Julia snatched the phone from his hands and jabbed at the screen.
He’d figured out early in his career as an associate to the family that he needed to be useful. Besides brawn, he needed to bring something else to the table. So, he’d turned his tinkering hobby into an art form. Figuring out electronics and tech made him more than just another associate to do the family’s bidding. It made him valuable. Men who made money got elevated through the ranks. One way or another, Ciro intended to become a made man. At that point, he’d be taken care of, part of the family and not just another disposable person. Which led him back to his bid with Julia.
The more he could elevate her star, the farther he would go. And eventually, he hoped to go farther than her. The bloodthirsty tigress could only go so far without learning how to play nice.
“Now, what?” Julia asked.
“We wait.” He took the phone from her and set it on the desk.
“And this will tell us where she is?” Julia frowned.
“Yes. Or near enough. If she downloads it.” Ciro was banking on Taylor trusting Vito.
The phone screen lit up.
WTF did you send me?
“She got it?” Julia pointed at the phone.
“Maybe. Let’s see.”
Ciro tapped the laptop keys, activating the bit of data the spyware would have installed if Taylor didn’t stop it fast enough.
She hadn’t.
A red pin put her in—
“Seattle? What the hell is she doing in Seattle?” Julia leaned over his shoulder.
“Hiding from you. Let’s see where she’s staying.”
He did a quick reverse look up on the property. Finding out who Taylor was in bed with would go a long way in informing them about their potential problems.
“Holy shit,” Ciro muttered.
“What? Who is it?”
“Greedy George.”
“George?” Julia gaped at the screen.
The thirty-year-old rumors had hung on strong, right up until Maria Lucchese’s death, that she’d stepped out on her husband. That Taylor wasn’t Gaetano Lucchese’s daughter. Taylor had always been the spitting image of Maria, without a hint of the Lucchese family nose or chin.
Greedy George had a taste for money but no spine for the business. Before he was even a blip on the radar, he’d been shoved out of New York and Atlantic City. Sure, he’d popped up a time or two doing deals with someone, but then he’d gone, taking many of the rumors with him.
If Taylor had gone after George, if he was her real father, that could help Julia’s case for taking over the Lucchese family. The way the Commission, the five heads of the fabled families, saw it, they’d want to keep the Lucchese name going. And that meant facilitating a marriage to Taylor. But if she wasn’t a Lucchese, then the doors of opportunity were wide open. As soon as they took care of the guy in the basement. Ciro could handle that. Plant some evidence, whisper a few things to the right person, and Vito would be done.
“Ciro, you and Angelo need to go to Seattle and handle this.” Julia turned his chair and stared down at him. “I need you to do this for me.”
If Taylor were out of the picture, and Vito were dead, Julia was it. And the man who married her would be a made man.
“Anything you need, I’m your guy, Mrs. Lucchese.”
7.
Taylor was going to strangle one, if not five, of the puppies.
Whoever thought that seven, twelve-week-old puppies should be leash trained at the same time, needed to be shot. George had no business keeping seven dogs, much less one, or telling her how to train them. He didn’t even like animals, which was how Taylor got saddled with the responsibility in the first place. Because if no one else saw it as their job, it automatically fell to her to do it. She’d take a room full of screaming kids on sugar highs over the puppies today.
A little hand tugged at her sleeve.
Oh, what now?
Taylor stifled the urge to groan.
“Yes, Stacey?”
“He’s right there,” she whispered.
Oh no...
Ian had been avoiding her. That was the only reason she could think of for why, in a house this size, she hadn’t seen him more than a handful of times over the last week. George had asked her to perform a few tasks relevant to Ian’s investigation, but other than that, they hadn’t interacted. At all. And Taylor was too chicken to seek him out again. Not that last time had gone bad, per se, she just knew that when it came to Ian, her intentions flew out the window and she just did whatever felt right. It wasn’t a smart way to conduct herself, especially when she had secrets he’d been paid to find out.
