Page 64 of An Eye For Illusion

She isn’t wrong about me staring. I can’t seem to take my eyes off her. She’s gorgeous with her bare face and her hair tossed on top of her head in a messy bun. She looks like she’s ready to cozy up a fireplace and spend a night in. It’s a look I never thought I would see on her.

It’s my new favorite Jade.

“I’d definitely like to come in.” I finally find my voice. “We need to talk.”

She swings the door open and gestures for me to enter. I walk past her and take in the wide entry way that opens to a massive living room with floor to ceiling windows showcasing the city. It’s just like her office.

It’s huge and extravagant but also homey and cozy. I don’t even know how that’s possible, but it seems to match its owner to a T. A woman full of contradictions.

I’m starting to wonder if I know the real Jade at all.

I walk over to the sofa to take a seat but pause, turning my head to take in the view instead. It’s breathtaking but not as breathtaking as the woman who follows me into the living room.

She snickers. “Why don’t you make yourself at home?”

I smirk and continue to explore the space around me. There are pictures everywhere of Jade and her father. There’s an older picture of a woman who looks exactly like Jade holding a little girl. That must be her mother.

There are a few other photos of Jade and another woman scattered around the space. They seem close and somewhat related with the same color hair, but the other woman’s stature is different, and her eyes are hazel, not blue like Jade’s.

“That’s Bridgette. My cousin and my best friend.”

“Ah, I thought I detected a resemblance. The other is your mother?” I ask.

A look that’s a mix of love and sadness crosses her face as she pauses a moment before finally nodding. “Yes, I’m the baby in that picture. It’s one of my favorites. I don’t have many pictures of the two of us together since she passed when I was very young. I cherish the ones I have.”

“She’s beautiful. I can see where her daughter gets it from.” I finally look over at Jade and find her eyes intently watching me. They dilate when our gazes connect.

“Thank you,” she says as she tucks a stray strand of hair behind her ear. I itch to push it back for her, to be able to touch her smooth skin and feel her intake of breath.

It’s silent for a moment as the two of us take each other in. Our eyes wander over each other’s faces. It feels as though the room fills with intense heat, a pulsing radiation that’s almost tangible.

My cell phone rings, breaking the tension so quickly that we both jerk in response to the unwanted intrusion. My eyes disconnect from hers, and I almost feel dizzy from the loss. I immediately want to reestablish the connection, but I force myself to look at the caller ID.

Donovan.

He’ll have to wait because I came here for a reason, and it wasn’t just to eye fuck her from across the room. No, I came here because I can no longer keep her in the dark.

At least, not about some of it. I need to be careful about what I tell her. I send Donovan’s call to voice mail as I finally take a seat on the couch, leaning forward to put my elbows on my knees. She picks up a pillow and takes a seat next to me, laying the pillow in her lap like it might comfort her.

I twist to face her, still leaning forward. The position change has my body moving closer to hers, but I’m careful to stay out of reach. I don’t trust myself not to reach out and touch her.

“I need you to stay far away from Vincent Maggio.” My stomach flips, and I start to feel sick from the thought of her being anywhere near him. The guy is bad fucking news.

“Well, I originally had plans to invite him over for tea and cookies, but I guess I’ll have to cancel that now.” She sighs with exasperation and shakes her head. “Of course, I don’t plan to go anywhere near him. I need to know who this guy is and why the hell Elliott wants to partner with him.”

She stands from the couch, throwing a pillow that she had in her lap back down where she was seated. She’s obviously aggravated and for good reason.

Here goes nothing.

“I haven’t exactly nailed down how high up in the syndicate Vinny is, but it’s pretty far up there. He’s responsible for more than eighty percent of the drugs that are on the streets right now. Not to mention he has a mile-long rap sheet of other very illegal and very dangerous activities.”

I told myself I wouldn’t tell her the details until I had enough on Vinny to ensure he couldn’t come after her or Dunn, but I won’t risk keeping her in the dark anymore.

It no longer makes sense to. She needs to know exactly what she’s dealing with here.

Her mouth falls open, then closes with an audible snap. “You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.”

“I wish I was.” It’s only been within the past few days that I’ve figured out just how high up the food chain Vinny is. He’s basically the boss for the whole west coast and maybe even further.

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