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“Congratulations, Honeyeh, and welcome to the staff.”

“Thank you so much!” I can hardly contain my excitement.

“If it’s all right, I’m going to have you start today.”

“Of course. That’s fantastic.” I draw in a deep breath, trying to calm myself. I was so nervous to come here but starting right away helps me so much.

We shake hands and then she reaches for a folder and hands it to me. “This is all the paperwork I’ll need. If you wouldn’t mind completing it today, I’d be grateful. Please take your time, you’re welcome to use my office for as long as you need.”

“Of course. Mrs. Raith, I’m very excited to join the staff, thank you again.”

With a final tilt of her chin, she walks around the desk and out of the room, leaving the door open.

I watch her go, and then turn back to the desk, a pen sitting neatly on top of the folder. That was the shortest interview I’ve ever had.

What’s more, Mrs. Raith could not have been nicer. My shoulders slump with relief as I take a moment to flop back into the chair, my eyes closing.

But I quickly sit back up, drawing in a deep breath of cleansing air before I slide the folder across the desk, grab the pen, ready to begin.

I’m not even off the first page when I see my perspective salary listed under my name. A small cry falls from my lips. Its nearly triple the hourly rate I made at Starbucks.

My eyes actually mist with tears. With that kind of money, I can catch up on the medical bills and start saving for the surgery.

The debts are deep enough that I can’t find a surgeon who’ll perform the operation without a hefty down payment.

But with money like this…

I stiffen my spine, moving on in the paperwork. This is my first chance to prove to Mrs. Raith that I can be efficient and hard working.

This job could make all the difference, and I’ll do everything in my power to keep it.

CHAPTER THREE

Triston

Mason rumbles into the phone.“Are you listening to me?”

My attention snaps back to the call. The answer is no, I wasn’t listening at all. I was thinking of Honeyeh downstairs in my house, under my roof, hoping for me to be her benefactor.

Well…employer.To-may-to, to-mah-to, as my mother would say.

“Of course I’m listening. The Russian Bratva is causing increasing amounts of trouble, and you want to…”

He rumbles out his frustration. “I want to shut down every business they have here in Vegas. I want to run them out of town. I want?—”

“I’m working on it. One step at a time and we’re about to make a major move.” Though quietly, I think Mason is being too aggressive. It’s going to lead to trouble.

“It doesn’t feel like enough,” Mason bites back through gritted teeth. “They bombed one of our clubs. Shot up your brother’s home. They deserve to be punished.”

It’s a valid point. “You’ve already bankrupted one of their casinos and I’m about to complete a hostile takeover of a second.” And most important as far as I’m concerned. “They’re flailing like a wounded animal because they know you’re going to make the kill.”

“I know.” Mason calms and I hear the soft squeak of his chair as he sits back. “You’re right. I’m just done with dangerous enemies. I want my family safe.”

I grimace. I’m not sure that’s possible. Between his legal empire and his deals with the Mafia and Bratva, safety can never be guaranteed.

Then again, Mason is a man made to tame the world. So am I, though I prefer to use compromise more than Mason. A good threat can work wonders as well. But what he’s doing, it’s going to bite us all in the ass if we’re not careful.

I might have thought marriage would have softened him. And it has in some ways. But in others, he’s become sharper. Harder. It’s like he’s got even more reason to fight.