She was dying to know what he’d discovered, if anything.
Taylor hadn’t yet figured out how the handwritten notes had found their way to their doorstep from all the way across the country. The guy she’d paid to do her last set of IDs was an old-timer. He’d probably known someone who knew someone that lived close enough they could drop off the missives to scare her.
It was just a matter of time until Ian discovered something close enough to the truth to point him her way.
“He doesn’t look like a prince.” Stacey tilted her head.
God bless the innocence of children.
“Stacey, it’s not polite to stare. Please help me, would you?” Taylor shoved two leashes at the child. Those two puppies would follow Stacey anywhere. They’d fast learned that the littlest human often dropped food.
Ever since Cat looked up the video of Ian’s dancing prince performance, Stacey had been obsessed with fairy tales—again. Taylor hadn’t been able to figure out who Ian was supposed to be from the video, it wasn’t like the cartoon princes actually got names half the times in the movies, but it didn’t really matter. He’d had a cape, a sword and a crown. All the essentials to fascinate a little girl who already felt like the cooped-up princess waiting to be saved.
Taylor wanted to warn Stacey that princes weren’t real. That no one would come to save her except for herself. Not even Taylor. But she couldn’t. Once she said one thing, she wouldn’t stop. The best thing Taylor could do for her was leave.
She pulled out her phone.
Still no reply from Vito.
He’d sent her some sort of weird file the other day, and then nothing. Complete radio silence. Not that it was odd, but he usually called for a quick chat every couple of days.
Was he in trouble? Did he need help? She couldn’t do anything until he told her more, but as of yet he hadn’t replied to her.
“Prince Ian! Prince Ian, hey!” Stacey waved her little hand at Ian.
“Princess Stacey, good somethi’.” A man that sinful looking should not sound that cheerful.
Shiiiiiiiit.
Taylor squeezed her eyes shut.
“What are you doin’ with all these puppies?” Ian’s voice changed. It was more animated. Different. And not different like she’d experienced. No, this was Ian in...what was it? Prince form? Child entertainer?
Be still, my throbbing ovaries.
Taylor glanced at Stacey, now tucked in close to Ian’s side, a smile practically breaking her face in half. God, he was good with kids, too?
“We’re taking the puppies on a walk,” Stacey proclaimed.
“Really now? With their short little legs, you sure you won’t be carryin’ them?” Ian scooped up the roli poliest one and cradled the dog against his chest, tickling it’s tummy.
“Daddy says they have to learn. We’re going to the park!”
“Is that so? I loved playin’ in the park when I was a kid.”
“You should come with us.”
“I don’t know...”
“Please?”
No, no, no...
“Only if it’s okay with Ms. Taylor.”
Oh, he was not making her the bad guy here. Not cool!
“He can come, can’t he, Taylor?” Stacey clung to her arm, pressing her cheek to Taylor’s shoulder.
“I
an has a lot of work to do for your dad. I’m not sure he has time to play.” Taylor tucked Stacey’s baby fine hair behind her ear. She was growing up so fast.
“Oh, I can make time. Give me a puppy. We’ll show these little buggers who’s boss.” Ian pushed to his feet and held out his hand.
“Yay!” Stacey jumped for joy, pumping her fist.
This was going to be hell.
Taylor blew out a breath and gathered her guilt in tight. Ian didn’t strike her as the kind of guy who did anything by happenstance, and she doubted he just randomly wandered by at this moment with nothing better to do than walk a pack of misbehaving puppies. He was on to her. She’d slipped up somewhere, or there’d been clues in the threats she hadn’t gotten her hands on first, and she needed to be prepared.
“Okay, let’s get your sweater on.” Taylor clipped the knot of leashes to her belt, including Stacey’s two. Taylor snagged Stacey’s sweater and held it for the little girl while she slid her arms into the sleeves. “Are you going to wear this to dinner with your dad tonight?”
