Authors: Eve Vaughn
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Once back at the hotel, the brothers discussed the night’s events.
“What the hell happened, exactly? We sensed danger the minute we stepped into the
club. Why the hell didn’t you two pick up on it?” Nico asked GianMarco and Dante,
who would normally have never fallen for such a trap.
Dante answered, deadpan. “GianMarco wanted a piece of ass.”
Romeo rolled his eyes before glaring at his youngest brother. “Isn’t that always the
case? That does not explain why you two couldn’t sense there were rogues about.”
Dante sighed. Romeo was right. He should have known better than to ignore his instincts,
but it had been a long time since he had been with a woman.
“It doesn’t matter, Dante. We know how much you sacrifice for the Underground.” Nico
patted his older brother on the back, seeming to pick up on Dante’s inner struggle.
Dante smiled affectionately at him. “Thank you for saying so, Nico.”
“Who tipped you off to this place, Dante?” GianMarco asked. “He is obviously behind
all of this.”
“Trent Black. He has been loyal to our cause. I had no reason to disbelieve him.”
“I have to ask, are we just tilting at windmills here? No one has ever seen
il Diavolo
; perhaps there is no such vampire,” GianMarco pointed out. “Lately, it seems like
each mission takes us to a dead end, and it is beginning to get very tedious.”
“
Il Diavolo
exists, all right, and when I find him I will rip his heart out and make him eat
it.” Dante spoke with conviction, daring anyone else in the room to dispute him.
GianMarco finally broke the silence. “Those rogues were stronger than usual.”
Romeo agreed. “Yes. They seemed different. A little wilder, perhaps.”
Dante gritted his teeth. “They were disciples of the evil one.”
“How can you be so sure?” Nico asked.
Dante looked straight ahead. He would never forget that symbol for as long as he lived.
“They bore his mark.”
“It was a setup from the get-go, with the little redhead morsel as bait. Whoever gave
Trent that message must have been in on it, or perhaps your man Black isn’t as loyal
to the Underground as you think,” Romeo pointed out.
“Don’t be such a cynic, little brother. He has never let me down before. I will speak
to him when I get back to New York,” Dante promised.
“Maybe you should call him instead,” GianMarco suggested.
“No. I want to see the look on his face when he sees me. If he is in on this plot,
he will be surprised to see me alive,” Dante reasoned.
“I guess that makes sense, but if he is in on it, I’ll help you kick his ass.” Romeo
smiled, looking as if he were spoiling for a fight.
Dante shook his head. “Ro, I think you just want a fight, period.”
“Who, me?” The blond vampire smirked.
“Not now, Ro. This is serious business.” Dante sighed.
Nico looked at his older brother with concern-filled amber eyes “Dante, have you considered
taking some time away from Underground business? It seems to have consumed all your
time, and now it seems to be taking over your soul as well.”
“It’s never far from my mind, but time off is a luxury that I can’t afford. No, it
is out of the question. How can I rest knowing
il Diavolo
and his minions are out there preying on innocents? Perhaps it is my cross to bear
to take him down, but it is something that I must do.” Dante slammed his fist in his
palm.
The power-hungry vamps who preyed on other vampires to grow stronger sickened him,
and
il Diavolo
was the worst. When Trent had told him about a connection in London who had information
about the evil one, Dante had contacted his most trusted agents, his brothers. He
felt embarrassed to have been led into the trap. When he was younger and more headstrong,
he had gotten himself into such predicaments. Now that he was older, he should have
known better.
After barely surviving a brutal attack by rogue vampires himself, Dante had dedicated
his life to hunting them down. He had created the Underground, an organization of
vampires who were dedicated to the same goal, many of whom had their own reasons for
hunting rogues. There were dozens of agents in their organization throughout the world,
but he did not trust anyone as much as he trusted his brothers.
Perhaps when he found
il Diavolo
, he could finally find out what had happened to their mama and papa. His brothers
were all too young to remember them the way he did, but he would never forget.
