Page 8 of Poisoned Promise
“Thanks. He’s already had his meds, but if I’m not back by six then he’s got another dose with him. I’ll call if I get held up.”
“Don’t fret! Go, enjoy yourdate!” Mary grins and wiggles her fingers at me, then she stays on the doorstep and watches me hurry down her path and back into my car.
A date is the perfect pretence if, by a twist of bad luck, anyone looks too deeply into my whereabouts.
So, after scouring two stores for the perfect slinky red dress and a black wig to hide my miles of red hair, I turn up at the restaurant situated two buildings down from where Alex stole the car.
Inside, the soft flute music clashes with the rather vibrant decor, while the empty tables carry a layer of dust.
This restaurant hasn’t seen business in months.
Not the best front for anyone with eyes.
“We’re closed,” calls a gravely voice from the bar.
I ignore it and head toward the only occupied table where a tall, thin man with platinum-blond hair sits nursing a Whisky and pouring over documents scattered about the table.
“Rossi?” I stop a foot away. “Tee Rossi?”
The man slowly lifts his head, revealing a half-burned cigarette hanging from his lips. “Huh?” he grunts and his eyes widen slightly as he catches sight of me. “The fuck are you?”
“I’m Tina,” I lie smoothly. “I’m here to make a deal.”
3
DOVE
“I say again,” Tee mutters around his cigarette. “Who the fuck are you?”
“Tina,” I repeat, slightly cocking my hip. “My son stole your car?”
Behind me, the approaching footsteps stall the moment Tee lifts a hand, and he slowly looks me up and down with the exact kind of hungry gaze I aimed for when choosing a dress that clings a little too tightly to my bust and waist.
Enough to draw the eye and distract with whatever could be hiding underneath.
All the powerful men in the world falter at a beautiful woman, and rats in charge of the smallest Mafia families are the hungriest of all.
“Huh,” he remarks, finally removing the cigarette from his lips. “You look too young to have a son.”
“What a charmer. Can I sit?”
Tee nods, returning the cigarette to his lips. His eyes don’t leave me as I walk around the table and slowly sit in the chair across from him.
I angle myself and cross my legs at the knee, which forces my dress to ride an inch up my thigh.
Tee doesn’t take his eyes off me until I clear my throat.
“How did you find me?” Tee asks.
“Wasn’t hard. My son told me where he stole the car from and I know who runs this street. The Stevenses who run the grocery store on the corner? I’ve overheard them talking about who keeps them safe from the petty criminals around here so when I found out what he’d done, I knew who I had to apologize to.”
Greed glints in his eyes as he leans back in his chair.
Each deep huff of his cigarette forces the gold chain around his neck to roll back and forth between the parted lapels of his shirt.
“Is that what this is?” He motions to me. “An apology?”
“The start of one. I know it’s just a car and someone like you is far too busy and important to care about such a thing, but I would hate for anything to stain my reputation.”
