Page 24 of Vows of a Mobster

Antonio nodded and I knew I could count on him. “Are you going to this bar event?”

“Put extra security on that street and around that building,” I gritted through my teeth. “And next time my brother does something like this, shoot him.”

Antonio grinned. “With pleasure.”

The only good thing today was that I found the young woman.Brianna Bernadotte.

* * *

I literally would go, order a scotch, and leave. I won’t even bother drinking the damn thing. Instead of taking my driver, I decided to drive myself. I could leave quicker. Right before I left, Antonio brought me information on Brianna. There was nothing alarming about her, she was as simple as they came. Lived with her grandmother till about three years ago when she passed away. And this was her first corporate job.

My brother, on the other hand, was an entirely different problem. Not only did he hire her without approval, he slept with the HR Director to get Brianna onto payroll as a ghost employee. No wonder Antonio couldn’t find out anything about her. It was as if she didn’t work here at all. For now, we kept this to ourselves.

I descended in the elevator down to the garage; the moment the door opened and I exited, I stopped in my tracks.

Brianna was here, leaning against the door going into the garage, talking her shoe off her, her foot dangling in the air, as she twisted it in circles. Like a ballerina.

This woman was fascinating. Beautiful in the most basic way.

She searched through her mysterious purse and dug out something, then realized they were a pair of black flats. She repeated the same with her other foot.

“God, that feels so much better,” she muttered softly to herself. I could almost imagine that tone whispering sweet nothings on the pillow to her lover. There was no way she didn’t have a lover.

She followed up with taking her pink cardigan off, revealing her open back and stuffed it into her purse. Her dress might have been conservative but the back of it compensated for it. The back of her dress was open, her smooth skin on full display.

Did I say she was cute? Scratch that, she was a beauty.

I wondered if she changed her mind about going to the bar and was preparing for it. She searched some more through her purse. She dug out keys, but kept on searching.

“Voilà,” she exclaimed victoriously, reminding me of our initial meeting. She lifted her hair up, twisting it into a bun, giving me a full glimpse of her graceful neck.

“Hello Brianna,” I finally announced my presence. She startled, in the midst of fixing her hair up. She turned around and again surprise flashed in her expressive eyes.

“Oh, hey,” she greeted me lightly with a slight flush to her cheeks. “Sorry, you startled me. I didn’t hear the elevator.” Like we’ve known each other for years. I wondered exactly how old she was.

“Did you decide to go to the bar after all?” I asked her.

She tucked a piece of strand behind her ear.

“No, I’m afraid not.” She gave me a sheepish smile. “I just couldn’t wait to get out of the shoes. Your brother insists on heels, dresses, and hair down. Don’t tell him, but it drives me nuts.”

I chuckled, enjoying her easy manner. Usually, women either tried too hard to impress me or were too terrified of me.

“My lips are sealed,” I promised.

“Thanks. How about you?”

“Well, my brother doesn’t make me wear heels, dresses, nor wear my hair down.”

She threw her head back and laughed wholeheartedly, the sound like a sensual melody.

“God, I hope not,” she said through laughter. “Although I think we should make him wear heels for a day. So he can appreciate it a bit more.”

I grinned. “That can be arranged.”

“Deal,” she grinned back. “I meant, did he manage to convince you to make an appearance at the bar?”

“Unfortunately,” my mood immediately soured.