Page 67 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

“What are you saying?”

Matteo looks at me. “I’m saying my hands are mostly tied until he finds out the truth. He will. But until then, I keep you safe and our upcoming nuptials will keep him mostly at bay. You were attacked once, you don’t think that will happen again? Everyone in your family is being watched. I have word out the Mulligans will be part of the Villani family, and it’s working for now. But Dominguez will snatch any opportunity, and don’t think he doesn’t have eyes on your stronghold.”

He smiles and it’s humorless. Deadly. “Right now,amore mio,you’re the target.”

CHAPTER15

HEAVEN

Matteo’s words ring through my head even as I sit behind my desk, papers in hand. Sean, one of Conor’s peons, cowers in his chair as if I’m going to poke his eye out with a pencil. And I just might.

I don’t look at Matteo, who insists on being here. He’s leaning against the wall, but he’s busy studying his phone. Or at least, he pretends to be.

I focus on Sean. “What the hell is going on here? For the past week and a half, you show a profit every day. It’s not possible. Where are you tracking the outgoing shipments?”

Sean swallows. “I, uh, I’m tracking everything in the main system. All the receipts have been entered.”

“Sean,” I say again, trying to control my anger. “On a daily basis, you have liquor, beer, and food being delivered to Molly’s. The invoices are all inflated by the drugs being smuggled in those crates, and you’re supposed to separate the money for the drugs to avoid a paper trail. Instead, you’re using the total invoice amounts for tracking. Why?”

“Last time Conor was here, he said to keep everything together so it’s all in one place. You know, more organized.” He glances at the papers and then at me. “Just following orders. That’s all.”

My fucking brother is an idiot. I want to punish Sean, but he’s only following orders of the underboss. And he looks for all the world like he wants to throw up because by listening to my brother, he’s pissed me off.

“So that way you can make it easier for the Feds to see we’re laundering money if they raid us?” I snap, slamming my hand on the desk.

Matteo looks up from his phone at that moment but says nothing.

“And I get it, you’re following orders. But I expect you to stick to what I told you. Next time there’s an issue, bring it up quietly with me.”

“I-I’m sorry, Heaven.”

I stand. Fuck, I can’t have Sean thinking there’s dissent in the upper ranks, so I force myself to calm. “No doubt it’s just a misunderstanding since this is my arena, not Conor’s. I’ll take it up with him. You can go.” I wait until Sean’s almost at the door. “In the meantime, go back to the tracking method I showed you, got it?”

Sean nods and backs away.

“Feeling better, Heaven? Now you’ve reamed out an underling?”

“No.” I glare at him. “I’ll feel better once I sort out Conor.”

“He’s not here?”

Matteo says it with a straight face. We both know he’s not here. Me, because I know where Conor is on Thursdays, and Matteo, because I’m positive no one in my family so much as looks sideways without him knowing about it.

“Just take me to him. I’ve had enough of this place.”

“No sweet reunions with your father?”

I stalk up to Matteo, stopping just out of arm’s reach. Even so, the air crackles and simmers with awareness. “Don’t push me. I’m not in the mood.”

“Anything my heart’s desire wants.”

I look down at the pencil in my hand and wonder what my chances of stabbing the fucker in the neck with it would be.

Matteo follows my gaze. “I wouldn’t.”

“I would.”

“I’m sure. But I don’t think you’d like the consequences if you tried.” He pauses, his gaze now on my mouth. “Or maybe you might.”

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