Page 87 of Corrupted Seduction

“Whoa. Chomping at the bit,fratellone?” Cielo joked.

“Are you telling me you wouldn’t be gunning to get your hands on some scumbag just for the hell of it?”

He shrugged, not bothering to deny it. There was a reason why Cielo was good at what he did. Loyal to a fault, for sure, but my brother got a twisted pleasure from the shit he handled so adeptly.

“He comes up clean, boss,” Vito went on. “At least, according to a background check. The architectural firm on the business card is legit—” He waved the business card from Heidi’s purse. “And his name came up there too—Nathaniel Alexander Sinclair. According to the firm’s records, he recently transferred here from the head office in London.”

“So, this Sinclair is on the level?” I asked. “I’m not buying it.”

It wasn’t the chance meeting with Heidi at the cemetery that had my radar up, or even the way the asshole had deliberately touched her when he’d handed her that card—though I would have had no problem ripping off his fingers one by one for doing it.

I shook my head. “The moment I saw him, Vito, my gut told me something about the guy was off.”

He nodded. “And your gut might be right,” he said, handing me a handful of grainy photographs. “We did what you said and ran the photo we took at the cemetery against the surveillance footage outside the Regalton Arms,” he explained.

“Smart,” Cielo said, nodding approvingly.

“It took six hours and Aurelio’s sharp eye, but there he is,” Vito went on, pointing to a photo that was time-stamped six days ago.

Nathaniel Sinclair was there, just standing outside the building. He could have been walking by it or meeting someone nearby. Hell, he worked for an architectural firm; he could have been surveying the site, looking to make a bid on the reconstruction project. All viable explanations.

“Do we know where he’s staying?” I asked.

Vito nodded. “You don’t think I’m an amateur here, do you, boss?”

He flipped over the photo, and written on the back in Vito’s handwriting was an address. An apartment building two blocks from Bianchi’s.

“Another coincidence?” Cielo asked, his voice thick with sarcasm.

“That’s just too many coincidences in my books,” I said. “I want someone keeping an eye on him. If he was outside the Regalton Arms, then I think it’s a safe bet to assume he knows about the money. It’s only a matter of time before he makes a move to retrieve it.”

But what the hell did he want with Heidi?

“You got it, boss. Do you want me to pull Bruno off Dr. Dawson to keep an eye on Sinclair?”

“Hell, no,” I snapped before I noticed the way Vito’s lips were twitching. “Stronzo,” I muttered under my breath, realizing the game he was playing. I’m not sure I liked this new side of Vito. “Since Sinclair seems to have an interest in both Dr. Dawson and the Regalton Arms, I want surveillance on both.”

But who the hell was I kidding? Vito was well aware of where I’d been spending my late-night hours. A habit I was very soon going to have to break.

“I have a man in London who owes me a favor,” Cielo said. “I could have him look into that firm from his end. It couldn’t hurt to see what he turns up.”

“I’d appreciate it.Grazie, fratello.”

It struck me as odd that Cielo didn’t jump on the opportunity to give me a hard time about Heidi. Very odd.

“I’ll go make some phone calls,” he said, then he left the parlor, pulling his cell phone from his jacket pocket as he went.

I’d only just stepped into the foyer, intending to seek out my father, when a knock sounded on the front door and Giovanni appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, to answer it.

Even without seeing her, it only took about a second and a half to figure out who it was. I think the girl’s energy practically radiated into the foyer the moment Giovanni opened the door.

“Buonasera, SignorinaAgossi,” Giovanni said as he stepped back to let Greta in.

A Greta who was dressed in a strapless navy blue dress and stiletto heels, and who had her hair piled on top of her head in some sort of intricate braid or bun or some shit like that.

“Casual night in,amica?”I asked, smirking at her.

She scoffed. “Si, I got my ass into this dress, all so I could come over here and hang out with you. Hope you’re in the mood for anI Love Lucymarathon.”

---