Page 39 of Ruthless

She grimaces without refuting it. As she starts to leave, I catch her hand. “My job. The hospital…I’ve missed like five shifts. Am I fired?” It’s the least of my worries at the moment since I’ll likely be dead before I can remove another foreign object from someone’s rectum.

Angela clears her throat and looks away. “Dante had one of his tech guys hack into Mount Dinaric’s scheduling system and put you on indefinite medical leave.”

I snort in disbelief. “And what? The charge nurse just believes it? You know Vesta. She wouldn’t give us a day off if we were bleeding to death unless it was scheduled three months in advance!”

Angela just shrugs. “If it’s in the system, it’s irrefutable. They got Roberta to cover your shifts until you…come back.”

My look communicates that we both know that won’t be happening. Reluctantly, she exits the cell, locking the door behind her.

I stare hopelessly at the biscotti. I have to keep working on Dante, on dismantling his defenses one careful block at a time. The return ride from the Bazaar instilled me with hope, and I need to hold on to that.

But as much as I want to trust that part of him still cares about me, I need to remain cautious.

In order to stand a chance of getting out of here alive, I need to stop seeing only what I want to.

Chapter 13

Dante

By the time I leave SilverTech, my head’s pounding. I waste most of the day discussing a merger with Onyx, another tech start-up. My role is limited to approving and financing projects. Occasionally, I also negotiate deals with different companies to add legitimacy to my other ventures.

Onyx and I have been hashing out an agreement over the patent for their surveillance tech for over a month. We’re supposed to reach a deal by the end of the week, but it’s impossible to focus on that when Sara’s all I can think about.

Normally, I’d stay late, poring over numbers and studying market trends, but tonight, I go home early. In the elevator, my finger hovers over the basement button, but I press the italicized two instead. It’s because Iwantto see her that I don’t. Once I enter the correct code and the elevator doors slide open, my shoulders relax.

My home office, where I spend most of my time, occupies this entire level. I’ve decorated the space with a mix of dark, heavy antiques and chestnut brown leather. The aesthetic reminds me of my father’s office from my childhood, and I find the nostalgia comforting on nights like tonight.

Or at least, I would if I weren’t being watched.

The floor-length curtains framing the alcove behind my desk are open. As a result, a glow from the streetlights seeps in, though the faint illumination fails to banish all the shadows. I don’t see anyone, but I’ve come close to death too often not to feel when something is off.

The presence is cloying, suffocating, and invasive. I check the digital clock on my desk and freeze as a shadow shifts in the dark.

Removing my hand from the gun holstered at the small of my back, I crack my knuckles one by one to relieve the growing tension in my muscles. “You’re early.”

Pantalone steps out from his hiding spot, a stark silhouette in the low light. “You invitedus, Argento. Or did you forget?”

Rather than admit as much, I gesture to the chairs in front of my desk. “Why don’t you have a seat, and I’ll pour you a drink.”

Pantalone lifts his chin. “We’ll stand.”

For an instant, my attention fixes on the fireplace. “Suit yourself.”

Yanking at my tie, I head to my desk, unhurried, and settle into the chair. I don’t bother switching on the lamp that sits beside the computer monitor. The Council will only see my desire for illumination as a weakness. Instead, I recline and reach for the case of cigars I store in my top drawer. After extracting one that smells like aged whiskey and dark chocolate, I lop off the cap with the cutter and strike a match. Soon, the cigar’s smoky essence infiltrates the room.

I hate smoking, but the cigar serves as a signal. If I wind up missing or dead, the scent will inform Luca that the Council was here. It’s a subtle way to send a message right in front of the very people who pride themselves on their intelligence network. Luca and I agreed on different flavored cigars for each of the Councilors, though we haven’t yet agreed on a signal if I’m ever visited by two at once.

Seeing them both here is further proof that I have a mole. Only a few people know the code to the second floor, and neither Luca nor my brother would share that information. The system is damn near impenetrable, but this is the Council. If they want to violate my privacy, they’ll eventually find a way in.

I drag the smoke into my lungs and blow a gray cloud toward the ceiling. The whiskey and bittersweet chocolate aren’t for Pantalone. They’re for his companion, who’s still tucked in the corner of the room near the fireplace, observing me with his arms folded across his massive chest.

My eyes are accustomed enough to the dark that I can watch Zanni shove off from his perch by the fireplace.

“You’ve hidden your pretty little pet away, Argento.” Striding to the bookshelf, he tips over a small bronze clock.Asshole.“It’s almost a shame she isn’t one of us.”

Zanni speaks as if he knows Sara, but how? The security camera in her cell? Do they have remote access to the feed, or did they hack my computer’s password? I’ll need to implement end-to-end cryptographic safeguards to ensure the system remains uncompromised just to cover my bases.

“A shame indeed,” I echo flatly. I pull the cigar from between my teeth before I bite it in half. “Is that what you’d call it?”