Total pages in book: 106
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 102394 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 512(@200wpm)___ 410(@250wpm)___ 341(@300wpm)
“First, you answer my questions. Are you fucking that mob princess?”
My teeth clenched, and I lied right through them. Who wasn’t I lying to at this point? My mother, Juliette, now my damn boss. I shook my head. “She kissed me the other night. I pulled away, of course, but then I noticed she got a lot more talkative after. So I’ve been letting her think there’s a chance something could happen between us. I won’t allow it to go any further.”
My captain side-eyed me. “I better not find out you’re full of shit and have put this entire undercover operation at risk when I went to bat for you. If you fuck this up, I’ll personally make sure you can’t even get a job working security at Target.”
I swallowed. “Understood.”
“It damn well better be,” she grumbled.
“What’s going on, Cap? Are you here just to check on me?”
“No. I need to give you some intel, and I need you to get some for me. There’s a sit-down happening with all five families. We need to know where it’s happening.”
“How do you know about the sit-down but not the location?”
“Because everyone’s talking in code on the fed wire taps. The meeting is going down at some place they’re calling the rooster—wherever the hell that is. A big rodeo is expected—all the bosses and all the captains from each of the five families, including Salvatore Termini.”
“Uncle Sal is coming back to the US?”
“That’s what we’re hearing. No one is allowed to miss. The chief doesn’t want to disrupt our undercover operation, so we’re planning to let the get-together happen. But he wants to scoop up Termini before he slips back out of the country. So we need you to tell us where the meeting is going to be.”
I rubbed the back of my neck. “I don’t know if I can get that kind of intel now. I’m not around Vince anymore. I’m limited to watching his daughter, and she’s not involved in the business at all.”
Captain Rourke opened the passenger door. “I don’t care what you have to do to get it. Fuck it out of that girl, if you have to. But the chief wants it, and I want to be the one to give it to him.” She climbed out of the car and reached into her back pocket, tossing a cell phone on the front seat. “Text me the details when you have them—and make it soon.”
“I thought it was too dangerous for me to have a cell while I’m undercover? What if one of Vince’s guys decides to pat me down?”
“Don’t keep it on you. Stick it under the mattress while you’re banging the princess.” She slammed the car door without another word, not even a goodbye or good luck. And God knows, I needed all the luck I could get to save my ass now.
***
Six hours later, my head was still spinning when Juliette got back into the car. Not only had I allowed myself to pretend there was a shot in hell I could have a real relationship with Vince Ginocassi’s daughter, I’d allowed myself to pretend she wouldn’t hate me when she eventually found out I’d been working undercover for the NYPD all this time.
“Hey.” Juliette smiled. “Sorry that took forever.”
I turned the key in the ignition. “Not a problem.”
Juliette sighed as she reached down and slipped her heels off. “That guy is such a misogynistic asshole. I don’t know how he hasn’t gotten canceled yet.” She let her head fall back against the headrest. “Did you at least have a peaceful day in the car and continue your whistling?”
What’s the opposite of peaceful? That’s the day I had. “My day was fine.”
I pulled away from the curb. “This morning, when you got out of the car, you kissed me.”
“Did I?” Her brow furrowed as she thought back. “I didn’t even realize it.”
“We need to be more careful in the future.”
“Okay.”
Yet not two seconds later, Juliette reached over and rested her hand on my thigh.
I removed it and glanced around. “I just said we need to be more careful. Someone could see.”
“My hand is below the window. Who’s gonna see?”
She had a point, but it didn’t ease the knot in my gut. “Let’s just not touch in public at all.”
“Fine.”
I looked over. She was staring straight ahead, jaw tight. Clearly annoyed. But I let it be.
The drive home was quiet, and the silence continued into the house. Juliette went into her room and changed into sweats.
“Is everything okay, Wes?” she asked when she came back out.
No. Everything is fucking terrible. “I just have a headache.”
“I’ll get you some Advil.”
“Thanks.”
Dinner conversation was stilted. Every word I said felt like a lie, and I didn’t have the capacity for any more today. Juliette asked me a second time if something was bothering me, and I continued with the headache story. I was relieved when she said she had some work to do and went to her room to use her desk.