Total pages in book: 76
Estimated words: 75107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 75107 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 376(@200wpm)___ 300(@250wpm)___ 250(@300wpm)
“A fingerprint scanner?” Steph asked, brows scrunched up.
“He’s a fan of security,” I said. It wasn’t a lie. I just wasn’t sure there was a reason to tell Stephanie the truth just yet.
“This is a construction firm?” she asked, checking the sign as we moved inside.
Ant must have the heat lowered at night to just high enough to keep the pipes from freezing because it wasn’t the warm and cozy inside that I was hoping to give her. But it was better than the sharp cold outside.
“Why are we at a construction firm?” she asked, following me across the tile floor that looked like hardwood. Ant was a fan of the shit. If anyone wanted to put that click stuff in, he always convinced them to go with the tile instead.
Looks the same but is practically indestructible.
I flicked on lights as we moved through the common workspace, then into Ant and Saylor’s office.
It had all glass walls that, with the touch of a button, could go completely frosted for privacy.
The inside featured a large desk, but also a plush couch.
“Here, sit,” I said, bringing her over to the couch. When she sat, I lowered onto the coffee table, then took each of her legs into my lap in turns, removing her heels.
“Are they full of blood?” she asked as I set the shoes down.
“No blood. But you have some blisters forming. Here,” I said, sliding my finger across one. “And here.”
It was a barely-there touch, but a little shiver moved through Stephanie anyway.
Interest twisted in my gut, but there was no way to act on it. First, because she was freaked out. Second, because Ant and Saylor had cameras fucking everywhere.
“I’ll get you a coffee,” I said, standing and turning away before she could agree or not.
Ant had a hidden kitchenette, but I moved out of the office to go toward the staff kitchen instead, needing a minute to rack my brain about what to do next.
There weren’t many members of the Costa Family that wouldn’t be busy this time of year.
Maybe Zeno, since he was usually too distracted by his computer shit to remember to attend family get-togethers. And his brother Gavino, because he was a surly, antisocial fuck who didn’t like leaving his apartment.
The coffee finished brewing, and I poured and prepared our cups before bringing them back to the office.
“What are you doing?” I asked when I came back to find Steph lifting her hands up in the air.
“There’s a vent above my head. My fingers are icicles.”
“This will help,” I said, holding out the coffee for her to wrap her cold hands around.
“Thanks. My feet feel like they have a pulse,” she grumbled, clenching and unclenching her toes.
“Gotta get you some memory foam shoes for the next few days.”
“Yeah,” she agreed, taking a sip of her coffee. “Venezio, why are we here?”
“We needed somewhere to sit down.”
“Sure. But… but there was a coffee place right where we were.”
She was too damn quick for her own good.
“Yeah, but it’s almost Christmas. The place was packed. There was no way we would find seats and you needed to get off your feet for a bit.”
She couldn’t argue with that. No, this wasn’t like being in Midtown at Christmas, but not only were tourists around, but locals were all out shuffling to parties or doing their shopping.
“Why do you have access to this place? Do you work here?”
“No. I just… visit a lot.” That wasn’t a lie. I worked my ass off, earned a lot of money, and needed somewhere to drop it off.
Steph was in the middle of taking another sip when there was a slamming noise out front.
It could have been nothing.
This was a noisy, busy neighborhood.
But something made my gut tighten, made my blood run cold.
It was too close.
It sounded right outside the front door.
Sucking in a deep breath, I stepped out of the office, which gave me a direct view of the camera feed of the front door.
And there he was.
Fuck.
Fuck.
“What is it?” Steph asked when I turned and ran back into the office.
I ripped the coffee out of her hands, spilling some across her dress. But I couldn’t worry about shit like that.
“He’s out front.”
“What? He?”
“Yeah, he. With the gun. Get your shoes on.”
Her eyes went to saucers, but she stood and slipped back into her heels.
“What do we do?”
The only exit out the back led to the front of the building.
“We go up.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Stephanie
My feet screamed the second I put my weight on them in the heels.
There was no time to harp on that, though, as Venezio grabbed my hand and pulled me back out of the office. This time, we turned to the left, going toward the back of the building.
There was a doorway, then a hallway up.
There was a small room above with no clear exit until Venezio reached up to pull down a set of stairs like you’d find for an attic.