Page 15 of The Deal

I keep telling myself that I’m just concerned about her walking home alone at this time of night, and while that’s true in part, that sinking feeling in my stomach tells me that there’s a lot more going on here.

Antonio doesn’t push further. He knows that if I want to give him more information, I will … which I don’t. I’m still trying to make sense of it all myself.

Am I doing this because she rejected me? Possibly. She’s the first woman ever to tell me no, but I think it has more to do with her than the knockback I received. She was a standout, and it’s been a long time since anyone captured my attention like she did.

The next angle shows her leaving the hotel. Without me having to ask, Antonio switches to the cameras on the exterior of the building, zooming in on her as she stands on the sidewalk.

My heart begins beating faster as I study her. She looks from left to right as she wraps her arms around herself and rubs her forearms. Her vulnerability is again calling me at the highest level.

“Is that your shirt she’s wearing?” Antonio asks, breaking me out of the spell she seems to have me under.

“Yes … I kind of ruined hers.”

He barks out a laugh as I slide my phone out of my pocket and pull up my driver’s number.

Me: I’m ready to leave. Meet me out in front.

Nico: Okay, boss. I’ll be there in a few minutes.

“We are leaving,” I say, shoving my phone back into my pocket and turning towards the door.

When I open it, I find Enzo standing outside with his arms crossed over his massive chest. He’s staring down the two hotel security guys I kicked out of the control room when I arrived.

Monitoring the cameras may be their job, but I own this place. Although they may work for me, I don’t know them personally, so I didn’t want them involved in my business. Hence, I removed them.

I continue towards the exit, and my men fall in beside me. “Is that a fat lip?” I ask Enzo as we enter the revolving glass doors.

“The cocksucker came in from the side … it was the only hit he got in.”

I chuckle to myself as I step into the cool night air. Nico is already waiting beside the car, so I head in that direction.

“Mr Mancini,” he says, opening the rear door.

“Nico.”

Antonio slides in beside me, and Enzo rounds the car and sits in the front passenger seat. The others head towards the vehicle parked behind us.

Once Nico is seated behind the wheel, he eyes me in the rear-view mirror. “To the house?” he asks.

“No. I want to drive around for a bit.”

Antonio side-eyes me but knows better than to question my decisions.

It’s been over half an hour since she exited the hotel, so common sense tells me she’s probably already left the area by now, but I still feel compelled to drive around just in case.

I have zero information on her—I don’t even know her fucking name—so this may be my only chance to see her again.

I wish I’d come downstairs sooner.

“I think it’s safe to say she’s tucked up in bed by now,” Antonio grumbles before blowing out a frustrated breath.

I know he’s right, but a part of me wants to keep searching. We’ve been driving around for over an hour and have been down almost every street within a five-kilometre radius of the hotel.

The cameras only showed the direction she walked off in, so I don’t know where she went from there.

“Can we go back to that car that was broken down on the side of the road?” I ask my driver.

“Fuck,” I hear Antonio mutter under his breath as he scrubs his hand down his face.

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