Page 23 of Vows of a Mobster

“Um, yes.”

“How long have you been with the company?” Might as well find out right away.

She thought for a brief second. “I guess a month or so,” she replied with a smile, and I couldn’t help but smile back.

“Brianna was hired during your business trip in Europe,” Marcus hurried to justify himself.

“Yes, email and phones don’t work in Europe,” I retorted sarcastically.

Silence followed, my brother and I watching each other. He broke eye contact first. He knew I was onto him. He was trying to sell me bullshit.

Brianna broke the silence. “Actually, I find communication in Europe to be a lot more reliable than here.” I looked at her in surprise and she gave both of us a reserved smile. “Well, this is my cue. Marcus. Mr. Agosti.”

She tilted her head at me and walked out without a backward glance. I didn’t like that she called my brother by his first name and addressed me so formally. I found myself wishing to hear my name on her lips. My name belonged on her lips.

“Mateo, it is not what it looks like,” he hurriedly started to explain himself. “She needed a job and was desperate.”

I raised my eyebrow. From all the excuses he had given me over the years, this was the worst.

“Check with Marissa,” he added. “She came recommended by her.”

Now that surprised me. Marissa was our cousin, and she definitely had better sense than my brother.

“I intend to,” I told him curtly. “Now what the hell is this about bar crawl and me being there?”

“You can just show up and leave five minutes later,” he went on explaining. “It makes the company morale better.”

Idiot! Good pay made for company morale, not a bar crawl.

“Do you realize we have tensions going with the Irish?” I hissed. “It is not safe doing stupid shit like this now.”

“Some people have already headed out there,” he replied with a sheepish grin. God, some days I wondered if someone switched him in the hospital. Marcus had never been interested in the family business or pulling his weight. He just wanted it easy and to enjoy his life, as he eloquently put it a few years ago. Did he really think that the rest of us didn't want to enjoy our lives? “We could put extra security in place. Besides, nobody would be so stupid to attack in the broad daylight and a bar that housed more than just Italians.”

“Really?” I asked him, raising my eyebrow at his weird logic. “Because all attacks happen at night?”

“Exactly.” This fact alone showed how clueless my brother was.

I turned around without another word, and he called out to me. “You’ll come, right?”

I should go back and choke the life out of him. I strode through the floor towards the elevator, my eyes searching for Brianna.

“Where is Brianna?” I barked out and one woman actually whimpered.

“She had to take a call,” the same older woman that defended her in Marcus’ office answered.

“What is her full name?” I asked her. I would still need Antonio to check into her.

“Brianna Bernadotte,” she replied and shot me a glare. Just with that little gesture, she earned a point.

“Thank you,” I told her, then continued to the elevator and back to my top floor.

My first stop once on my floor was Antonio’s office.

“Brianna Bernadotte is the woman’s name,” I told him. “And she works for Marcus. Find out how he hid that. Marissa recommended her for a position here.”

Antonio’s reaction reflected my own. “It’s odd that Marissa recommended her. For as long as I remember, she objected to recommending anyone.”

“My sentiment, too,” I told him. Marissa claimed that recommending someone always came back to bite you in the end. She was right, of course. “I’ll give Marissa a call later. Get me what you can on the girl in the next hour, although I think she’s clean. I am more interested in how Marcus managed to hide her.”