Page 46 of Unleashed
My eyes snap to hers. Can this woman seriously read minds?
She laughs. "The latter. Got it." She mimes zipping her mouth shut. "I'll shut my mouth."
I rest my elbow on the bar. "So, what made you want cocktails with me at eleven on a Tuesday?"
She takes a breath. The playfulness drains from her face.
"I heard Hudson gave you the story to investigate. The one I requested."
I nod.
"I will do everything I can to find out what you need, Gianna. I promise."
"Can I trust you, Harper?" She holds my gaze. "You understand why I need this information."
"Your brother," I whisper.
Her jaw tenses. She stubs out her cigarette in the ashtray, not casually, violently, grinding it into the glass until there's nothing left. The knuckles on her hand go white.
"Yes. Max's death will be avenged. We won't lose our power here. Not if I have anything to do with it." She reaches for the fresh cigarette she's already pulled from the pack. Lights it. Steadies herself with the inhale. "My father wants to go about it the old way. The brutal way. Blood for blood, bullets for bullets. I've told him to let me work the new way. Gather the intel. Crush them from every angle and make us more powerful than ever before."
I nod. I don’t like where this is going…
Her eyes darken. "Don't get me wrong. The end result stays the same. They will bleed into the streets for this. But I need to know what's got them so interested in your hometown? Why they're starting wars with cowboys?"
I open my mouth. Shut it. Can't stop myself. "Do you want what they have in Arizona?"
She shrugs. "I won’t know until I know what they have, Harper. I don't make silly business moves, only smart ones. Here, I manage the investments, the real estate, all of it. I know everything." She watches me through the smoke.
I straighten my spine. Does she know about my history with the Sterlings? Has she even caught on to them? How much of this friendly warmth is genuine, and how much is a woman whoknows everything making sure I feel comfortable enough to be useful?
"There are powers much stronger than me in this world, Harper. I can't fight them. I know that. I need to know why the Greeks think they can."
I swallow. "Got it. I have some contacts."
She laughs. "Oh. I know."
She places her hand over mine. Her rings are cold against my skin. "I want to be your friend, Harper. I really do. Please don't let me down."
The threat underneath is wrapped in sweetness. I hear both.
"If anyone can find it out in New Falls, it's me."
She nods. Opens her black Chanel bag, pulls out a phone, and slides it across the bar.
"You can contact me this way, while you’re there."
I pick it up. Look down at her tattooed hand, still resting on the bar. A rose on her ring finger. A dagger on her wrist. A name in script along her forearm that I think isMax.
"So, am I actually writing a report? Or just investigating?" I ask. Because what Hudson told me and what Gianna is telling me are two completely different jobs.
"Let’s see. Maybe you’ll be able to write something that blows their empire to shreds. After I approve it." She takes a drag and exhales slowly. "And whatever Hudson is paying you a year, I'll give you twenty times that for this one job. Give you enough to move back and buy your own ranch. The intel goes through me first, and then we will give Hudson the story to publish. Think of this as a joint venture, Harper."
My mouth almost hits the bar. Can I take mafia money? Will I end up in jail? What if…
"I-I don't need?—"
She holds up her hand. "I reward well, Harper. Get me what I need. And find out which one of those assholes they're hiding in New Falls that killed my brother. He's there. I know he is."