“Yes, so I can’t get dirty.” Stacey clutched her frilly, coral-colored skirts in both hands.
“Then you take Sleepy and Doc, okay? They’re the least likely to jump on you.” Taylor doled out two leashes to Taylor and two to Ian, leaving her the three pains-in-her-butt wrestling around her feet.
At least now if she had to carry the lot of them home, she’d have another set of adult arms to help do the work.
They set out through the back entrance and hit the sidewalk, pausing only to sort out leashes. The going was slow, but the puppies were still pack-oriented and happy to follow along. As long as one of them was headed in the right direction, the rest were easy enough to corral.
“Prince Ian?” Stacey skipped ahead to walk next to the man, leaving Taylor to bring up the rear.
“Hm?”
“I’ve seen your dancing video ten times!”
“Is that so? Do you like to dance, Princess Stacey?”
“I do. Taylor dances with me sometimes. She’s the best.”
“She is the best.” Ian grinned down at Stacey.
The best at being a lying manipulative bitch? That was her.
Taylor glanced up and down the street, but the neighborhood was quiet. Most of the residents were older retirees or business-minded couples with older children. She hadn’t seen any Stacey’s age, which was a shame.
“The party you were at, was that for your daughter?” Stacey was fascinated with the dancing prince video. And the pictures. God, the pictures...
“No, that was for my niece.”
“What’s a...a niece?”
“My sister’s daughter.”
“Oh.” Stacey glanced down at the puppies. “I don’t have a sister.”
Yes, you do...
“Not everyone does.”
Taylor held her breath. Did Ian know? Had he found her out? It was only a matter of time. He was a professional. She had no hope of fooling him. She had to figure things out. Most of her last paycheck went to keeping Tommy quiet, buying her a bit more wiggle room, which left her with not a lot to work with.
Maybe she could ask Vito for help, but he’d already put his life in danger just letting her off the hook. If anyone found out he’d let her go...they’d kill him. There were no second chances in the family. You either did what you were told or someone killed you.
Stacey and Ian continued to chat. He was so patient with Stacey, and the little girl was starved for attention. Taylor hated how she was kept cooped up, without friends to play with and only adults to keep her company. It was a lonely existence. Taylor did what she could to get her out with others, but George didn’t allow her much time out of the house. Even this park trip was supposed to be for the puppies. Stacey’s presence was just a default, since there was no one around to watch her at the house.
They rounded the gate into the small neighborhood park. Most of the equipment was new and barely used. Today, there was a girl and boy up on the slide.
“Taylor?” Stacey peered up at her, eyes wide. It was an opportunity Taylor couldn’t deny her. Stacey’s childhood was being stolen from her in bits and pieces. The most Taylor could do was give her these. Little moments to explore what it was like to be normal.
“Give me the leashes. Be careful of your skirt, okay?”
Yeah, Taylor would likely have to spot clean, but Stacey was a kid. She should be allowed to play.
Taylor watched Stacey scurry off to make friends.
“She’s a remarkable little girl.”
Ian’s voice startled Taylor.
She glanced up at Ian, watching her.
“She is.” Taylor swallowed her emotions down deep and shuffled the leashes around.
“You ever get mistaken as her mum?”
“All the time.” Taylor chuckled. Too late, she realized the trap she’d walked into.
“It’s the smile.” Ian gazed out at the playground, the corners of his lips curled upward.
He knew.
He had to.
Didn’t he?
Or was he just making a comment?
Fuck, her nerves were too tightly strung.
If he didn’t know, he would soon enough. Taylor had to leave. Tonight. Tomorrow. Soon. And then who would look after Stacey? The puppies? George would find someone, but would they be right for Stacey? Could they be patient with her? Love her?
Taylor was doing her little sister no favors by sticking around, which meant she needed to go. All she’d wanted was to get to know Stacey. To have the opportunity to love her sister like she’d wanted to be loved. But instead, Taylor’s presence was very likely putting Stacey at risk.
