Page 106 of One Secret

"I'm going to be making a change, Cyrus. My place, my job, my... connections."

"...you never intended to be truthful in the first place.'

"Not about this, no."

She never wanted me to know. Had I not threatened to shoot her, I would never have known.

She wants to leave and never look back... whispers the asshole in my head. She'll have your baby but not you.

And why would she? You tied her to a chair and threatened to shoot out her knees.

Oh my God...

I'm on my feet before I can stop myself.

'Going somewhere?' Felix narrows his eyes, trying to read the cause of my sudden anxiety.

Fuck.

I deliberately smooth away whatever emotion might be showing on my face and try to curl my lip into an arrogant sneer.

'If you're going to keep dancing around the subject, I'm not interested, Caruso,' I declare, trying to keep my heart rate even.

What if she gets herself free from that chair? What if she makes a run for it? Darcy might not have my resources but she's smart. Would I ever find her?

'Excuse me?' Felix questions.

'I don't stand for wasted time. I'm efficient,' I say, trying to ignore the itching worry that Darcy might be fleeing the hotel right now. 'It's part of my charm. Either tell me your condition or let me go.'

Recognizing that I'm on the brink of leaving his deal in the dust, Felix finally demands:

'I want the Machellis' retainer rates,' he admits. His green eyes flicker the lurid color of seaweed. 'For the Lorenzi, Aramacchi and Don Ferrigno lines.'

That has my attention.

Lorenzi, Aramacchi, and Don Ferrigno... the three largest import/export businesses working in the Mediterranean. And the Machellis cater to them all, providing security and using the larger vessels to smuggle illegal goods in and out of the continent. They are the three major cornerstones of the Machelli economy.

Despite everything else going on, I'm haunted by the touch of human in Jaime's voice when he asked me what I needed...

'You want what?' I ask, trying to avoid all of it. 'Are you insane?'

'You used to work for them,' Felix points out, his voice suddenly becoming very dark.

The nearest and largest of Caruso's security notes his drop in tone and takes a threatening step forward, weapon in hand and one foot on the ship's safety rail. I try not to tense but I'm fully exposed. In the middle of the ship's deck, standing tall and without cover or escape.

Felix's next words are more bars to the trap...

'And my sources say that you haven't signed the dotted line of your resignation just yet, either...'

No...!

'I no longer work for the Machellis,' I promise.

'But they don't know that,' Felix adds with certainty. 'In fact. I'm under the distinct impression that they still believe you to be their loyal soldier.'

Felix's stare is like a hawk enjoying the final flurries of its prey.

'So... if you are truly cutting ties with your former employer, I want you to manipulate that oversight and get me those retainer rates.'

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