Dangerous Conceit (Sample)

Chapter 1

Over five years ago, Royce yanked her inside a rusty old pickup. The sweat on his forehead still shined through the haze of cigarette smoke as he pointed a gun to her cheek. She tried to escape the prison hell where Moretti kept her in Homestead and had a blazing scar across her back as proof. They left her no choice but to listen. If she tried to run again, somebody else would die.

Lexi pushed her short brown hair behind her ear and walked from the kitchen to the bar of her latest assignment. She was fed up with being Moretti's slave. This time, he sent her to Miami to take down Crime Boss Angelo Tomassi. The hold he held over her head had to come to an end. This assignment would only end in her death.

A clinking in the kitchen brought Lexi's thoughts back to the wine glass she was polishing with a white cloth napkin. She glanced around the restaurant where she had feigned the title of bartender for the last week. It was an elegant environment, ritzier from her last job where she had played a prostitute at a rundown motel. She could see herself working at a place like this on a permanent basis if Angelo had not owned the establishment.

"Lexi," said Seth, the veteran bartender. "We have a customer at table two and I'm hands-full in oysters. Go ahead and take the first table tonight."

Unlike other jobs, she liked being a bartender. She looked at Seth, a friendly, sandy-haired man a few years older than she was. She guessed he was in his late twenties but did not bother with formalities since she was not planning to stay. She was there for one reason—to get Angelo out of the way. If it was Angelo's power the crooked mayor wanted, Lexi intended to grant his wish. Knowing more about the situation than anyone did, she alone could make it work.

"Are you sure?" she asked, acting her role well. "I know you're supposed to have the first table. I could always finish with the oysters."

Seth shook his head and let out a sigh. "No, you would be doing me a favor. Paolini hasn't been in here for a month, and there's no telling what he's here for now."

Paolini? Rafael Paolini?

Lexi pushed her hair out of the way and took a small breath in, playing off that she knew who he was from the information Moretti showed her about the Tomassi Group. "Is there anything specific I should know about him?"

Seth chuckled and continued shucking. "You don't get to know Paolini. You have to experience that man."

Lexi believed that was true and assessed Rafa from afar, noting his wavy brown hair was longer than the average suit, but it still was neatly combed back. His posture stayed upright and firm as he took his seat; his brown eyes stayed on the door as though expecting an intruder. Lexi thought he was a good-looking man with a tanned complexion, but his tired eyes caught her attention.

Lexi tied a small black apron around her waist, careful to keep her matching shirt and slacks looking fresh. She never had seen Rafa in person but knew he influenced most of Angelo's decisions. She could not disappoint Angelo's confidant and wanted his first impression of her to count. "What does he usually drink?" she asked.

Seth pointed with his knife to a bottle on the top shelf. "Give him a glass of our Screaming Eagle."

"Pricey tastes," she muttered and climbed the first few steps of the ladder. Her height helped her to reach the bottle from its wooden cubby without moving up all six steps.

Grabbing a wine glass, she walked in stride to the farthest table away from the door. She gave a moment's pause until Rafa looked up at her. Their eyes met and held fast as he analyzed her mannerisms and social competence. She expected his scrutiny and set the glass on the table, lifting the bottle of wine with a crisp white cloth. "Good evening, Mr. Paolini. My name is Lexi. May I start you off with a glass of cabernet?"