Dante knew that at times his brothers thought he was a tight ass who didn’t like to
have fun, which was probably why he had not listened to his inner instincts at the
club earlier. He cursed himself for his brief lapse; he would not be that foolish
again. Dante vowed to wipe out every damn rogue who came his way.
GianMarco seconded Nico’s opinion.
“I know how you feel. No one knows about wanting vengeance more than I do. Take some
time off. We are all worried about you.”
“It’s easy for you to say, Marco, when you have had your revenge. You were fortunate
enough to find the rogue who killed your wife and child, but have you really gotten
over it?” Dante asked shrewdly.
GianMarco looked as if he didn’t understand, but Dante knew that he did. “What are
you talking about?”
“You haven’t painted since Bianca died.”
GianMarco shrugged. “I just don’t feel like painting. Besides, it’s hardly the same
thing.”
“Isn’t it?” Dante raised a brow.
GianMarco shuffled his feet, looking like he wanted to change the subject rather than
get into why he no longer painted. “Not really, but suit yourself.”
“Look, let’s not argue,
” Nico
interjected.
Dante sighed. “Who’s arguing? It’s a simple discussion. I do have another task for
the three of you, however.”
“Oh, boy! It’s ass-kicking time!” Romeo chimed in with glee.
“Can it, Ro. This is serious. Since we are in London already, there is a house in
Mayfair I want you to visit. I hear that it draws an interesting crowd. See what you
can find out, and if anyone discovers your presence, take them all out,” Dante instructed,
before rattling off the address.
“And where are you going?” GianMarco asked.
“Back to New York. I have to pay a little visit to our informant.”
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A week later, on a flight back to Washington D.C., GianMarco reflected on the last
couple of weeks. The nagging comment that Dante had made about him not painting anymore
bothered him. He tried to push it to the furthest part of his mind. It was no one’s
business why he chose not to paint anymore, not even his brothers. He frowned as he
remembered what had happened after they left the hotel the night of the trap.
When he and his two brothers had gained entrance to the Mayfair house they were scouting,
they immediately knew why Dante had sent them there. They had hovered in the corner
of the room undetected, observing what appeared to be a meeting of four ordinary men,
but who were not ordinary at all. They were vampires, and they all seemed smug about
something. They had been talking about an induction ceremony of some sort. It was
only when the name of
the woman from the club had been mentioned that GianMarco faltered, foiling their
cover. The Grimaldi brothers annihilated the four rogues easily, unlike the ones in
the club.
These missions were beginning to take more and more out of him. GianMarco was disgusted
with his performance that night. First, he had slipped up with the redhead at the
nightclub and then he’d made his presence known to the rogues before they had gotten
all the information they had needed. His brothers didn’t say anything about it, which
only made him feel worse. He still wondered what the redhead had had to do with all
of this. At least they had been able to take out some rogues that night. He would
take a long rest before going back to the office. He hoped the new administrative
assistant Oliver hired was at least someone he could stand to look at.
Chapter Three
Maggie could hardly believe her luck. Oliver Townsend, one of her new bosses, had
hired her on the spot. She’d expected her interview for the administrative assistant
position with G&T Associates to be more brutal. Since the economy wasn’t so great,
she was sure she’d have plenty of competition. But to her delight, Oliver had hired
her on the spot after a very informal interview. She didn’t know what he’d seen in
her but she planned to live up to faith he’d showed in her by offering her the position.
The salary he offered was generous considering her lack of training, and it would
at least allow her to expand her food budget to more than just peanut butter, jelly,
bread, and instant noodles. So far, in the two days since she began working for the
private investigation agency, she liked what she did.
Of course, it would take her a little while to get the hang of how things worked around
the office but she was eager to learn. Maggie was getting pretty good at reviewing
and updating case files. It was interesting work, especially reading about some of
the clients, which made her feel a little better about her own sad existence.
Oliver was an easygoing boss. He had insisted they work on a first-name basis. He
was a nice man and easy on the eyes as well, with his curly brown locks and friendly
blue eyes. He wasn’t particularly tall, but he was still a head taller than her five-feet
four inches. While he was nice to look at it, she didn’t see him in any capacity beyond
an employer. She doubted she’d have much interest in any man for a long time. Her
divorce drama was enough for anyone to handle.
