Page 11 of Vicious Vows

The room is loud too, almost to the point of forcing us to shout at each other just to be heard, but he steps closer, glancing around as he leans in to speak more directly to me. He shelters his mouth, hiding so no one can read his lips, and then whispers to me.

“We’ve had some money taken from our accounts. It appears to be some online transactions. Have you seen this?”

So, Micah’s handiwork has been noticed so quickly. This confirms to me that my father’s finance guy was a completecoglione. If the Russians can detect her very first attempt, she either needs to up her game, or I need to have Dale and Jacob go back through my accounts to see what else the little wench took from me.

“I’ve seen this, yes. We’ve had our own little run-in with a hacker.” That’s all the information I’m going to give him, though he leans in for more.

“He’s taken quite a bit. Have you found out who it is?” Gar smells like cigarettes and sex, and I don’t have the heart to tell him he needs a bath. I back away and shake my head.

“If you find our common enemy, bring him to me. We’ll have a nice chat. Now, excuse me, fellas, I’m going to eat.” I tip my glass to him and his comrades and follow Vic and Tony to our table,confident that our little hacking genius has ruffled the correct feathers.

I’d like to tell her to empty the accounts of every one of my enemies, but I need a few more offshore accounts created to hold that much money without flagging the government and getting me into some major tax liabilities. For now, I’ll be patient and wait it out, see how she fares with the small amounts. Watch what kind of stir it makes.

The meeting goes as planned. We chat among ourselves, and when the Albanians get up and rush out, all staring at their phones, I realize Micah has been successful at hacking them too. The comedian is good, though his jokes walk the line between being funny and starting a fistfight between Families, and by the time I get home, I’m ready to see Micah spread on my bed in celebration of her fantastic work.

At home, I pass by the office, heading straight to my den, and send Tony to fetch Micah. I settle in, pouring two glasses of whiskey and taking off my jacket. The information I gathered tonight is encouraging. For now, they don’t know who she is or where their money has gone, only that it’s gone. It took Dale a short time to track her down and bring her in, but it may take them less time. It’s time we don’t want to waste, and I need to speak with her about her strategy. If she left breadcrumbs, they’d know already and they’d be onto me. But seeing their reaction, I don’t think she’s that dumb.

9

MICAH

I’ve barely backed out of the latest line of code and taken my fingers from the keyboard when one of Luke’s meathead guards comes waltzing in. His shoes squeak on the wooden floor, annoying me, and I look up at him with a scowl. If Luke thinks I’m going to take orders from some schmucks who work out all day, he has another thing coming. I’m his wife, and as such, I will demand the same respect as him, especially if he expects me to act like a wife in any way.

“Mr. Santoro would like to see you, please.” He folds his hands together in front of himself, arms dangling, biceps bulging, and looks down at me.

I take my good time finishing up a few last keystrokes then power down the computer. Yawning, I stand and take my good time collecting my things. My phone is here, plugged in to the computer to charge up since my charger was in my laptop bag and I have no clue where that got to. I’d call someone, but Will isn’t answering and I don’t want to bother Dad or Nathan with more worrying. No one else even flies on my radar anymore, sowho would I call? I basically used it all day as a paperweight. I’m not sure why I even charged it.

“What does he want? I’m tired. I think I want to go to bed.” I pass by him, shuffling barefoot out into the hallway. I look both ways, but the lights in the living room and great room are off. At the far end of the home, there’s a light streaming from an open door.

“Come with me,” he grunts, and I am forced to follow him down the hall.

Luke’s words linger in my mind, the haunting tone he spoke them in too. He expects this marriage to come with all the benefits of a real marriage, including my sharing his bed, which I know means my body gets used like a blow-up doll. I’m no stranger to sex. Believe me, I’ve had my share. But the idea of doing that with him never crossed my mind when I agreed to this stupid plan of his. I just knew my father needed my help and this was my only option.

Now I march up the hallway to my impending doom, and I know it.

Earlier today, when he hovered over me, I had to fight the feelings of being aroused by him and his nearness. He’s an incredibly attractive man, and with all that power and money, women probably throw themselves at him. In fact, he’s probably had five different partners a week for years of his life. He can probably get any woman he wants, so I’m not sure why he chose me. My hacking skills could have been purchased by threat alone, but he wants more.

“In here,” Lars says, gesturing. That’s not his name, I know that much, but since no one has introduced themselves, I’m left to make up my own names for them in my mind and pretend.

I step into the room to see Luke seated on one of the large sofas in the corner of the room. His suit coat is draped over a chair, tie loosened, shirt unbuttoned a few buttons. Two drinks sit on the glass-top table in front of him, and his arms stretch along the back of the sofa. He has one leg crossed over the other and a hungry look in his eyes as I approach, though I feel more like a child sent to a principal’s office than a wife coming in to submit to her husband’s sexual advances. But I know that’s what he wants.

“Leave us alone, Tony,” Luke says with a flick of his wrist, and the large man walks away. I store that name in my memory and stand in front of the man in charge, crossing my arms over my stomach.

“Well, you must be proud of yourself. The Russians and the Albanians in one day. Well done.” He leans forward and picks up his glass of whiskey and tips it at me. My fingers itch to get the other one and down it. I don’t want to be conscious when my body betrays my integrity and gets all worked up by his advances. “Except,” he says, punctuating the word with proper enunciation, “you were found out.”

My eyebrows rise, and I try to hide my shock. I wasn’t found out. It was a clean in and out. No one tracked me. I didn’t leave anything open. No trace of what I’ve done or any indicator that I’d be back, though I left a Trojan in there to help me open the line again next time—on both accounts. Why do needless work?

“What?” I ask, shaking my head. “I’m clean. I didn’t leave any trace.”

“Well, they knew what happened and they questioned me because they heard it happened to me too. Now sit,” he barks, slapping the cushion beside him.

Before I slowly lower myself to his level, I take the glass and down the contents then set it back down. He doesn’t even complain that it wasn’t offered or given to me. He just smirks at me and chuckles. I’m pissed off, to say the least. Maybe they noticed the activity because Will wasn’t here to help me or warn me. I rack my brain, but nothing I’ve done would send any red flags unless they just happened to check their bank accounts. Maybe I moved too much too quickly.

“Can they track you?” he asks, angling his body to face mine, and my face warms.

When I’m alone with him, my body feels things. I haven’t been this sensitive to a guy since high school when Ben Richards had a crush on me. I didn’t just give him my virginity. I begged him to take it. Fuck, was he hot, and so is Luke, but Ben wasn’t a villain. Luke is literally the Don of the Italian Family in New York City. I can’t fall for him.

“No, I swear. I would never jeopardize my father’s life.” I feel my stomach knotting and want to run away in shame.

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