Page 26 of Unleashed
My mouth drops open. Fuck. I plaster back on a smile. I know in my gut it’s about Ace and his family. They are quite literally the only interesting thing about that place.
“I can take it.”
He leans in, and I suck in a breath, his lips hovering by my ear. “Gianna needs this. So you don’t fuck it up this time, do you understand?”
My blood drains from my face.
"I'm ready now," I blurt out, pulling back.
He pulls out his phone and arranges the car. I'm being dismissed. The prop has served its purpose.
I drift toward the balustrade with my clutch. The city glitters below, and from up here it almost looks beautiful.
Movement at the entrance catches my eye.
Gianna Milano is leaving, along with her huge bodyguards and her brother.
She's crossing the road below, red dress catching the light, black hair swaying with each step. Dom is beside her. She moves through the night unhurried and untouchable, and the valet staff scrambles to open the door of the car idling at the curb.
A Rolls-Royce Phantom. Matte black. Gianna pauses at the open door and looks up.
Directly at me. Twelve floors up, leaning on a balustrade.
She smiles. Not the diplomatic one she wore inside. Something that makes her softer.
And I am starting to see her, too. She wants something in New Falls. That isn’t a coincidence after what I’ve learned. The web just keeps getting more tangled, and I feel like I’m getting dragged into it.
So, becoming Gianna’s friend may just be the answer to keeping Sterling Ranch safe.
The Rolls-Royce disappears into the river of taillights.
My phone buzzes.
Hey cowgirl. Lunch next week? I know a place. G
I stare at the screen. Behind me, Hudson is talking to someone.
I type back before I can overthink it.
Me: Name the time and place. I'll be there. H
Hudson appears at my elbow, offering his arm. I take it. Play the part. Smile for the stragglers.
Because I may be a long way from New Falls, but it will always be my home.
So is Ace. And I’ll do everything in my power to protect it. To protect him.
Even dating my boss and having lunch with deadly mafia princesses.
I owe it to him.
And perhaps, I can still get my career break in the midst of all this.
CHAPTER SIX
Ace
"Giddy up, cowboy!" Jett announces as I enter the training room. He’s always energetic on a Monday.