On top of all the emotional distress he caused her, Eugene now wanted her to reimburse
him for half the cost of the divorce. He had told her that Shelly thought it was only
fair. Maggie didn’t give a flying fuck what Shelly thought. Eugene was the one who
had started the divorce proceedings so he could damn well pay for it himself. He was
so damn cheap; it probably wasn’t Shelly’s idea at all.
At least now she had a steady job, enabling her to keep up with her bills and start
a savings. It would be nice that she’d soon be able to help out her children if they
needed it with money she earned herself. She didn’t realize independence would feel
this good.
The office building where she worked was in Dupont Circle, a prosperous business
and residential area. The actual location of G and T Associates was in a suite in
a huge office building with a myriad of different businesses. Maggie liked the setup
of the office. She sat at a desk in front, facing the entrance so that she saw everyone
who came and went in the office. On either side of her was a huge office that belonged
to her bosses. Down the little hallway were a couple of empty offices that Oliver
explained would be for future employees once they expanded. Maggie hoped that her
other boss, Mr. Grimaldi, was as nice as Oliver.
Maggie sat at her desk, deeply focused on learning the nuances of the electronic tracking
system that would enable her to keep appointments more efficiently and convert the
paper files to electronic ones. Her scope with using computers didn’t go far beyond
checking her email and surfing the internet. She was no computer whiz like her son
Darren, but the tutorial for the programs had been helpful, and she was confident
she’d soon have the hang of the system. She was so engrossed that she didn’t notice
the front door open.
“This has got to be a joke,” a sharp voice brought Maggie out of her deep concentration,
making her jump.
She let out a loud shriek. Maggie hated that she was easily excitable. Eugene used
to delight in sneaking up on her and scaring her witless.
“For God’s sake, woman, there is no need to scream. What the hell is your problem?”
Maggie raised her head to see the offended party standing in front of her desk. Though
she thought to offer an explanation for her yelp, anything words she would have spoken
withered on her tongue. Her jaw dropped.
She’d seem many good-looking men in her forty years, some who could be described as
drop dead gorgeous but none who rendered her speechless. He was…beautiful. Though
it was a trite description, she couldn’t think of any other way to describe him. It
almost hurt to look at the sheer perfection of his face and form because it made her
feel insignificant.
He was tall and broad-shouldered. She figured he was a few inches over six feet.
The blond god had fine, chiseled features, full sensual lips, and eyes the color of
liquid amber. The dark brown brows that slashed angrily over his eyes created a startling
contrast to his shoulder-length, ash-blond hair bound by a black band. A stray lock
fell across his forehead, giving him a casually disheveled appearance.
Maggie attempted to speak again but was at a loss for anything to say as she allowed
her gaze to roam the contours of his body. The pair of khaki pants he wore did nothing
to hide the indecently large bulge that rested on his thigh just as the button-up
black shirt didn’t disguise his svelte, muscular physique. It had been a long time
since she had made love, and she would bet her last dollar that this man would satisfy
her every waking need.
Moisture formed between her thighs, and she thanked God he couldn’t possibly know
it or else she’d further embarrass herself. It was bad enough she couldn’t form a
coherent sentence. He looked to be in his early to mid-thirties. Too young for her.
Men like him preferred young, model types. Come to think of it most men did. Eugene
had pretty much proven that to her. Someone like this hunk would never spare the likes
of her a second glance. Besides, not everyone was open to dating outside of their
race. She’d never considered it until now herself, but she doubted any woman would
turn this man down. But again, whether she would or not didn’t matter. The sobering
thought brought her back to reality. She’d just finished telling herself she wasn’t
interested in romantic entanglements, and here she was practically drooling over the
first man to make eye contact with her.
“Have you finished staring, or should I turn around so you can check out my ass as
well?” He glowered at her in what looked like distaste.
