Page 45 of Shackled By the Mafia Boss

I’m too busy inhaling her lemony scent. She smells good and, in a transparent, pink nightgown, looks edible. Her hair, thick and black, blankets her shoulders and her nipples are visible through the sheer fabric.

A shudder runs through me, my cock hardening.

Fucking Christ.

Jane folds her arms and leans on the door frame. “You still haven’t answered me.” She blushes when she follows my gaze to her nipples. “You didn’t come all the way here to stare at my nipples, did you?”

I smile, dragging my gaze back up to her face. “I came to do more than just stare,mi amore.”

She shakes her head and sighs. “Well. you’re welcome if you want to have dinner and watch a crime documentary. I’m not in the mood for sex.”

I sober up. She sounds upset, I don’t like it when she’s upset. “Did something happen?”

“Things happen all the time, don’t they?” She turns and walks inside, leaving the door open as an invitation for me to follow.

I follow her and close the door behind me. “Say a name and they won’t be a problem by tomorrow.”

A flicker of smile crosses her lip. “Easy, big boy. It’s not that serious.”

“It’s serious enough if it’s upsetting you.” I grab her wrist and whirl her around. “Tell me what the problem is.”

She lowers her gaze and draws in a deep breath. “Chief Smith put someone else in charge of the case.”

“Taylor?”

“No. Taylor’s not the issue.” She pauses, licking her lips. “The Chief has put ADA Rodriguez in charge. I can’t tell you everything, but we can pretty much forget about this case if he’s in charge.”

I peer into the kitchen, the door is open and there’s a lonely can of soda on the kitchen island. “Mind if we chat about Rodriguez over a can of soda?”

“Ah.” She cranes her neck towards the kitchen. “I almost forgot I left that there.”

Jane leads the way to the kitchen, grabs another can from the fridge and we settle on the stools in front of the island.

I help her open her can of soda and hand it to her before I open mine. “Is there a reason you think having him around is a bad idea?”

“There are a ton of reasons.” She throws her head back to drink from the can, groaning as the liquid washes down her throat. When she’s had enough, she slams the half-full can onto the island. “Rodriguez is a self-centered asshole who thinks he knows better than everyone else. He’s hard to deal with, as stubborn as a mule and doesn’t believe in team work. The problem is, he’s not nearly as smart as he thinks.”

Rodriguez.That name rings a bell for some reason, but there are thousands of people around here with the same name.

“So, you can’t work with him?”

“I’ll lose my mind if we work together. There’s no compromising when it comes to him, and there was a rumor he worked his way to the top with the help of the mafia. Covering their dirty work and so on.”

I nod, I hate there’s someone making her so uneasy. "What are you going to do? Want me to step in and take care of him?” I ask, forcing my fist not to dent my can of soda.

“Jesus. No, Marcus. Don’t do anything.” The concern in her expression and the seriousness in her tone makes me smile. “You’re probably just going to kill him and cause more trouble. I don’t want you to get in trouble.”

“Just so you know—” I lean in closer to her. “I’ll set the whole world on fire and burn with it if that will make you happy.”

Scarlet spreads across her cheeks. “That won’t be necessary, trust me.”

“What are you going to do without my help?”

She sighs, a hint of frustration in her voice. “I'm not sure yet. I need to find out more about his involvement with the mafia, if there's any truth to it. If he's connected to them, it could mean trouble for the entire case and for me because I can’t let this case be swept under the carpet.”

I lean back on the stool, mulling over the information. “I suppose you don’t have any tangible leads on his possible connection to the mafia, do you?”

Her expression darkens. “No, nothing concrete, just assumptions and instinct. But I'll start digging. I need to gather as much information as I can on him as I can. Of course, I’ll be happy if he’s clean.”

---