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If this was going to work, if I was going to invite her to work with me, I would have to come clean. She would have to know who we were and what we did.

That was a decision I couldn’t make lightly.

“You liked it,” I pushed.

She took a bite of her burger, avoiding a response.

“You want to do it again.” I leaned closer. “You know why?”

“Why?” she garbled, hiding her full mouth behind her hand.

“It excites you. You like being naughty, don’t you, Serena?”

She swallowed. “Do I like the change from manual labor? Sure. But I’m not sure I want to get mixed up in your kind of business, pirate.”

I chuckled. I liked that moniker—liked it too much.

A voice shattered the delicious moment. “What the fuck?”

I glared at Atlas, who was marching through the restaurant.

“What a surprise,” I deadpanned.

He stuck a finger in my face. “You think you can mess in my office and not have me find out?”

“On the contrary, I expected it. What surprises me is how you found me so quickly.”

“I saw your jeep on my way to the office, where I saw the security footage of her—” he jabbed a finger in Serena’s pale face “—breaking into my office.”

Black wrath shot through me. “Get your fucking finger out of her face, or I’ll remove it for you, Atlas.”

The kingpin narrowed his gaze at me.

“Now,” I growled.

Atlas lowered his hand, but stooped to menace, “Where is it?”

Serena blinked. Her words were coated in an adorable innocence. “What?”

“You know damn well what,” Atlas barked.

I rose and pushed him back. “You don’t talk to her like that. In fact, unless you have my permission, you don’t talk to her at all.”

The explosion was right there, ready to blow.

But Atlas resisted, wrestling control for the sake of the customers watching the scene. “You’re unbelievable, Markos. We have real shit going on, and you play a prank?” he spat.

“Yes.” I pushed him again, forcing him back. “And when you calm the fuck down, I’ll explain.”

The giant got right in my face. “Explainnow.”

Switching into our native tongue, I ordered him, “I said watch your fucking mouth. She’s our solution.”

“She’s a liability—”

“She can get into places we can’t. We’re too well known in this city, but Serena? She can spy for us.”

“And what the hell makes you think she’ll do that? Out of the goodness of her heart?” Atlas scoffed. “You’re stupider than I thought.”