‘I’ll be your secretary for the duration of your job here.’
The lady takes my bag from me and points down the hallway to a door that already has my name and tag on it.
I smile grimly and follow the tap of her heels down the hallway. ‘The duration of my job here?’
‘Yes. This is just until your wedding to Mr. Xander. It’ll be great publicity for us if you work here.’
No one had said there was a duration for my job with Amory Corp. The business, literally named after Xander’s father, is most probably another money laundering joint, but I wince the thought away from my head.
I already miss the simplicity of my day, spending most of it with Lucian as I always did. Father would never let me work because he was worried about my safety, but his place is teeming with people, Xander’s men stationed like statues at the door.
The real truth he would never say, but which I already know, is that women of the mob do not work. Their men keep them at home, like rich paintings, to be shown off when convenient.
Which is why I’m shocked Xander is fine with me working. I guess it makes sense though, since we haven’t even signed the marriage contract yet, and I’m not his to control. Who knows what he’ll do when we actually get married, especially if he has to convince his father.
I hope I’ll still work, though. It gives me meaning.
Rosa pushes open the door and holds it for me to step in. Romero tries to step in, but she clicks it close behind us. I watch through the glass as he takes up station just outside the door, displeasure painted on his face.
The office is large and more rectangular than square. It’s a corner office with a stunning view of the skyline outside. I settle into the chair behind the large antique desk and swivel the chair to the view.
‘What will I be doing here?’
‘Whatever you want to do.’
I splay my hand over my dress and tug at a bit of bunched fabric, straightening it out. ‘What does that mean?’
Rosa drops my bag to the table finally as I turn to her. She has a look of perturbed curiosity on her face. ‘What do you want to spend your time on? There are projects you could indulge in. If not, we’ll find what you like.’
She really had meant it then when she’d said I was here more for the publicity than anything else. I consider if she knows what the business does, and I decide she probably does.
Xander wouldn’t let anyone close to me who didn’t understand the business.
Rosa scrolls through the tablet in her hands, then shifts her glasses to her nose and sniffs. ‘You could take over the charities. No one pays them much attention apart from pumping money into them, and I think that’s a blinking shame. We could do so much with them.’
She continues without waiting for a reply. ‘Or you could take over running the PR team. Your wedding would be a nice excuse to release a flurry of photos.’
‘Rosa. Take a seat.’ I wave my hand at the chair in front of mine and nod when she hesitates.
She blows a hank of her blonde fringe away from her eyes. ‘I can find you something else if none of the options appeal to you.’
‘Tell me about the charities.’
Charities, as in there were more than one. How could the Amory family run charities? They’re not exactly charitable people, if I’m being honest.
Rosa hitches her shoulder and shrugs. ‘Mr.. Xander’s idea. That’s all we know. He signs the checks himself too. Doesn’t say much to anyone about anything. I only know about it because he asked my opinion once. Now, you could speak to him about it.’
What is this about?
‘I’m to make sure your transition to work is as smooth as possible. You have a need; I’m the person to ask. If you’d rather not deal with the charities like I said, you don’t have to.”
I nod. That all sounds reasonable. Rosa opens a folder and glances through it. Without looking back up at me, she holds out her hand. “I’ll need your phone too.’
I stiffen for a second. ‘Why?’
She pulls out something that looks like it’s a shiny sticker, and gestures to it. ‘Mr. Xander requested a tracker be inserted in one of your phones. We could get you a new one if you’d rather have one. However, if you insist on keeping with your current phone, you’ll need to put this in there.”
“Why do I need one?”
Rosa casts me a glare with her eyebrow arched. “Miss Mel, you are aware the type of business your fiancé is in?”
“Of course,” I mutter.
“So. Occasionally, the need arises to ensure that one’s family is in the correct location.”
“Right.” I knew what she meant. If I went missing for any reason, they’d need to find me. But wasn’t that the essence of having Romero? Father had assigned him to just me this morning, and I’d lived with some form of bodyguard for most of my life.
