Page 405 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

Aisling giggles and stuffs my finger into her mouth.

“That’s what I thought,” I say, pulling my phone out of my pocket again. Still nothing from Uncle Boris.

Tiny alarm bells go off in my mind. He still doesn’t even know I got the job! How the heck am I supposed to be an investigator if I don’t even know what I’m looking for?

But more than that, I’m getting nervous about the radio silence. I step through the events at Tatiana in my head, trying to recall if I made eye contact with anyone who might be able to pin his murder on me.

Dante sure as hell doesn’t know it was me, but someone else who might have inside knowledge about the bad blood shared by Vigo and my uncle might see something different.

And if they couldn’t find me, they’d look for him next.

A shiver ripples through me and I dial his number again. This time, I let it ring about twenty times before giving up.

I say a silent prayer that his ringer is off. Or that he accidentally left his phone somewhere. Or that his phone is out of battery.

Anything other than the horrible alternative of him lying face-down in a ditch somewhere, paying for a crime he didn’t commit.

But if any eyewitnesses could pin the actual murder on me, they’d also know he called in the hit.

Volkov wouldn’t think twice about slicing his head off, no matter what kind of deal he was promised.

And I’d definitely be next on his hit list.

I wander out to the balcony and sink down onto one of the chaise lounges. There are firepits on the two far corners. Obviously for ambiance because there is absolutely no need for heat out here in the desert.

In the sweltering summertime, no less.

I sit back against the cushion and cuddle Aisling against me, staring up at the dusky blueish-purple sky. “How could I let him touch me like that?” I ask the baby. “I walked right into it and climbed him like a freaking tree! But, oh my God, did he taste good. And he smelled amazing…like cloves and spice and sex. Oh, yes, sex. So much sex…” I give my head a good shake. “What the heck is wrong with me, little girl? Huh? I am a hot mess and a half over your uncle.”

Tears spring to my eyes and I let out a shuddering breath. “What am I even doing here? I’m out here, by myself, on my own with no direction at all, doing a job I have no clue how to do. And what’s worse is that I’m falling for a guy who was part of something that hurt me so deeply, I will never, ever heal from the wound.”

“Bababababababa!” Aisling says, her voice muffled as she continues gnawing at my finger.

I shake my hand, letting out a deep sigh. “I can’t get in touch with my uncle, I’m living in the same place as people who had a hand in killing my brother, which I can’t even confirm because my uncle has fallen off the face of the Earth!” I let out a huff. “It would be so much easier if we switched places right now, you know? I could be a cute little baby and you could deal with the adult stuff. Sound good?”

I smooth the top of her head. It’s so soft and she smells so amazing.

She’s also not sticky at all.

Of course, that’s in part because I keep wiping her down after she eats or drinks anything at all. Jesus, I’ve wiped her down so much, I’ve probably worn away her top layer of skin. I rise to a seated position and balance her on my lap. “I have an idea. Why don’t we go and check out Daddy’s office? We have to hurry before Uncle Dante comes back, though.” I stand up and set her on one hip, walking back inside. I have no idea when he’ll be back, and I don’t want to get caught so we have to work fast looking for something. Don’t ask me what, though. Because I can’t tell you!” I sing-song. “Because I don’t know! But maybe it’ll just jump out at me, right? I mean, that could happen. I’m sure I could pick out shady paperwork.”

Sure, I can. With all of my shady paperwork training.

I roll my eyes as we walk down the hall together in the direction of Matteo’s office. I saw him pull Dante in their earlier, and I can only hope he didn’t lock the door when he left.

I twist the handle and the door opens.

Bingo!

He obviously forgot to lock it, which is really strange since he clearly doesn’t trust me for shit.

His brain must have partially melted from the quickie afternoon sex they had because there’s no way he’d have just left the gates to the kingdom open like that. His mind was evidently in other places.

Works for me, though.

I creep into the room and head for his desk. The top is immaculate. Polished. Shiny. Not a single fingerprint or a stray piece of paper. I frown. He’s the head of a big-time mafia family. He wouldn’t leave illicit business dealings documented and out in the open for anyone to see and steal.

Dammit!

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