Total pages in book: 30
Estimated words: 26645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 26645 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 133(@200wpm)___ 107(@250wpm)___ 89(@300wpm)
“Can we talk?” he asks me, nodding his head to the side exit in the room for us to sneak out of.
“I’d love to, Paulie, but it’s about time for my toast,” I say before I slip away from him and make my way to the small stage erected at the end of the room. Truthfully, I do need to talk to him. But there’s a time and a place for the discussion we need to have, and it isn’t right here. The suggestion itself annoys me, so leaving is the best option for me anyway.
I tap on the microphone a few times to get everyone’s attention. While I’m above everyone, I scan the room looking for Daniella. I don’t see her right away and feel myself getting nervous. I convince myself that she’s just in the restroom or out of the room or a phone call.
“Thank you all for coming out here today,” I begin my toast, raising my glass high for everyone to do the same. There is a long pause while the kitchen door opens and Daniella walks through it with a tray of food, apparently helping one of the servers. “It’s been an incredible year for us, and I have all of you to thank for it. I couldn't have asked for a better team to help me run this place. As you all know, I've grown up here and I've known most of you since I was a baby, and I'm happy all of us could see the success together. All of you are my family, and I'm proud of each and every one of you. It means the world to me that all of you support me when times are tough, but I know that we can get through anything together. So here's a toast to family, friendship, and all of our success!”
I flip the switch on the mic and everyone in the room goes back to what they were doing before I interrupted them. Daniella walks back to the kitchen, carrying a few empty trays. I don’t see a server she’s helping, so I wonder if she’s just cleaning up on her own. But then I notice the last person I want to see near her. Tyler. He’s an enforcer, someone we use as muscle frequently. There’s always been something about him that rubbed me the wrong way. Unfortunately, being the leader of a crime family means being forced to keep the company of some bad people. If I do confront him, I could have a rat on my hands.
Tyler follows Daniella into the kitchen, and without giving it a second thought, I jump off the stage and make my way there.
4
DANIELLA
I’ve always felt overwhelmed at parties.
I love the idea of them, especially holiday parties, but the crowds of people and commotion bring up unpleasant memories. Now that I’m here undercover, my paranoia has gotten the better of me. I’m alone, surrounded by people who have possibly committed heinous crimes in the past. My job is to get evidence against them. If one of them has any clue who I am, my life could be on the line.
I almost didn't go back down. I just thought it would look a little suspicious if I distanced myself so much from the other coworkers so soon after arriving. People keep introducing themselves to me, and I already know who most of them are thanks to the studying I did before arriving, but I have a hard time focusing.
All I can think about is what happened in the office before I left. Dominic made no attempts to hide how he felt. I've never seen a man react to me that way before. My head is still spinning, and I feel like I'm permanently blushing. I like it. While I was there, standing in front of him, I wanted more.
Dominic promoted me because he’s drawn to me, and I can exploit that to get what I'm looking for. I feel bad for even thinking that. It feels wrong to deceive someone that way, but I'm here on a mission and I have to keep that in mind.
That’s why I slip away to the kitchen. I scope it out before going in. Thankfully, all the cooks are too busy to notice me. After that, I just grab some old trays to use as an excuse to go back. I need to send a quick message to my sergeant, letting him know what’s happened. I’m confident in my skills, but I’m in over my head. Working for Dominic is not what I was sent here to do.
The cooks don’t notice me slipping through the side door. The air is chilly, and I want to go back inside as soon as possible, so I pull out my phone and type a quick message to my sergeant. I manage to send off the text message when someone walks through the door behind me.