Page 62 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

Joshua glances at me, then responds. “Yeah, we got him.”

“Is Dominic okay?”

I can hear the concern in her voice, which prompts me to speak. “Yeah, I’m good, Flowers.”

The rest of the agents burst into the room. I stay silent, watching as they drag Torres out of the room. My chest tightens with unease.

Shadow.

Whoever the hacker is, they don’t only know who I am. It’s possible they also know my true identity. And if they’re good enough to have that information, there’s no telling how far they’re willing to go with it—and what else he or she could possibly know.

My jaw tightens as I look around the room. First things first, I need to take care of Torres.

If he recognized me, then there’s no way he can be allowed to live. As soon as we step outside, I’m about to send a text to Nicholas. I receive a text instead.

Unknown Number: Don’t worry, Dominic. Torres won’t say a thing about you to the Feds.

My jaw tightens.

Me: Who the hell are you?

Unknown Number: An old friend of yours. The one you think about every night before you go to sleep.

My brows furrow. It doesn’t take a genius to realize that whoever this is, it’s the hacker that was helping Torres. But I have no clue what he means by his being an old friend.

Me: Sounds a little obsessive. Not my style.

Unknown Number: I’m pretty sure Madelyn would disagree on that. I’m her old friend as well.

My grip around the phone tightens and rage pulses through me at the fact that he even thought to mention her. Even worse, it seems he’s been watching us. I don’t send anything more; I just wait for what else he has to say.

Unknown Number: It’s funny how the two of you found each other. Amusing what fate can do. It made my work so much easier. You led me right to her, Dominic.

Me: If you go near her, if you touch even a single strand on her head, I’ll murder you.

Unknown Number: You’ll have to find me first, won’t you? But don’t worry. I’m going to be kind and leave you a hint. I’ve left you several hints, actually, but let’s see if you’re smart enough to figure it all out. This is the last one. My name is Specter. Catch me if you can, Dominic. Because if you don’t, Madelyn will pay the price.

I send another text warning him to stay away, but it doesn’t deliver. When I try the number, the call doesn’t connect. I let out a soft growl. There’s trouble on the horizon.

My mind whirs as I go over the conversation, trying to figure out what he meant. The asshole was practically talking in riddles, but every word leaves me with an uneasy feeling in my chest.

What the hell did he mean, Madelyn and I found each other?

Ifound her. Fate had nothing to do with it.

But something keeps tugging at my chest. Lines I never even considered begin connecting in my mind, and it suddenly dawns on me that my connection with Madelyn may be much deeper than I realized.

CHAPTER 16

Madelyn

We fucking did it. We finally got Torres.

“Yes, yes, yes!” I cheer in my empty office, even doing a little dance in my seat.

This. This is what makes working for the FBI worth it. I might not be here for the right reasons, but there’s this insane relief that comes with knowing I helped to keep the streets of Chicago safer by putting away vermin like Torres. The man deserves to spend the rest of his life in jail, and I’m glad we finally get to make that happen.

As soon as I see the van arrive through the security cameras, I jump up from my seat to welcome them. When I step outside, though, the energy feels unusually charged. Tight expression greet me from my coworkers and I glimpse a couple of unhappy faces.

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