Page 23 of The Mafia's Omega Queen

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Thirty long minutes later, Doc says his goodbyes and leaves without a backward glance. I’m going to miss the weird fucker, but damn. I hope I don’t need to see him again in the near future.

My guys are M.I.A, so I take my chance to visit Vinny’s office. Besides going over what he needs to show me, I think it’s time to put the alpha out of his misery and give him my answer. I just hope he’s up to the challenge I’ll be presenting him with. If not, well, his loss, I guess.

The office door is open a crack, and I slip through, finding Vinny in the midst of a tense phone call. The lines etched on his face are more pronounced, only getting deeper with every word he hears. Whatever is going on can’t be good. He points at the chair in front of his desk and slides a folder across the smooth surface toward the place he wants me to sit.

Perching on the edge of the seat, I grasp the folder and place it in my lap, sitting back and putting my socked feet up on the ledge, earning myself a glare from the alpha himself. I wink at him, then turn my attention toward the stack of papers contained within the file. The phone number at the top looks unfamiliar, but the numerous highlighted ones stand out. They’re an area code close to home, and my eyebrows pinch as I think of who lives in that territory.

It takes a moment, but when it clicks, a gasp parts my lips, and my eyes snap to Vinny’s. He nods, still listening to the call, but obviously knowing I’ve made the connection. The question is, who the hell does the main number belong to?

While he finishes up the call, I continue scanning the papers, completely astonished at how often these two numbers have communicated with one another. Finally, Vinny gives the person on the other end of the line a terse goodbye and hangs up, placing his cell facedown on the desk.

“I’m guessing you recognize the number.” He nods toward the sheets in my hand.

“It took a minute, but that’s Lionel Kilroy’s territory. The number itself looks partially familiar, but I’m not 100% positive,” I murmur, stuffing the contents back into the jacket.

“That’s Lionel’s personal number. Arden has been digging through Bianca’s call logs; that’s who the number at the top belongs to, and that’s what he found. We just haven’t been able to figure out the connection between the two.”

“Well, fuck.”

“Fuck indeed.”

I snort, making Vinny laugh. It’s a sound I’ve grown to enjoy hearing. He never laughed enough in the beginning. Always so damn serious, no matter what was happening. But now? The man seems a thousand pounds lighter and much happier than he’s ever been. And I hope to keep that going when I give him the answer he’s been dying to hear.

Vinny abandons his chair and comes around his desk, planting his ass right next to my feet. He grabs one and starts digging his thumbs into the arch, earning himself an obscene groan.

“So, what’s our next step? Bianca is obviously hiding out somewhere, and who knows what it’s going to take to get her to reveal herself. Any chance you fancy playing bait?”

“Not happening, princess. I’ll kill the bitch before we get the answers we need. And I think that goes for any of us if we were to see her out in public. That’s why I have my guys out actively looking for her, and Archie, for that matter. Both seem to have disappeared.”

Something stinks here, and it’s not from passing gas. We’re missing a vital piece of this puzzle. The question is, though, what is that missing piece?

“Has Arden been able to get into Kilroy’s call logs? Or Archie’s, for that matter?”

Vinny tilts his head, pursing his lips. “Kilroy’s yes. He has a program running through it, but I haven’t been updated yet on if anything has been found. We’ve had open access to Archie’s logs, but it’s been stagnant lately, with him disappearing. He has it set to ping if it’s used, but beyond that, there isn’t much to do with it.”

I tap the folder in my hand, ignoring the way Vinny’s nimble fingers travel up my ankle, and start massaging my calf. I bite my bottom lip and swallow the moan wanting to break free at the feeling of his strong hands on my body. He’s trying to kill me via touch while I’m doing everything in my power not to show it’s affecting me.

Damn him.

Unable to take it anymore, I pull my leg free from his clutches, planting both feet on the floor. “Have Arden get back into Archie’s logs and cross-reference it with Bianca’s. Call it a hunch, but she’s been talking to Lionel, so it’s not a far-fetched idea that she’s been in contact with him too.”

Vinny tucks his hands in his pockets, crossing one ankle over the other. “What makes you think they know each other?”

I lick my lips. “Something she said before she attacked me. She said it was all her doing the night the compound was attacked by Archie’s men. That she set the whole thing up. If that’s the case, how the hell does she know Archie also? Did Kilroy set them up to work together? Did Kilroy fabricate the entire thing using them both as pawns in a much larger game we don’t know about? Either way, he’s basically the middle man between his son and Bianca.”

“Fuck, princess. You’re brilliant and definitely onto something here. I’ll get Arden checking into that right away.”

“Anything else you need me for? I’d love the chance to take an actual shower without having to basically mummy wrap myself.” Vinny lets out a loud guffaw and stands, reaching down to me and pulling me from the chair. He squeezes me tight, and I bury my nose in his chest, breathing in his leather and sin scent.

“That’s all, Haylee. I’ll let you know if Arden finds anything,” he murmurs, his lips pressed into the crown of my head.

I disentangle myself from his temptation and head toward the door, adding extra swing in my hips, knowing his eyes are zeroed in on my ass.

“By the way, princess. Don’t think your men won’t punish you this evening for your little stunt with Doc.”

I giggle, spinning back around. “I look forward to it. Oh, and before I go, the answer is yes. But don’t think I’ll make it easy for you.”

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