Heat suffused her face. She wasn’t sure how long she’d been staring but it must have
been longer than was polite if it had made him angry. He was probably a client and
it was her job to put him at ease, not upset him.
She inhaled deeply and exhaled, to get her racing heartbeat under control before speaking.
“I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t mean to be rude. What can I help you with? Mr. Townsend
is out of the office right now, but he should be back in another hour or so.” She
silently congratulated herself for not stumbling over her words.
Not seeming a bit mollified by her apology, he narrowed his amber gaze. “Who the hell
are you?”
Maggie’s eyes widened. No matter how sexy this guy was, he was rude. She generally
didn’t have a short fuse, but she was very tempted to point out his lack of manners.
Her need for this job however, kept her from doing so. Upsetting a client in her first
week wouldn’t go well for her.
As much as it pained her to do so, she pinned a smile on her face. “I’m Maggie Williams,
sir. I’m the assistant to Mr. Townsend and Mr. Grimaldi. How may I assist you?” She
pinned a smile on her face to defuse the situation. It didn’t seem to work. Blondie
eyed her with hostility for several seconds before he spoke.
“You’ve got to be fucking kidding me.” His narrowed gaze roamed over her, and from
the expression on his face he found her lacking.
She shifted uncomfortably in her chair beneath his rude appraisal. “I beg your pardon?”
She couldn’t keep the bewilderment out of her voice if she tried. This couldn’t be
for real.
“How long have you been here?” he demanded.
“Uh, this is my second day.”
“And let me guess, you haven’t worked in this capacity before, have you?”
How he would possibly know that didn’t matter as much as his offensive tone. She balled
her hands into fists and desperately tried to remain calm. “Sir, I’m not sure what
my experience has to do with anything. Please allow me to help you or I can buzz Mr.
Townsend if you’d prefer to speak to him directly.”
Tall, Blond and Arrogant, sneered. “You really are a special kind of idiot, aren’t
you?”
As much as she depended on this job there was only so much she could take. “Sir, that’s
enough. I don’t get paid to be insulted, so please state your business or leave.”
He raised a dark brow. “This is my goddamn agency so if anyone is leaving it’ll be
you.” His amber eyes darkened.
Maggie gasped. “Mr. Grimaldi?”
“Well, at least you figured that part out. I guess you’re not as stupid as I thought
but that’s not saying much.”
She should have known things were too well for there not to be a catch. Because Oliver
had been kind, it hadn’t crossed her mind his partner would be a raging asshole.
GianMarco glared at Maggie as if he had just read her thoughts although that couldn’t
be possible.
“Listen here, Ms. Williams—” Mr. Grimaldi was cut off when Oliver entered the room.
Oliver smiled at his partner. “Hey, Marc, I see you’ve met Maggie. She’s a real gem,
isn’t she?”
“You told me you planned on hiring someone unappealing but I didn’t think you’d go
through with it. If you had to hire someone like her, the very least you could have
done was hire someone with half a brain.” Though Mr. Grimaldi spoke to Oliver, he
gaze never wavered from her face.
It was one thing to be verbally attacked by someone who clearly didn’t have a courteous
bone in his body but it was quite another to learn she was only hired because Oliver
found her “unappealing”. Why he’d done it didn’t matter, but there was absolutely
no way she could work here with that knowledge. She had had enough, Maggie had her
pride and it dictated to her to quit even if it meant living off peanut butter and
jelly sandwiches for the rest of her life. Her life was enough of a mess without having
to deal with one boss who was hostile and the other who was passive-aggressive. But
before she went, she needed to get something off her chest.
“Look, you jackass, I might need this job, but I don’t need it enough to put up with
your abuse. You may have gotten away with being a creep because you’re attractive,
but on the inside you’re ugly and a horrible human being. And the only thing keeping
me from slapping the taste out of your mouth is my fear of going to jail.” She then
turned to Oliver. His face was brick red. The fact that he couldn’t look her in the
eye told her what Mr. Grimaldi had said was true.
