Page 4 of Mates & Mercenaries

“She will be in her room, as she won’t be joining us for the party. But I need to make sure no one goes after her. Especially when the three family heads will be in my home tonight to discuss the future of Chicago. I’m not taking any chances.”

I nod along, but I don’t know if the guys are going to be happy when they learn that we’re essentially babysitting tonight. They will go along with it, though. Why wouldn’t they when the pay is so decent? Plus, they’ll do whatever I say because that’s how my alpha status works. That’s how my guys work.

“I will introduce you to my daughter at some point, but right now I would like to know what your plans are. I can see that there is a lot of activity going on, which is great, but I would like to know just what is happening.”

“Of course, I can show you all the plans we have. In fact, I can take you for a walk around the building if you want, to show you firsthand what we’re doing if you like.” Well, I won’t be showing him all of my plans, though. I don’t want to draw any unnecessary attention my way because we aren’t just here to be security for the party. We’re here because I’m looking forward to finding which family head I can use to further my own criminal empire.

Evan pauses for a moment before nodding. “You know what? Good idea.”

“Great, let’s go.”

I’m pleased to know that I can find my way out of the building with only a little bit of guidance from Evan. Maybe it’s a sign that when crime makes me as wealthy as it has Evan, I won’t be getting lost in my mega mansion all the time. Although I’m definitely going to have a butler just in case.

“This is Rex.” It’s lucky we stumble across him first, because I can see Evan is impressed by the muscle this guy has. “Rex, this is Mr. Santorini.”

“Good to meet you, man.” Rex extends his hand to shake Evan’s, treating him just like he would anyone else. He hasn’t ever spoken to anyone like they are a boss or above him, but then he never treats anyone like they are below him either. “Good place you have here. Big, though, which means it’s a lot more work for us. You know how it is.” Rex laughs, showing Evan he’s joking.

The mafia boss chuckles along with Rex, charmed by him. “Yeah, well, I’m glad to have you guys here on the case.”

I step a little closer to Clay as Rex fills Evan in on everything he plans on doing, just to check that he’s got shit under control as well. Clay’s eyes are a little wide with worry, probably at having to talk to Evan, but I’m sure he’ll use his intelligence to show off and it’ll all be fine.

“Where’s Sam?” I ask quietly. “Is he still scouting out camera locations?”

Clay nods. “Yeah, I guess so. But it’s taking him a while. Would you like me to go find him? I’d much rather do that than whatever this is right here.”

I shake my head. “No, let’s wait for him here. Then we can all go together to meet Evan’s daughter, because apparently she’s our main priority tonight.”

Clay raises an eyebrow suspiciously but I shoot him a warning look. This is not up for discussion right now. If he has an issue with being a babysitter, we can talk about it later on when Evan isn’t pretty much right on top of us and wanting us to prove to him that we can keep his family safe from the mafia bosses he has decided to invite into his home.

I wonder what he meant when he said “the future of Chicago.” With a bit of luck, I’ll be in the know later on. I’m going to make sure I listen in as much as possible so I can work out the finer details of my plan.

I step back to let Clay show Evan what he’s doing. Once he gets over his nerves, everything is fine and he’s happy to keep on talking.

“So, where is the other one?” Evan asks. “I would like to know where he’s thinking about putting up the cameras. If he needs any advice from me, I can make sure we get all the angles covered. I don’t wantanythinguntoward to happen.”

“I’m sure Sam knows what he’s doing,” I insist, because I do know that much. Sam always knows what he’s doing. He really is the best of the best. “And you will meet him when he’s done with his examination. But didn’t you want to introduce us to your daughter?”

“Skylar, yes, of course.” He nods as if he forgot all about the main reason for us being here. “Let’s go and meet her now. But be warned, she might not be in the best mood. And she isn’t a lot of fun to be around when she’s in a shitty mood.”

I’m imagining a bratty little kid, or maybe a teenager who definitely doesn’t want to be babysat. Understandable, but she must have a little bit of an idea that her father is a dangerous man. She might not know how dangerous, which only means she will give us more attitude, but we can handle that. She’ll soon learn that I don’t take any shit.

“Are we all going?” Rex asks curiously, moving closer to me. “To meet her, I mean? Or should Clay and I keep going out here?”

“Nah, you come too. We might as well all get to know her while we have the time so she’s prepared for us this evening.”

I can feel Rex and Clay sharing a look behind me, but thank God they’re smart enough to keep their thoughts to themselves. We follow Evan through the house, in a different direction this time, which is a pain in the ass because I don’t have any clue where I am again. Fuck, is that why Sam is taking so long? Has he managed to get lost on the outside of this building? I wouldn’t be surprised. I’ll find him later, though. One thing at a time.

Evan yanks his ringing cell phone out of his pocket and answers the call, pressing the device to his ear. “Yes?”

I can’t hear what the person on the other end of the phone is saying, but they sound irate. Like we might have drama coming our way already. My hands clench into fists by my sides in preparation for whatever it might be. I don’t know which fucker I’ll have to fight, but I will do whatever it takes. Even if it’s just for the kid I’m babysitting.

“Oh, for fuck’s sake.” Evan stops walking and rakes his fingers through his hair. “Okay, well, that’s bullshit. I’m going to come and sort this out now. No, just wait where you are. I don’t want you to go anywhere. No, I don’t want you to do that either.”

He cuts off the call and looks at each of us in turn.

I suck in a sharp breath and wait for him to say something. Why the hell am I so on edge?

“So, I need to go and figure some shit out. I don’t want to leave you here, but I really have to go.”

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