Page 40 of Always Mine
I shake my head with a small laugh. She’s flipped the switch, completely intent on unnerving me. I pop the boot and slide her luggage in, grateful for a few more moments in the blistering cold.
Before sliding into the driver’s side, I fire off a text to Avery to update him that we have a change of address situation and to be on standby for the new address. It’s imperative we have eyes on Chiaraher entire stay, which means I will have men stationed nearby to monitor her movements.
I slide into the driver’s seat and turn to face her. “What’s the address of where you’re now staying?”
Taking out her phone, she opens it up and reads out the address, lifting her head to give me a sweet smile completely at odds with the mischief in her eyes.
Fuck. My. Already fucked life.
I am all too familiar with the address she gave me. It’s the same one I have on file for another Vault Enterprise client, Belmont Media heiress Arabella Belmont. Gorgeous, intelligent, charismatic, and a walking red flag disguised as a darling of New York’s social scene. I can’t give up the ruse, so I simply nod and make a show of plugging the address into the navigation system and saving for later. Then I check the traffic and fire off a quick text to let AJ know we’re on our way over to meet him.
“There’s a little bit of traffic this morning, so it will probably take about forty minutes to get back to Manhattan to meet your cousin,” I inform her as I move to put the car into gear.
I go to hit the gas when I feel a tug on my sleeve. I turn my body halfway to find her leaning forward, phone in hand.
“Would you mind pairing my Bluetooth to the car so I can keep listening to my audiobook? My headphones died, and it just got to the good bit. I must know what happens.”
“Not a problem,” I say, taking the phone. Before I can completely turn back, she gently clamps the medallion on my gold necklace between her thumb and forefinger. She turns it over to look at the back and front.
“Nice necklace, by the way,” she says nonchalantly, though the tone is at odds with the suspicion lacing her gaze.
“Thank you. It’s special to me,” I say, tucking it away under my shirt where I usually keep it.
She simply hums to acknowledge my answer. Holding my gaze in the rearview mirror, her cherry red lips pulled into a smirk, she slowly slides her black cat-eye sunglasses up the bridge of her nose.The audio connects and suddenly the very distinct, loud moans of a woman fill the cabin. I soon learn, between the breathy pants and moans, that this “good fucking girl” called Charlotte is being railed by not one but two—wait, three!—guys, who are explicitly detailing how they’re going to fill every hole. I choke on my own saliva as Chiara giggles excitedly and claps her hands in glee.
“Fucking finally! Get all the dick, girl!”
I’m no prude, but what in the actual fuck is this girl listening to?
As though she can read my thoughts, she chimes in. “I’ve just gotten into Why Choose romance books. This one is perfection! Three morally gray college hockey players with chiseled six-packs and big hockey sticks,” she says, winking at me. “Charlotte, the lucky bitch, gets to have them all.”
The ringing of my cell cuts through the audio. Thank you universe and all the gods. I’m in a permanent state of semi-hard hell thanks to Sophia. Audio porn is the very last thing my blue balls need. Raf flashes on the screen on my dash above the navigation, telling me he’s calling from his office. Which also tells me his call is all business. I also missed his calls earlier while I was on the phone with my dad. Whatever it is can wait another hour. The last thing I need is whatever problem he’s going to lob into my lap. I’m already drowning in them. I cancel the call. But he calls back again. This happens three more times before Chiara snaps.
“Please just answer the call!” Her bark is loud, but her bite lacks ferocity. Instead, the command comes out raw. Almost pained. I can’t see her eyes behind her designer shades but checking my rearview mirror I note she’s statue-like. Back ramrod straight with fists balled and resting on her knees. The woman who was clapping her hands in glee moments earlier is gone.
“You just never know when it will be the last time you talk to someone who means something to you,” she says softly. “Trust me. You never want to feel the stab of regret for choosing not to answer a call.”
As if right on cue, the ringing starts back up. This time I don’t hesitate.
“Raf, brother, where’s the fire?”
“I’ve been trying to get a hold of you for fucking hours.”
“I’m with a client, just headed back into Manhattan. I’ll call you back.”
“No. You can do better than that. Come to the office as soon as you can.”
The line goes dead.
“Mmmmmmmm. Big Bad Raf can huff and puff and boss me around until he blows my house down any day,” chimes in Chiara brazenly, having shaken off the dark cloud.
Bemused, I shake my head. “Well, he clearly has a knack for eating people for breakfast.”
“I’d happily let him eat me for breakfast.”
I choke on air. Again.
“What do you think my cousin will say if we stand him up and you take me to meet this Big Bad Raf instead?”