Page 18 of Guarding her Gangster Girl

Brie runs a hand through her damp hair, pushing it back from her tired face. “Nik, you remember I told you about Holden, Terry’s private secretary. He’s also a close friend of mine. He’s always had a pass to my floor, and my suite, too.” She pauses, exchanging a loaded look with Holden. “And he’s always carried a gun. Terry’s orders.”

Something’s not adding up here. “What exactly is going on?” I ask suspiciously.

Holden and Brie stare at each other again, and I see his shoulders sag in acceptance. “Holden was more than just Terry’s secretary,” Brie tells me, her voice softening. “He was Terry’s lover.”

Well, shit. That’s not something you hear every day in Mafia circles.

“Terry and I…well, you know about me already. We had a marriage of convenience,” Brie explains. But Terry was always clear that Holden and I had to be careful who we let close. Me, I wasn’t so close to the day-to-day business. But Holden was—and still is. Hence the gun.” Her voice turns sharp. “I trust you’ll keep this information to yourself for now.”

I can’t help the scowl that crosses my face. “I told you before, I’m not in the business of outing people.”

Holden, seemingly recovered from his shock, gives me an appraising look. “Andyou’rereally capable of keeping Brie safe?”

I fix him with a stare that has made tougher men than him cower. To his credit, he only flinches a little.

“Pack your shit,” I tell Brie, turning away from Holden. “We’re moving you to Solara. It’s safer than being surrounded by potential killers.”

I realize my mistake too late, when Holden pipes up, “What’s Solara?”

Fuck.

Brie’s voice is carefully casual as she explains. “It’s a place where Terry built a house for me, out in the desert. A safe place. He swore me to secrecy about it.”

I catch a flash of something in Holden’s eyes. “I didn’t know.”

“He didn’t wantanyoneto know,” she assures him. “He was never there with me—it was my place.Ismy place. Mine alone.”

“Sheknows.” Holden nods at me coldly.

“She’s protecting me.”

“She’s from the Consortium!”

“She isstanding right here,” I say impatiently, and then say again. “Brie, pack your shit.”

“Terry always had your best interests at heart,” Holden says sadly, still stuck on this secret that he didn’t know.

Brie’s face softens. “And yours. He loved you very much. You know that, right?”

They embrace, and I feel like an intruder. But when Brie pulls back, her face is all business. “Holden, could you personally set up my guest room for tonight? Nik will be staying here, but I’d rather no one else knew for now.”

“I’m sorry,” I say coolly, “perhaps you didn’t hear me before. We’re not staying here.”

She doesn’t even glance my way. “I’m not leaving,” she tells me. “There’s too much to deal with after Terry’s death. Frank keeps asking me to make appearances for the Family, and I have a job to do.”

“A job to do?”

She doesn’t reply, but after she disappears to get dressed, Holden turns to me. His eyes are hard, his voice low. “You might be some tough-as-nails arms dealer, but if you hurt Brie, or let her get hurt, you’ll answer to me.”

I could take this pipsqueak out without breaking a sweat, but I respect loyalty. I give him a single nod, and he seems satisfied. He leaves, muttering about organizing the room next door.

Brie returns a few minutes later, dressed in a short, glittering gold cocktail dress that makes me want to put sunglasses on. It’s strapless and seems to be held up by willpower alone. And her ears look like chandeliers with the amount of diamonds hanging from them. “What the hell is this?” I ask. “Someone tries to kill you, so you turn a damn spotlight on yourself?”

“I have a job to do,” she says stubbornly. “And I’m not going to hide away.”

“Whatjob?” I ask, exasperated.

She gets frosty as she draws herself up to her full height. We’re almost at eye level. Almost. “I know you and everyone else thinks that I was just a pretty face and a trophy wife for Terry Colombo. But the truth is, I worked just as hard as he did for this Family. I’m the fucking face of the Golden Sands—andthe Colombo Family. And I’ll be damned if I won’t do my job just because you think it’d makeyourseasier to hide me away in the desert.”

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