The Job (Auctioned), Cara Dee [ebook reader wifi TXT] 📗

I frowned. “Of-fucking-course not.”

“Then…” She gave me a look, at a loss, not seeing why we couldn’t handle this between us. And I was starting to think she was making sense. “Let this be a simple exchange between you and me. You want something—I want something. As long as I don’t risk anything, why go to my family?”

Back up. What did she want?

Unfortunately, we didn’t get further than that because Laney returned, and it was fucking frustrating. I composed my face and did my best not to ask my friend to take a hike for five minutes. To be honest, if I could avoid involving TJ, that was the route I wanted to go down. I just had to make sure I could do it with a clean conscience.

“Did I miss anything fun?” Laney asked and plopped down in her seat.

Allegra sent me a flirtatious smile. “Actually, I’m really tired, so I was just about to ask Casey to walk me out.”

I exhaled a chuckle and felt the frustration dissipate.

Laney looked like a combination of proud matchmaker and…well, she was a good person, so I could tell she felt a bit guilty too.

“Sure, I can walk you out.” I pushed back my chair and stood up. “I’ll be right back,” I told Laney. Then I waited while the girls said their goodbyes before I ushered Allegra out of the dining room, then past the bar area too.

“I’m gonna give you the benefit of the doubt since you’re TJ’s friend,” she said as we reached the indoor plaza. She peered up at me. “Here’s what I want. There’s a man working in Hospitality. His wife is cheating on him—relentlessly. And I wouldn’t mind if he found out about that, preferably before he gives a certain job to his wife’s obnoxious daughter.”

Jesus Christ, she was well and truly a part of her family. I didn’t know if Allegra had her eyes set on the job or the guy; it didn’t matter. It was nothing I couldn’t handle.

“That’s it?” I asked. “You want pictures of his wife’s affairs to show up on his desk or something?”

Allegra shifted her weight from one foot to the other and glanced around us, maybe making sure no one was listening. Cute. “That actually sounds perfect. Can you make that happen?”

Oh, I could. I chuckled. “Sure. Just give me his information.”

Her brown eyes flashed with relief and a bit of excitement. “So what is it you want from me?”

Shit, we might actually pull this off without any hassle or risks. “Access to one of your clients’ files.”

She cocked her head, curious. “Whose? I only have two at the moment.”

“Alfred Lange.” I watched the recognition flick across her features. “All of it—whatever you’re planning for his birthday party. Dates, reservations, specific times, guest totals, the whole thing.”

She straightened and hiked her purse over her shoulder. “Would there be any risk of it tracing back to me?”

“None,” I replied. “You just share whatever information you have with me—and keep me updated on changes.” I’d make sure she knew where to be and not to be during the events too, but no need to scare her with that right now.

I kept my gaze locked with hers as I noticed Boone crossing the plaza behind Allegra.

“Okay. Deal.” She extended her hand.

I smirked faintly and shook it. “Perfect. Clear your schedule after work tomorrow. We’ll meet up and discuss details.”

“Got it. Um, should we exchange numbers?”

I shook my head. “Won’t be necessary. When do you get off work? I’ll get you a new phone you can contact me on.” With her background, she was probably not a stranger to throwaways.

“I have a wedding next weekend, so I start working double shifts tomorrow,” she said. “But I have a three-hour break at four.”

“That works,” I replied with a nod. “Let’s meet up outside Taco Bell at four thirty, then. The one that serves booze.”

She snickered. “I’ll be there. This will be fun!”

I let out a chuckle and shook my head. “The apple doesn’t fall far.”

She smirked at that.

Eight

“What do you think, Daddy?”

I looked away from my magazine and stared at my nails. “They’ve never looked so good, princess.” Who knew purple was my color? “Maybe you can do nails when you grow up.”

She beamed and tucked away her nail polishes into her toiletry bag. “When’s Dad coming?”

Soon. Too soon. I checked the clock over the TV and sighed to myself. “Twenty minutes.” Which meant I had to get out of here.

I wasn’t sure I could do this much longer. It’d been almost four years, and my own brother still couldn’t face me unless he had to.

Every week when Ace’s pickup time rolled around, I was dragged further down into a pit of despair.

Wasn’t the pain supposed to fade over time?

By the time Boone and I were walking away from the plaza and all the restaurants, I could tell I needed to clue my brother in before he lost it.

“Mind telling me why we just said goodbye to Laney and the mafia princess?” he asked, frustrated. “We’re supposed to be heading to a bar with them now.”

“I already took care of shit,” I answered. “It’s practically in the bag. I’ll explain when we get upstairs.”

I guessed we didn’t need Ma to babysit Ace after all.

“Wait.” Boone grabbed my shoulder and halted our step. “You’re saying everything’s taken care of? We’ll have the info we need?”

“Yeah. Tomorrow—Allegra and I struck a deal.”

Boone was itching to hear the details, but it seemed he had something else on his agenda first. “Then why go upstairs? We have—” he checked his watch “—five hours until Mom’s going back home.”

My gaze got caught on the pizza slice pin on his shirt, and it made me look down at the pin Ace had given me. Heading upstairs and letting Mom go home early meant we might get another family moment like before—and I craved them like heroin—but on the other hand…

“What do you have in mind?” I