Page 1 of The Mob Boss' Pet

Chapter One

Stephania

The sun blinds me as I walk down the street to my favorite coffee spot. Everyone has one in Chicago; Peet’s Coffee, Starbucks, or whatever. My loyalty lies with the family-owned bistro on the corner of Taylor and Mills, Tuscany Bistro. It’s never overcrowded, and they have the best brew.

I dig my sunglasses out from my bag and slip them over my nose. At the tail end of my shift, a car accident came into the emergency room, keeping me at the hospital until three in the morning. After not getting much sleep last night and having to gear up for my afternoon shift I’m in dire need of a strong coffee. And one of their Danishes wouldn’t hurt either.

The café is mostly empty when I walk in. A blast of cool air hits me, drying the small beads of sweat the summer sun caused along my temples. I love the walk from my apartment to the bus stop, but the humidity makes it a little less enjoyable.

“Hey!” Tony waves at me when he catches me walking toward the register. Tony has run the Tuscany Bistro since his father retired ten years ago. His son and daughter work with him most days, but they aren’t behind the counter like normal.

I push my sunglasses up on top of my head.

“Morning, Tony.” I tap my fingers on the countertop. “It’s hot as hell out there today. I think iced coffee is the way to go.” I dig out my wallet, but Tony isn’t punching any keys on the register. I look up and find him looking off to the left of me. Following his gaze, I find two men sitting at a table near the front windows. They’re dressed nice in black suits. It’s too humid to be wearing so much clothing. A wave of heat washes over me just looking at them. The bigger of the two is puffing on a cigar.

“Tony, is everything okay?” I ask him. There’s no smoking in any public buildings in Chicago. Tony knows this, so why hasn’t he kicked them out?

“What? Oh. Yes, yes, everything’s fine. What did you want to order today?” Tony straightens up and looks down at the register in front of him. Tuscany Bistro is still old school; they haven’t switched over to the new smart pads everyone’s using now.

“A large iced coffee,” I repeat my order.

“Iced coffee. Got it.” He punches the codes into the screen with a shaky finger. I glance back at the two men; they’re watching us carefully. The smoker lets out a cloud of smoke then brings the cigar back to his lips. His suit jacket pulls up with his movement. Blood spatter covers the cuff of his sleeve.

“Where’s Carlos and Eleanor today?” I ask Tony, keeping my voice steady and handing over my money.

Tony’s eyes dart to the kitchen door then back at me. He forces a smile to his lips. Tony has one of those contagious smiles. He has a wide mouth, so when he grins his cheeks get all wrinkled on the sides. That’s not the case right now. Right now, his hands are trembling, and he keeps flicking his gaze to the men at the table.

“Tony?” I ask. He’s frozen again.

“Uh, coffee. Right.” He claps his hands together and moves behind the counter to get my drink. I step to the side and put my wallet away with my change, pulling out my phone. While Tony’s fluttering around back there with the coffee machine, I take the time to check social media. I hate it, but I can’t get away from it either.

Salvatore, my douchebag of an ex, hasn’t blocked me and as stupid as it is, I can’t help but scroll through his feed. Pictures of him and his girlfriend, the one he couldn’t get away from me fast enough to chase, litter the screen. I wasn’t home enough. That had been his excuse. I was always working.

Well, one of us needed to. And he wasn’t exactly rolling in the cash with his part-time mechanic position. Aside from that, I love my job. Emergency medicine is fast-paced and stressful, but every day I get to help people.

Salvatore is a cheating asshole, and my job had nothing to do with him not being able to keep it in his pants. I know that in my head, but when the image of him walking out of our apartment with the last of his crap hits me, my chest still tightens.

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