“I may be unappealing
Mr. Townsend
, but I would have made a damn fine administrative assistant, and this is your loss.
You may pretend to be nice but you’re just as bad as this one.” She jerked her thumb
in Mr. Grimaldi’s direction refusing to look at him again. “You two can go fuck yourselves.
I quit.” She gathered her personal items as quickly as she could through a blur of
tears. Once Maggie was sure she had everything, she hurried out of the office before
either man could see her cry. They didn’t deserve that victory.
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After the door slammed, Oliver turned to GianMarco, his expression thunderous. “What
the fuck, man? Did you really have to tell her that shit? Maggie is a nice lady. Granted,
she’s not very experienced, but she was so enthusiastic I decided to take a chance
on her. I got the feeling she really needed this job.”
GianMarco was pissed and refused to be shamed. “And why the hell shouldn’t I have
said anything. It’s the truth, isn’t it? You said you were going to hire someone I
couldn’t possibly find attractive and you hired her? Why? Because she carries some
extra pounds? Now who’s the shallow motherfucker?”
“Don’t give me that shit. I’ve seen your type but that’s beside the point. The joke’s
on you, asshole, I never went through with it. I hired her because I liked her and
I thought she’d be a good fit for the agency. If I had really wanted to carry out
the threat I’d made in frustration, I would have hired one of the two women I’d interviewed
before her. I won’t call them ugly but I don’t see any beauty pageants in their future.
So there was no need for her to know what we’d discussed in private. And by the way,
just because she’s not the eye candy you’re used to seeing around the office doesn’t
give you the right to be so nasty to her. That poor woman was absolutely shattered.
What the hell has gotten into you?” Oliver demanded.
GianMarco’s jaw clenched. How could he articulate to Oliver the real reason for his
annoyance? He was sure the other man wouldn’t understand. He didn’t think anyone would.
He had tried to block out the despair in her eyes as she ran off. He had already been
a bit annoyed because he’d planned on taking the day off to rest after returning from
his latest mission with the Underground. But instead he remembered some callbacks
he needed to make. When he’d walked into the office, he was literally winded at the
sight that had greeted him.
Being a vampire had its advantages as he could move without being noticed if he didn’t
want to be. He remained in the doorway staring at an unfamiliar woman sitting at a
desk, staring at her computer in deep concentration. GianMarco couldn’t move if his
life depended on it as he took in her creamy milk chocolate complexion and huge dark-brown
eyes. Her hair was worn in a riot of curls and spirals that cascaded to her shoulders,
framing her heart-shaped face. It had looked so soft and inviting, and he imagined
himself gently caressing those curly locks. Her bow-shaped lips were full and pouty.
Every so often she bit her bottom lip as she focused on her task, and watching that
small action temped him to walk over to her and taste that generous mouth. He sensed
it would be sweet.
Even though she’d been seated behind a desk, he could tell that her rounded figure
would provide any man many hours of delight. Though she didn’t fit the Western standard
of beauty she was quite beautiful to him. His body shook and his cock stiffened. Her
scent was amazing.
Unable to resist, GianMarco had touched her mind with his and felt a deep sadness
from within her. He’d wanted to take her into his arms and soothe the sadness away.
It had been a long time since he had held a woman in his arms who wasn’t skin and
bones, but then again, women who were skin and bones were safer for his equilibrium.
He remembered how it had felt to be engulfed in the arms of a full-figured woman.
Not since his beautiful Bianca had he gone down that avenue, and he didn’t plan on
traveling that way again. It still hurt too much to think about it, even after all
this time. He didn’t want to remember, and he did not want this woman around as a
constant reminder.
It suddenly occurred to him why Oliver had hired this woman. His partner had no idea
the can of worms he’d opened. If GianMarco’s initial reaction was anything to go by,
then this woman would be trouble. The physical attraction aside, there just seemed
to be something about
this
woman that cried out to his soul, something he dared not examine. He’d known right
then that he would have to get rid of her, and fast. It was why he’d been nasty to
her, although it bothered the fuck out of him to hurt her as he went on his tirade.
