Page 25 of Ruthless Mafia Heir

I dump the piece of paper on the desk on my way out and slide the hairpin back into my ponytail so Paula doesn’t get a look at it.

I don’t know who might be in on this, who could be working with Blake and his family to ensure this place keeps running as it should. But I’m not going to just step back and pretend like I don’t see it, not a chance in hell. No, I’m better than that. If there’s one thing that studying history has taught me, it’s that people need to stand up and do the right thing when they’re called upon to do it. Whatever this place is being used for, it’s because of people just looking the other way and deciding it isn’t their problem that they’ve managed to keep it going for so long.

But not me. I’m right here, in the middle of it, and I’m going to expose this place and Blake along with it. I’m not going to stand by and let a criminal do whatever he wants in this city. And I’m not going to keep my head down and play along and be a part of it, no matter how used to that he clearly is.

No, I’m going to get the truth out there, one way or another. Even if it means going up against Blake.

And even if it means my feelings for him are about to get even more confusing than they already are.

Chapter Sixteen—Blake

I lean back in the chair in the office, staring at the door. I can hear the blood rushing in my ears, my heart thumping hard in my chest as I focus on what needs to be done here.

The moment I heard whispers about what she’s been up to, I knew they were true. I don’t know what it is about Sophia, but I’ve known she was trouble since the moment I laid eyes on her. If I’d been smart, I would have used that to shut down everything going on between us, but my stupid ass had been so drawn to her that I couldn’t keep my hands to myself.

And now, she’s working against me. At least, that’s what I think. Patricio came to me a few days ago to warn me that some of the staff noticed her snooping around the office and asking regulars questions, which might have gone without remark if it had been anyone else, but after what I told her, I can’t treat it as innocent.

She wants to know more about my world. I should have known she would push it further. She’s never seemed satisfied with the bare minimum, always searching for more. It's why she still has my thistle pin, even though I should have kicked her ass for taking it from me. Anyone else who stole from me would have paid the price in pain, but her? With her, the rules are different.

And that’s dangerous for me.

Finally, the door to the office opens, and Sophia stands there before me. Her eyes flash with fear— rightly so—when she sees me sitting there.

"Close the door," I order her, and she does as she’s told. Seeing her obey me so easily is almost distracting. It's hard not to think about the way she gave in to me outside in the alleyway, when we fucked a couple of weeks ago. But that’s not what tonight is about.

"What is this about?" she demands defiantly, crossing her arms over her chest. I almost have to admire her attitude. She must know I’m on to her, but she’s still coming in here like she’s the one calling the shots.

I tip my head to the side. "You really don’t know?"

"No, I don’t," she fires back. "And I have a couple of tables out there that need clearing, so if we could just—"

"You’ve been snooping, haven’t you?"

She falls silent. For a moment, I can tell I’ve thrown her, but she quickly covers it up.

"What are you talking about?" she snorts derisively. "I haven’t got time to do anything outside of work and studying. I’ve been so busy—"

"Because people who work here have told me that you’ve been sneaking around the office when nobody else is in," I continue calmly, "and interrogating some of our regulars about how they know me. You telling me that hasn’t been happening?"

She shifts her weight from foot to foot. "Not the way you’re saying it. I mean, yeah, I—"

"Listen to me, Sophia," I tell her, cutting her off before she can try to spin this any other way. "I don’t believe you. I think you’re trying to get to the bottom of what’s going on here because you’re uncomfortable working in a place associated with my family. Is that true?"

The words hang there in the air between us. I almost want her to deny it. Fuck, I want her to tell me I’m crazy and paranoid and she would never do that. Because I want to be able to trust her. I want to be able to want her without getting her all tangled up in the mess of my professional life, but the moment I told her the truth about what I did, I changed things. I gave her no choice but to do something, whether she wanted to or not.

"You really think I’m just going to stand by and let this place be used for God knows what?" she exclaims all of a sudden. "I— you must think I’m crazy, Blake! I’m not some criminal. And I’m not willing to look the other way when your family is using this place and God knows how many others for things that probably kill and hurt people every day!”

She wraps her arms around herself protectively as she speaks. Rage rises in my system. Who the fuck does she think she is? I tell her something, and she turns it against me like this?

I wanted to trust her.

"I should have known better than to trust a fucking thief," I snarl.

I can see her face going pale even in the dim light of the office. "What do you—"

"You took that pin from me because you’re nothing more than a petty fucking pickpocket," I continue. I don’t even know what I’m saying. I don’t believe it, that’s for sure, but I’m so fucking pissed at her, I’ll let anything come out of my mouth right now.

"Blake, I didn’t mean to… it wasn’t about that, I—"

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