushed away from Romeo and spun around, shoving her sleeve up to reveal her gauzy wrist. She ripped at the gauze until the stitches showed and held her arm out awkwardly. “I was in a car accident, Cait. You know—shattered glass, fire, blood, hospitals, all that. It was not the fault of any man in this room. There was some stupid protest on the road. Next thing I know, I’m upside-down and bleeding. Are you happy now?”

Caitlin blinked at her, her mouth open and gaping and for once blissfully soundless.

“And with that, Caitlin, I’ll ask you to leave,” Dante said.

“I’ve got medical on the way up,” Mikey said.

Romeo pulled Grace back toward him with a gentle, guiding touch. “Let’s get you sitting down, angel,” he said. “You’re still supposed to be avoiding over-exerting yourself, remember?”

Grace dragged in a deep breath. “I’m fine.” Other than that she felt wildly emotional and her head kind of hurt. She supposed that last part was relevant. “Okay. I’ll sit.”

Romeo helped her walk around to her seat behind the desk, pulling her chair out for her.

“Were you really in an accident?” Cait asked quietly. “Why didn’t you call?”

Grace frowned.

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