Romero, though, was something different. .
He was one of Father’s most trusted men and having him assigned to me meant something really was brewing.
‘I don’t need a tracker. I’ll be fine with the security detail,” I clarified.
There was another reason that I didn’t want to have a tracker in my phone. I had gotten used to using an untraceable burn phone while hiding from Xander out of the country with Gianna. I didn’t need it or want it now.
Xander didn’t need to know everything about me.
Rosa leans forward. ‘It’s for your protection.’
‘I know what it is for.’
‘Then don’t make it hard for him. Or us. We need to know you’re safe. The Russians aren’t joking around this time.’
So, she does know a thing or two about this business. How the fuck had she, someone who works for the legitimate side of the business, found out? I only knew because the news had come up at dinner yesterday.
The fact that I was once again the last to know rankled me slightly.
I took a deep breath and willed myself not to care about that. However, I still didn’t want a tracker on my phone. Getting a tracker on me meant Xander had access to my whereabouts at all hours of the day, every damned day. He’d find out about Lucian sooner than I could say ‘Jack.’
I gave Rosa my iciest smile. ‘I’ll handle this with Xander. Back to the charities, I’d like to take it on. Do I need his approval too?’
“Yes,” she responded with that same dull sneer. “He will need to sign off.”
Shit. It seems like he keeps a tight grip on everything. And considering the idea of the rest of Chicago finding out Xander had a charity. It would spell disaster for his name, his authority, his control over his routes, his drugs, and his guns.
Bloody hell!
Rosa smiles and pushes her chair back. ‘I’ll let you know by tomorrow how everything runs around here concerning that. For today, you’ve got a photoshoot scheduled for after lunch. You’re free until then.’
With Rosa gone, I take a deep breath and do my best not to panic. I inhale again and again and decide I’m not about to let this pull me down.
Lucian is my priority, and keeping him away from Xander is becoming more impossible as the day slips away at sunset.
Xander
I arrive at Amory Corps a few minutes past six in the evening. The men at the door snap to attention, wide eyed as my car pulls up and my bodyguard Carl comes around to open my door.
I step out of the car and take the walk to the open lobby door. Rosa is standing beside Valerie, whispering something to her that has Valerie tipping her head back and scrunching her nose.
‘Rosa,’ I call out. She turns towards me, picks a tablet off Valerie’s desk, and walks over.
‘Where’s my wife?’
Rosa glares at me first. ‘You didn’t say you hadn’t told her about the trackers. I sounded like an asshole trying to convince her of something she didn’t want.’
Rosa is head of security here at Amory Corps. The extraordinarily tough woman is ex-military, and my father had paid a hefty price to get her to work for us.
I’d had her tagged to Mel immediately after Father had said he’d given her an office here. Once affiliated with the family openly, she would be the person with a target on her back, and Mel was too trusting and forgiving. She’d need Rosa to see through the bullshit.
Mel, on her own, was smart, sure. But she wouldn’t have the same instincts as Rosa.
‘What did she say?’ If anyone could convince Mel she needed a tracker, then it would be Rosa.
She smirks. ‘No idea. She’s stubborn. Like you. She’s your wife, get her to agree.’
I roll my shoulders and then my eyes. ‘I wouldn’t need your help if I could’ve done that myself. Convince her.’
Rosa steps into the elevator with me. ‘She’s agreed on the charities, at least. She was very enthusiastic about it too. I’ve asked that she speak to you about the details.’
I feel my gut twist. She really is an angel. Of course, she wanted to run the charities. That was just who Mel is. A piece of sunshine in my very dark world.
‘She’s in her office working. Romero is outside the door, so there’s no need to worry about me being down there. I’ve got it covered.’
I squeeze my forehead and exhale. ‘I wasn’t worried.’
‘Your pants are on fire. I can see it.’ Rosa presses the button for the highest floor. The one where Mel is hidden away right now.
