Page 71 of Traitor

“Took you long enough,” I said.

He quickly changed out his magazine. “You were right. Lorenzo had the place bugged back at that party a few weeks back. My head of security found three more devices while I was on my way.”

“Well, I was prepared to pull the trigger if your entrance through the back didn’t work.”

He holstered his gun. “That’s what he gets for splitting his brother’s forces between two homes.”

I smiled. “I’m really glad you’re okay. I was worried there for a little bit.”

He walked up and held my hips in his hands. “Come on. Let’s go find those boxes and get them turned over to the police. I have two contacts in the department waiting on them.”

I leaned my head against his chest. “We really had them fooled, didn’t we?”

He brushed his fingers through my hair. “From beginning to end.”

I sighed with relief. “Let’s go. I’m ready to end this.”

And with our fingers intertwined, we took our time walking through the winding maze of hallways in Lorenzo’s place. We put bullets into anyone that came barreling in our direction as I poked my head into rooms.

Then, we happened upon the deserted office filled to the brim with boxes.

“I’ll get Gallo and Mancini on the line,” Teo said.

And I smiled as I flicked on the light. “Time to end this, once and for all.”

29

Charlotte

Six Months Later…

As I stood inside a firm that once belonged to myself and my mother, I heaved a heavy sigh. So much had changed over the past few months, but nothing hit home quite like being back in the States. I hadn’t set foot into my office in months. And while the staff figured it was because of the ‘accidental death’ of my mother while on a ‘working holiday overseas’, my clients knew the truth.

Hell, everyone in the criminal underground world knew the truth.

After taking down the Lucchese Empire and throwing the rest of those bastards in prisons all across the country, I’d made quite a name for myself. Mateo didn’t like the fact that I’d been flying back and forth to my office here in the States, but we made it work. However, now that the last of the Luccheses had been sent off to the Hague to be tried for his crimes against humanity, I was packing up my office.

You know, since I’d sold it off.

“We’re really going to miss you, Charlotte.”

“A job in Italy!? Good for you. It’s good to get away sometimes.”

“Are you going to come back and visit at all?”

“You know I’m here if you ever need to talk.”

The staff was nice enough with their words and their hugs. I didn’t feel bad about leaving them, though. The second I announced that my mother’s firm was up for grabs—sans the clientele—I had interested buyers from every corner of the globe descending upon it. They offered me more money than I would’ve even advertised this place for, and after three days of negotiating back and forth, Pettigrew Law had officially been turned over to someone by the name of ‘Patrick Black’.

He seemed nice enough.

After giving hugs to everyone and letting people kiss my cheek, I lugged my cardboard box of things out the front door. With a cool seven million in my back pocket sitting in an offshore account with my name on it, I made my way for the rental car I’d been using for the past week. I slid my stuff into the backseat before easing behind the wheel, and now it felt weird to be sitting on the stereotypical driver’s side instead of in the passenger’s seat to drive.

“Guess I’m settling in better than I thought,” I murmured with a smile.

I cranked the engine and made my way to the Four Seasons, where Teo had the entire penthouse rented out for the rest of the month. Despite the fact that we were leaving the country for good in a couple of days, I knew he’d want the penthouse cleaned from top to bottom. Just in case.

And as I rose up the elevator toward the decadent hotel room, I was greeted with a shirtless Teo holding up two crystal glasses and a bottle of champagne.

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