Page 39 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

I ignore the snark in favor of what I came to say, which is actually quite serious.

“There’s a small issue, boss. People aren’t taking the Christmas games as seriously as they should be. I’ve only had two people sign up for activities apart from me—Kenny and the nice cleaning lady. That’s it. I’m disappointed, horrified, terrified, mystified, and rapidly running out words that end in ‘-fied’…”

Joshua chuckles. “I’ll sign up for something today, and I’ll make sure to remind everyone at the meeting tomorrow that the games are mandatory.”

I beam. “Yes, thank you. That would be very helpful.”

“Anything else I can help with?”

“Yeah, could you please tell your asshole of a best friend to give me access to his database?” I request, my lips curled down in a frown.

His eyes lighten with amusement. “My ‘asshole of a best friend,’ as you’ve so aptly put it, unfortunately does not listen to me. You’d have better luck convincing him to do anything than I would. What do you need the database for, anyway? The Bureau’s database isn’t good enough?”

I shake my head. “Unfortunately no. The Bureau’s database only has detailed information on criminals and basic information on everyone else. Dominic’s database has detailed information on everyone. Don’t ask me how he got it; I’m pretty sure it involved a lot of hard work and a lot of illegal activities.”

“Yeah, that’s probably right,” he says on a smile. “Exactly who do you need to look into?”

“The man who was in the video with Torres. He’s not coming up in our database, so I want to see if Dominic has any information on him. It could help us get a clue on Torres’s whereabouts.”

What I don’t add is that I’m almost sure the other man’s a member of the mafia, and if we can get confirmation of that, then the FBI will have no choice but to investigate them.

“Hmm,” Joshua says thoughtfully. “Have you thought about just asking Dominic to use the database?”

“Sure, but talking to him gives me a headache. On good days, he actually speaks, but most of the time he’s giving me affirmative grunts or a thumbs up.”

“He’s not the biggest talker,” Joshua says fondly. “But you two seem to talk a lot. Maybe he likes you.”

“The guy’s an unfeeling robot; he doesn’t like anybody. But he is stalking me for some reason. Which I have yet to find out. Which reminds me, I have beef with you. You gave him a job here and basically encouraged him to overturn my life.”

“You don’t seem to be complaining much,” he points out, not even bothering with a denial.

“I’m complaining a lot. I want Dominic out of my life. I want Dominic out of my life.” I repeat it three more times for good measure.

Joshua smirks. “He says you’re a good liar and that he doesn’t believe half the words that leave your lips most of the time.”

I throw my hands up in the air in defeat. “And now he’s besmirching my good name. And you think I’m tolerating the guy?”

“Yep,” Joshua answers easily. “Don’t worry, I won’t pretend to understand your weird relationship. As for the database, just ask him, okay?”

“He didn’t come in to work today,” I murmur.

“Yes. He’s fallen ill,” Joshua says.

My eyes widen and I feel a pulse of worry run through me. “Seriously? What’s wrong with him?”

“Nothing,” he replies, rolling his eyes. “He just didn’t want to come in to work. He’s taking asickday to rest.”

“Of course he is,” I mutter. “Okay, then. Nice talk. See you later, boss.”

He doesn’t stop me as I step out of his office and into mine. I try to concentrate on work but I keep glancing at the door, hoping Dominic will walk in.

It’s pathetic but I actually kind of miss him. Like I’ve summoned him with my thoughts, my phone buzzes on the desk, and when I lift it, there’s a text notification from him.

It’s two simple words.

Dominic: Miss me?

My jaw drops. I have to look around to confirm that he’s not secretly watching me from somewhere. And even if he was, how the hell could he know what I was thinking?

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