Page 11 of Taming Nikki

I trailed my fingers down his arm with a smirk and ignored the complaints from the line of people waiting to get in as I stepped inside and followed the booming music down the long hallway to the club. This one was higher scale, well decorated. There were curtains over some booths in the corners to give the illusion of privacy. I followed the flow of the bodies to another hallway near the back. I wasn’t here just to fuck around in his club. I was here to send a message.

Down the hallway past the bathrooms, the music faded until just the low bass could be heard. There was a lone door at the end that was locked, though not very securely. It was either an office or a supply closet. I shrugged, using the old credit card trick to pop the lock and slip inside.

Bingo. I just found Leo Vitale’s office.

Even after I flicked on the lights, the office was dark and moody. The walls were painted black and the furniture all dark colors. A buttery soft leather couch sat against one wall with a coffee table in front of it. Shelves lined the walls with filing cabinets between them, all locked. I dropped into the chair behind his desk and groaned. Damn this thing was comfortable.

I was curious how long I’d be in here before someone took notice. I pulled out a USB from my purse, slid it into his computer, and pressed the power button. The ones I made for my customers were simple and difficult to trace back to me. You were given a password on payment, plug it in and bam, there’s your information. This little baby was different, special. It housed a virus I made myself when I was pissed off at Papa for one reason or another. I wanted to remind him I wasn’t a pushover.

The virus was simple. It crippled the system after a certain amount of time, unless I was at home to shut it down. I never actually used it on my papa. I realized it was better to keep him in the dark about what I could do, but I used it a few times when dealing with little shits who couldn’t mind their own business. I didn’t even need to be logged into the computer for it to work.

I pulled a cigarette out of my purse and lit it while I waited for the computer to load. I only smoke when I’m in a bad mood, which has been more and more often lately. The login screen came up, and I was fully prepared to try out a few passwords out of curiosity, but the fucker didn’t even bother securing it. I just pressed enter and voilà, I was in. Dumbass.

It took another five minutes before someone finally realized I was here. I had already browsed through the system and left a small backdoor in case Vitale ever tried to fuck with me again. I turned off the monitor right as someone pushed the door open. They came to a halt when they realized it wasn’t their boss behind the desk.

“You’re not supposed to be in here.”

I chuckled, putting my feet casually on the desk. “I’m waiting for your boss.”

He looked uncertain and his gaze jerked down the hall before it settled on me again. “Come back when he’s here.”

I finished the cigarette and put it out in the ashtray on the desk. “I’m sure he’s already on his way. What’s your name?”

He shot another look down the hallway, probably hoping for backup. “Jimmy.”

“Well, Jimmy. If I were you, I’d want to find somewhere else to look busy because I’ve been in here a while and you never knew. I wonder how your boss will feel about that.”

His face paled a little, and he swallowed hard. His eyes shifted between me and the hall. I tried not to laugh. I assumed he was supposed to be monitoring things down here and got distracted. Probably by a hot piece of ass. He stepped farther in the room and his hand moved behind him.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you. You aren’t the only one who’s armed.”

It was low, a warning. I didn’t shoot people unless I absolutely had to and so far I haven’t had to. Threats worked just as well and there was less clean up after. His eyes trailed over me, landing on the gun strapped to my thigh. I raised an eyebrow.

“He’s gonna kill you, you know.”

I just grinned. “We’ll see.”

ChapterSix

LEO

I had beencurious about Nicole before. Now, though, she was showing her true colors. She broke into my office while she had a tail and no one seemed to fucking notice. Jimmy called me to let me know he was with her, right as I pulled up. After I dealt with her, I’d need to deal with my security. She shouldn’t have been able to even get close.

The security guard out front jumped to attention, pulling the rope aside for me. A few of my guys arrived before I did and were waiting for me at the entrance of the hall to my office.

“Mikey, take Frankie and his mama home. They’re waiting outside.” He nodded once and disappeared back the way I came. “How long has she been here?”

“Ten, maybe fifteen minutes max.”

I snarled, storming down the hall. That’s too fucking long. Jimmy stood by the open door, his face pale. I’d deal with him later. Stepping into my office, I was shocked to find her in my chair, her feet up on the desk like she belonged there. Fury ripped through me. Morelli’s daughter or not, she crossed a fucking line. I sucked in a breath, reaching for some semblance of calm.

“You must be fucking stupid.”

A slow, lazy grin crossed her face. “I could say the same thing about you. Your security sucks, by the way.”

“What are you doing here?”

She pulled out a cigarette, lighting it casually. Too fucking casually. She wasn’t afraid in the slightest. It would be sexy if I wasn’t so pissed off right now.

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