Page 19 of Extradition (Mobsters + Billionaires 1)
Looking back at my reluctant savior, I grasp for some level ground.
“You never answered my question. How did you come to know Sherry? What kind of work are you doing with her?”
He shakes his head, his lip curling up in a snarl. It’s not an unpleasant look on him, and his voice betrays a hint of amusement.
“Why do you care how I know Sherry? We’re friendly. Don’t worry though. She wasn’t giving away any of your big secrets.”
“I didn’t think she was. She is loyal above all else. But it is rare for non-executives to interact with her. And I sometimes wonder if we have been too insular.”
That’s true enough, though I’m shocked to have said it aloud. A real alph—er—someone in control of themselves knows to keep such things close to their chest.
“Did you wonder that before or after your stocks began to tank?”
“Mostly after.” I wrinkle my nose, hateful of that inconvenient truth and even more bothered that I automatically answered his question.
He scratches his beard, seeming to debate something. With a nearly imperceptible shrug, he finally responds to my original question. “You asked someone to give you a rough sketch of your competition’s activities and stock movement every morning. Sherry and I take our coffee breaks at the same time, and I make her laugh. So she assigned the task to me.”
My mind immediately goes to the stacks and stacks of printouts, highlighted to identify points of reading, saving me the time of trying to pick through the relevant data.
“Wait—you’re the one responsible for my highlight sheets?”
“Yeah. Not the most fun, but I learned a lot from reading through your competition.”
“Your highlights show a lot of sharp observation.”
“I’m guessing that comes as a surprise to you.”
“Well, no. I mean—”
“Sir, not to interrupt, but I’m assuming that we’re landing at the residence, not the office?”
“Yes, thank you.” I turn to Joe. “Do you think they’ll follow you to Manhattan? What should we tell my security guy?”
Joe shakes his head. “My family avoids Manhattan like the plague. We’ve got too many rivals on the island, too many ways to step incorrectly in the wrong territory. You didn’t witness anything too illegal. I’m hoping they’ll decide you’re not worth it.”
I stitch my brows. “What about you? Are you worth it?”
His jaw shifts, though it’s hard to get a read on him from the back. “They won’t come into Manhattan for me, but my father’s gonna create a situation to force me back to Brooklyn. Just a guess.”
As he’s talking, he reaches for his phone. Reading the screen, he curses to himself.
“What? Did they text you? Do you know what the situation is going to be? The one they’re trying to force?”
He shakes his head. “No. It’s just my uncle informing me that my father invoked extradition.”
“I don’t know what that means.”
“Means that any family in Manhattan who can put hands on me and return me in one piece gets a reward.”
“Family as in…?”
“Mafia.”
“Are there many…families in Manhattan?”
“None he’s friendly with, but a few will do it for the cash.”
“Oh.”
