Page 116 of Cassio (Belles & Mobsters 3)

“Yeah. Everyone thinks it belongs to her but it is his.” I blew another air into my coffee. “She owed him a favor, so she allowed him to use her name to get it. There are only three people that know about it. Well, five now.”

“How do you know?” Hunter’s voice was slightly suspicious.

I shrugged. “He invited me up there once, so I looked into it. He didn’t say he owned it, but he is the only one that goes there.” Chad let it slip a while back that he paid for it. I found it odd that it was in his sister’s name, but if he needed a place to hide, it made sense. “Chad’s money was used to purchase it.”

I pretended not to see the glance those two shared.

They’d hunt the crooked attorney. I’d hunt their half-brother.

ChapterThirty-Seven

CASSIO

Ifelt slightly guilty at asking Áine to remain at home while I intended to go to upstate New York. But not enough to tell her why. The nightmares she had didn’t need to continue during the daytime. We had Chad's location and soon we'd have the location to Marco. After all, if Chad was participating in the agreement, he would have received the invitation.

“I need to swing by my place to get my clothes, and I have some work to do.” With a coffee mug in her hands, she walked towards the window, watching the city. The sunlight coming through the windows hit just right, highlighting the different shades of dark merlot, bright scarlet, and those tones in her hair that glowed between the two. She seemed too accepting of staying and working from home and something nagged at me, but I didn’t want to question her. There would have to be trust between us and starting it by being suspicious at her easy surrender wasn’t the way to kickstart our marriage.

I watched her slim fingers with the wedding band wrapped around the mug.

“Good thing it is only downstairs,” Luca commented.

She smiled. “Totally convenient.” Her eyes shifted back to me. “I’m going to have Margaret come and keep me company if that’s okay.” I cocked my eyebrow. Áine wasn’t the type to ask permission. She must have realized the same because she quickly added, “I’m sure you have security all around. I just don’t want them to give her a hard time.”

I nodded. “I’ll tell my men.”

“Where are they anyhow?” she asked, blowing the steam off her coffee, gazing out the window. She looked at home in my place, with my shirt on her.

“You’re safe here,” I told her. “I have men in the garage, our private entrance, and on the roof.”

Her blue eyes glanced my way, a smile on her face. Why did I just feel tricked? “That’s good. Just tell them to make sure Margaret can come and go safely.”

An hour later, I left Áine in her apartment.

“Stay here until I’m back,” I instructed.

She arched her perfect eyebrow. “Where else would I be, Cassio?”

I should have known better.

* * *

We found the house.

Sure as shit, it looked like someone was staying here. Hiding was more likely. Alessio met us ten miles out. He was closer to Upstate New York since he lived in Canada. He ruled the Canadian East Coast. Though sometimes I wondered if he’d stay in thebusiness. The only reason he’d ever get out was for a woman. A very specific woman that happened to fight everything we did - drug smuggling, arms dealing, and of course, human trafficking which we didn’t do.

The three of us took our spots in the thick coverage of pines, at the edge of the woods about twenty feet from the home. A picturesque, white farmhouse sat in the middle of the lawn, overlooking a lake.

“Charming little place,” Alessio muttered. “His retirement home?”

“The fucked up state’s attorney continues his ‘I’m normal’ruse,” Luca snickered.

I spotted a barn in the back that looked connected to the house.

“Luca, do a scan and see if there is a way to enter the house from that barn,” I told him in a hushed tone.

Luca was on it before I finished the statement. Going through the front door would leave us too open. Barn seemed a much more viable option.

“There is a doorway from the barn into the house,” Luca finally announced, his eyes scanning his phone screen. Without another word or delay, we quietly moved towards it. We stuck to the shadows of the trees. Once we were by it, I pressed gently against the door, and with a low squeal, it opened.

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