He squashed those feelings as best as he could and kept his guard up until he’d achieved
his goal.
When Maggie had rushed out of the office, he had caught the glitter of tears she had
tried to hide from him. The deep pain he had felt within her had hit him with such
force that he had taken a step back. He felt low, but he’d had to do it.
“Marc, are you listening to me? After all the trouble we’ve had with keeping a proper
admin, why would you run her off like that? You can be a dick sometimes, but that
was brutal.”
GianMarco hated to admit Oliver was right. Maybe he shouldn’t have been so harsh.
At the very least he didn’t have to make her think he found her unattractive. “Look,
I’m sorry. Just chalk it up to another frustrating couple of weeks.”
“Still not cool, man.” Oliver let out a sigh and racked his hands through his hair.
“I suppose your brother is still sending you on those suicide missions. You and your
brothers are nuts, playing secret agents on the side.” Oliver shook his head.
“You know nothing about what I do and the less you do the better.”
Oliver shrugged. “I know you go away for chunks of time to play vampire, and it’s
always after a call from your brother. I also heard you talk to him on the phone about
some dangerous missions. What else am I supposed to think?”
One of the quickest ways for Oliver to get under his skin was mentioning Underground
business. Normally, Oliver respected his wishes not to discuss it but it seemed his
friend was spoiling for a fight. “First of all, I don’t play a vampire, I am one.
Second, you shouldn’t speak of things you know nothing about or else you’ll get more
than you bargained for,” GianMarco warned.
Oliver’s face went bright red. “Are you threatening me?”
“No. I’m simply telling you as your friend that I do not want anything to happen to
you.”
“What about you? If what you’re doing is so dangerous, then, aren’t you in even more
danger than I am?”
“I’ve survived six centuries. I can take care of myself.”
“You’re not doing anything illegal, are you?”
“By whose standards?” GianMarco wished to change the subject.
“Don’t be a smart-ass. You know what I’m talking about.”
“I won’t discuss this anymore with you, Oliver, for reasons I’ve already stated, but
just know, as long as you mind your business; it will not harm you or this agency.”
“I don’t care about the damn agency as much as I care about you, Marc. Just be careful,
okay?”
“I try to be,” he spoke with a finality he hoped Oliver would pick up on.
Oliver sighed in defeat, and changed the subject. “So, what are you going to do about
Maggie?”
“What the hell are you talking about? What do you expect me to do? She quit.”
“Don’t be a bigger asshole than you already are. You made that poor woman run out
of here and she looked to be on the verge of tears.”
“What exactly do you want me to do about that? If she doesn’t want to work here, I
can’t make her. It’s a free country, is it not?” He turned away to walk to his office,
but Oliver was close on his heels.
“Oh, no, you don’t. You are going to go after her and tell her that you’re sorry for
being such a jerk. And you will tell her I didn’t say those things about her either.
If you really don’t want her working here, I will respect that and we can hire someone
else, but I think she is at least owed an apology. Maybe you can offer her some kind
of bonus for having to leave in such circumstances.”
GianMarco stiffened as pain-stricken eyes flashed through his mind.
“Why do you care so much? It’s not as if she’s been here long enough for you to form
an attachment.”
“So what? She’s a human being, and you hurt her feelings. She’s not some cold vampire
like you,” Oliver accused.
GianMarco turned to face his friend with a glare. “If you make one more vampire crack,
I will show you exactly how much feeling I have.”
“Don’t take your misguided anger out on me. You should be mad at yourself for being
such an ass.”
“Okay! Okay!
Dio
! I will find the blasted woman and apologize, okay?”
“That’s all I ask, and maybe we can start the administrative assistant search again
tomorrow.”
“Whatever. I take it that this woman filled out paperwork and whatnot with her address
and where she can be contacted?” GianMarco asked, growing weary of the conversation.
Oliver patted him on the shoulder. “Yes. You’re doing the right thing, Marc.”
“If you say so.”
Unfortunately GianMarco had a feeling Maggie Williams would wreak havoc on his peace
of mind.