‘How did she do today?’ I ask, for lack of something better to say.
Mel is going to flourish, and I know she will because that’s just who she is. She steps in and makes things better. And despite our break up, she’d still managed to have my siblings wrapped around her fingers.
‘Really good. Most of the pictures came out pretty good. The media branch will have the news out before the weekend runs out.’
‘It’s not to get out until we have that tracker on her.’
‘She’s not a fucking dog Xander. You’re not going to lose her to the Russians if she gets out of the gate. You’re more likely to lose her from trying to smother her,” Rosa snorts.
“I’m just saying that she needs to have someone on her. That’s all,” I snap.
Rosa rolls her eyes. “And you said you weren’t worried.’
I don’t respond to that.
The elevator opens, and I step out of it ahead of Rosa. Romero’s head jerks towards us, and he relaxes his shoulders slightly when he sees it’s me.
‘How’s it been here?’ I ask on my way to the door.
‘Quiet. She made a few phone calls, but that’s been all.’ Romero answers, his hand tucked away from sight, probably snug against the butt of his gun.
I nod and step through the door. Mel looks up from her desk and then away. She’s bathed in the rays of the evening sun, her blonde hair glinting almost champagne, and I suck in a harsh inhale.
Will I ever not want this woman? I can’t help the surge of lust in my blood or the strong desire I feel to pull her from that desk into my arms or splay her out like a sacrifice and gouge myself on her.
I turn back to the door and pull it closed behind me. No one will open it with both Rosa and Romero out there.
She flashes a small smile at me, and then her eyes flit away. ‘Good evening, Xander. I wasn’t expecting you.’
No one knows my whereabouts. Easier to be safe that way. The Amory family isn’t lacking in enemies.
‘I’m here now. Are you ready to leave?’ I take the seat in front of the massive, ancient-looking desk and watch as her eyes move nervously away from me.
‘Not yet. Rosa sent a list of charities that you support.’ Her eyes meet mine and hold. ‘I didn’t know anything about these.’
The appreciation in her gaze has me feeling a few sizes taller. I shrug nonchalantly. ‘I have a certain image to uphold. Started it after my father got sick, but owning charities sounds too cuddly for my world.’
Her eyes cloud with something too close to pity for comfort. She leans across the table towards me. ‘How long has that been going on?’
‘Three years. He seemed to suddenly waste away. It’s cancer. The doctors give him a few more months.’
I have no idea why the truth comes spilling out of my lips like I’ve been waiting this entire time to tell her. No one but the family knows about my father’s illness. He hasn’t been seen by anyone outside of family either.
Her eyes grow large as saucers. ‘Oh, Xander. That must be so difficult for you. I certainly wasn’t expecting to see him that way. It hit me like a blow, and he’s never really liked my family.’
‘I’ve been trained since birth to take over from him. I’m ready.’
‘That’s not what I meant. He’s your father.’
I know what she meant, and weakness like that in the Mafia got you killed. The Famiglia needed a man with a strong backbone.
If Father’s time was here, then it was here. Soon, it would be mine too.
‘Yes, he is. We should get you home. I have a meeting to get to.’
Her tongue peeks out between her lips, and I feel it like a touch of sparking flames to my skin, pinpricks of heat and fire rushing over my body.
‘Where is home?’ She asks suspiciously.
That has my hackles rising. She doesn’t have to make it sounds so fucking detestable. ‘Your father’s house. I certainly wasn’t referring to mine.’
She makes me feel like a monster for trying to be good. Fucking hell.
‘You don’t have to. Romero’s here with me,” she waves at the bodyguard.
My insides twist. She prefers another man’s company to mine. I clench my jaw and press my hands into a fist under the table. To think, Daniel had said she wanted me. Yeah right. He obviously didn’t know his sister as much as he pretends to.
‘I want to, Mel. Now let’s go,” I growl at her.
She’s not going to get another man’s attention.
She’s going to have mine.
And damn it.
She’s going to like it.
