Page 47 of Mob Boss's Second Chance

She gives me a pointed, half-ed look. “See? I’m not saying you shouldn’t have fun, but I’m the last person you ought to take advice from. I’m delusional, darling. And you’re not.”

Am I, though? Smart, that is.

I think I’m falling for a man who I know next to nothing about. I know what he smells like, and I know what his kisses feel like.

“I need help,” I murmur.

Or I’m going to lose it completely.

Chapter Fourteen

Ethan

Isense trouble and a bit of something else when Joe Geller walks into my office. The usual confident I’m-out-to-get-you gait is gone, replaced by a more somber yet determined aura.

It’s probably because he and his team couldn’t get anything other than thatoneclub. I’ve taken care of it like I said I would, and Anthony has been laying low lately.

“What do you want, Joe Geller?” I ask without preamble, folding my arms. “And you have three minutes, or I’ll have you thrown out of my office. Not escorted,” I clarify, “thrown out.”

He smiles at me, but I see the shaky end to it. “You might’ve pulled some strings, Mr. Cross, but I hope you know that a case that’s postponed isn’t necessarily buried.”

And?

“But,” he smacks his lips as he sits, “I’m here to offer you a deal on behalf of my superior.”

Joe Geller smacks his lips as he settles into the chair, exuding an air of false confidence. He wants to believe he’s in control, but he isn’t. Not even close. Still, I let him play his little game—for now.

“I’m here to offer you a deal on behalf of my superior,” he begins, leaning back like he has all the time in the world.

I glance at my watch.

He has exactly three minutes.

“You have quite a bit under your belt,” he continues, reaching into his briefcase. A file lands on my desk with a soft thud. “This is just a fraction of what your company controls. We’re prepared to let go of the case if you make a… significant contribution to—”

“A bribe?” I cut in sharply, my voice laced with disbelief. “You’re asking for a bribe?”

He clears his throat, his face tinged with an embarrassing shade of red. “Not at—”

“You want me to give up control so one of your superiors can sink their slimy hands into it,” I say, my tone dripping with disgust. “And you expect me to believe it’s not a bribe?”

He clears his throat again and reaches for his tie, pulling it loose. “I’m not against bribes, Joe,” I say, matter-of-factly, tilting my head. “I think giving people what they want makes the world go round. I’m not saying I do it,” I add with a raised finger, erasing any chance of a recorded confession. “Yet, there’s something I don’t understand.”

Something that disgusts me.

My face is hardened, and my voice is cold. I imagine reaching across the desk and strangling him with his tie. “How is it that you threaten me and then turn around to convince me that giving up what I own is best for me?”

“How?” My fingers drum on the desk, each one laced with a lazy threat. “How is it that you’re not here on your knees, begging me? Do you think my forgiveness is that easy to win?”

“I didn’t.” He shakes his head vehemently. “I was going to offer something else. Something you’d like.”

Oh?I click my tongue, and my anger dials down a notch. “You could’ve started with that. You have a minute.”

“Insider information,” he says rapidly. “We know people that want to take you down. We can give you what you need to get ahead of them in exchange for what I’ve requested. The information will be legitimate—” he nods quickly when I frown. “You don’t have to worry about that.”

Luckily for me, I know when a person is telling the truth.

The eyes.

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