Page 42 of Shackled By the Mafia Boss

I scrutinize him for a reaction and when he nods, I know he’s bought my explanation. “Makes sense.” I peer around the office, noticing I haven’t seen Josh since I came into work in the morning. “Where’s Josh?”

“He called in sick this morning. Man’s down with the flu.”

So, Josh didn’t know about the search and seizure either. Josh has a big mouth, he would have called me if he knew. Still I have the feeling that something’s off.

Squaring my shoulders, I adopt a less pissed off tone. “Why did the Chief order the search without informing the rest of the team?”

Taylor hesitates for a moment. “It was a sensitive lead. He wanted to keep it under wraps until we had more concrete information."

My instincts tingle with skepticism. The explanation feels flimsy. It’s convenient, I wasn’t here and neither was Josh. “A sensitive lead? And neither me nor Josh knew about it?”

He shifts uncomfortably in his seat, a faint hint of guilt flashing across his features. “I know I should've told you, and I apologize for that. But the Chief insisted on secrecy.”

My mind races. I don’t suspect Taylor is shady, but I can’t say much for Chief Smith. “What exactly were you searching for? And why the Romano hotel?”

Taylor sighs. “It's part of an ongoing investigation into some illicit activities, money laundering mostly. The Chief thinks it can clue us into the murders.”

I nod, trying to appear nonchalant despite the pounding of my heart. “Fine. Was your meeting with Chief Smith related to the search and seizure?”

Taylor opens his mouth but before he can say a word, the Chief walks in and there’s another man beside him. The man is almost as tall as Marcus, bright blue eyes and curly brown hair.

He’s handsome, but not nearly as handsome as Marcus. His striking features are familiar. I swear I’ve seen him before.

They walk up to my desk and I straighten up.

Chief Smith smiles as he looks at me. “Detective Sullivan, meet ADA Rodriguez. He'll be overseeing the Hell's Kitchen case from now on.”

Chapter Ten

Marcus

“Marcus Romano, we meet again.” Alexei rounds the mahogany desk in his office, sitting on the edge of it.

Truly, I don’t know which I hate more, the fact he’s almost only an inch away from me, or the ugly smirk on his face. I don’t like this guy. “It’s a very unpleasant, isn’t it?”

He shakes his head. “Not at all, my friend.”

I raise my hand, stopping him before he can mutter anything else that’ll make me cringe. “Enough with the bullshit. Let’s get straight to the reason why I’m here, shall we?”

He shrugs. “Suit yourself.”

“Word has it you haven’t found the missing shipment from a year ago.”

He takes him time to crack his knuckles before he answers. “I’m sure you really don’t need me to respond to that.”

“Don’t I?” I take a seat and cross my legs. “You could be lying for all I know.”

Alexei scratches his forehead, straightens up from the desk and rounds it back to his seat. “I could. What do you want?”

“Did you find out if the Valentes were involved in the missing shipment a year ago?”

“I didn’t.”

I scoff. “You were looking for a shipment worth millions, yet it didn’t cross your mind to check beyond the Bratva territory.”

He nods curtly. “Right.”

My fists clench. This is the reason I hate this guy, he’s so fucking arrogant for someone who became head of the Bratva only a year ago and thanks to my family. “Is there something you’re not telling me?”

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