Page 47 of Rise of Temptation

“No offense,” Sal interjects, “but no one thought that anyway. You’re way too protective of her. And she lives here.”

“The answer is no,” I reiterate, but I know he’s right. The whole organization probably knows there’s something special about her, but I hope they just think she has a magic pussyrather than a job that they would deem her worth killing for.

Joey slumps back in his seat, dejected, and I shrug. “Anything else? I’d like to bring her down if you promise not to shoot her on sight.”

The other two look to Frankie, who we all know is the most likely to shoot first and ask questions later. Or never.

“Sure, bring her in,” he says, shrugging like he doesn’t care either way. “I want to see how useful she actually is.”

I narrow my eyes, not missing the fact that he didn’t promise not to kill her; he just probably won’t do it before he’s had a chance to see for himself if she’s trustworthy. But it’s the best I’m going to get, so I send her a text to come down to my office as fully clothed as possible. It’s time to see if we can all work together without bloodshed.

Chapter 35

Elise

“Fully clothed? Is this a trick?” I mutter to myself when I see Enzo’s text. I don’t know if he means my regular uniform as opposed to the lingerie he sometimes has me wear or if he wants me in a parka, so I compromise and throw on my normal workout clothes: leggings and a sports bra. Before leaving my room, I toss on a zip-up sweatshirt for good measure. My sneakers finish the outfit, and I head down the stairs, keeping my eyes and ears peeled for anything out of the ordinary.

When I walk into Enzo’s office, I’m surprised to see the other three sitting there. But the thing that unsettles me is the matching looks of anger and hurt on each of their faces.

“What’s going on?” I ask cautiously, thinking someone must have died for them to all be so visibly upset.

“You could’ve told us,” Joey says quietly, and I glance between them all in confusion.

“Told you what?”

“I just told them why you’re really here,” Enzo explains. “And now I’d like to have a meeting, but they have some concerns.”

“You couldn’t have warned me that I was walking intoan interrogation and possibly my death?” I ask, glancing at Frankie. He hasn’t moved a muscle since I walked in, and I get the feeling he’s fighting against his instinct to take me out like the threat he perceives me to be.

“You wanted me to tell them,” Enzo points out. He’s sitting in his seat with his hands steepled in front of his mouth, the picture of relaxation. If it weren’t for the slight twitch in his temple, I’d never guess he was worried about the outcome of this meeting.

“Yeah, you needed to tell them,” I agree. “But warn me next time.”

Enzo gestures at the empty chair next to Joey, and I take a seat. It’s weird to be in here without Enzo’s dick inside of me, but I’m excited to be a real part of the team. If the other three accept me, that is. I still have to win them over and prove that I can be useful.

“Are we just jumping right in, then?” I ask. The silence from Sal, Joey, and Frankie is awkward and uncomfortable. I’m still wary of Frankie, who is the most likely to snap and shoot me right here in Enzo’s office, but he hasn’t said a word, and I’m not sure what I can do to reassure him that I’m on his side except talk about the case.

“Yes. Do you have anything new for us?” Enzo asks, and I shake my head.

“It’s been silent on my end, but I still think we should be focusing on the Irish. They have the motive and the means to pin it all on the Russians, and their motive is strong. Lost money, lost power, and the embarrassment that comes with it? I’m surprised their retaliation wasn’t bigger, honestly.”

“But we have no proof that it’s them,” Enzo argues. “The Russians could just as easily be feeding us information that makes it seem like the Irish are setting them up. And since they’re the ones that the actual trafficking evidence is pointingto, we have to keep them as our primary focus. Just because the Irish have a reason to want them to go down for this, doesn’t mean they’re involved.”

“Enzo’s right,” Frankie says, breaking his silence for the first time since I arrived. “But we also should’ve been able to figure out how they’re using the club by now, and we haven’t.”

“Have we heard anything from Karissa yet?” I ask.

“I talked to her the other day,” Joey answers. “She hasn’t heard anything. In fact, she said it’s been just a little quieter than usual over there. But hopefully she’ll have something for us soon.”

“We can’t rule out the possibility that it’s someone else entirely. Someone we haven’t thought of yet,” Frankie points out.

“But who—”

I’m interrupted by the sound of the front door opening and someone running down the hall.

“Elise,” Enzo says. “Get under the desk. Now.”

I realize with a start that just because the men in this room have been apprised of my real identity, that doesn’t mean anyone else can know. And that means I’m still going to be playing the role of Enzo’s whore when there are soldiers around.

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