As soon as she heard from Vito, she could head toward Canada and figure it out from there.
Ian gently removed the puppies’ teeth from his shoe laces.
Taylor made managing the squirming fur balls look easy. Every time he blinked, one or the other had latched onto his clothes or something on the ground. They were worse than human babies, always sticking things they shouldn’t in their mouths.
Now that he had Taylor alone, he didn’t know what to say or how to begin.
Zain still hadn’t gotten back to him about Taylor’s history or what he’d found out, but Ian didn’t need to know. Not really. Taylor was innocent, end of story. Whatever she was hiding, his gut said it wasn’t her fault. She was one of the good ones. He didn’t need a bit of paper to tell him his instincts were right.
Which led him to the real problem.
He’d let sex blind him. Get him in a snit. He wasn’t proud of that, but once he’d had some space and time to watch her, it’d become obvious what’d happened.
Taylor was smart. She knew he was going to find out what she was hiding. So, she’d distracted him. A woman like her, backed into a corner, did what she had to. And that turned his stomach. What’d started as a spark of great chemistry was tainted by whatever the hell was going on here.
Ian still hadn’t gotten to the bottom of everything. All he had were more questions, as he gathered information on George’s employees, his business partners and people who had a beef with the guy. Layer upon layer of questions, with no answers.
The only thing he could put to rights was this thing between him and Taylor. But how did he begin?
Hey, I know you felt like you had to sleep with me to get me to cooperate in protecting you, but that’s totally unnecessary.
Yeah, that would not go over well, but he had to do—or say—something. She’d never trust him with the truth, if he didn’t get over this hurtle with her. And he needed to. For himself. For the job. So he could protect her, if it came to that.
It’d all been so easy when he’d walked through the doors to do this job. Now nothing was simple anymore. Everything he learned about George left Ian feeling more and more uneasy. Something was going to happen, and he sure as hell didn’t want Taylor and Stacey to get caught up in it.
“Stacey’s a c
ute kid,” he said by way of breaking the silence.
“She is.” Taylor whistled and snapped at a puppy straying to the end of his leash.
“That’s...Sleepy?”
“Yup.”
“They’re cute little things.” He ran his fingers over the back of the closest. Dopey, if his memory served him right. “Who named them?”
“Stacey. She figured that since there were seven of them, and Snow White had seven dwarves, they fit.”
“I read up on what happened to her mom. She okay?”
Taylor glanced at him, then Stacey, who’d made quick friends of the other two children.
“She...is.”
“What’s that supposed to mean?”
“You see how George keeps her.” Taylor shrugged. “She’s very aware that this isn’t normal. Sometimes, she seems so much older than she really is.”
“She does.” The whole walk over, Stacey had chatted him up about the kinds of things she wanted to do for others. It wasn’t the kind of selfless thing a child her age thought about, much less acted on.
“How’s your investigation going?” Taylor sorted out two puppies who’d gotten twisted in their leashes.
“I don’t like what I’m findin’ out. I’m worried. About you and the little one.”
“Oh?”
“It’s a strange place to be, ya know? I think we’re both aware that not everythin’ George does is above board. Am I right?” He studied Taylor’s profile.
She didn’t respond or even bat an eyelash.
“I’m goin’ to find out something’, an’ when I do, I don’t know what to do with it. Contractually, I’m obligated to look the other way, but what’s the right thing to do? What would you do?”
“I’m not the right person to answer that.” Her knuckles were white.
“Taylor?” He reached over and covered her hand with his. She was holding it together, but he felt the tremble in her hand.
She was scared.
“About the other night...” He searched for the right words, but didn’t know how to say it without coming off as a dick.
“What is there to talk about?”
“I don’t want you to feel like...you have to do somethin’. I’m lookin’ out for you.” He swiped his thumb across her knuckles.
Alpha Prince (Twisted Royals, #1) Page 6
