Stolen By The Boss

“She’ll break it,” he says. “I’m trying to tell her that.”

Sophia bellows something in Italian and I move closer.

“Ok, let’s all take a breath.” I turn to the man, waiting for him to give me a name.

“Jose,” he says.

“Jose, let Sophia try for a while. If she doesn’t…” Before I can even finish my sentence, the generator kicks on and there’s power running through the house.

“You were saying?” Sophia gloats with a triumphant smirk.

I just smile back and leave the garage, seeking out everyone to make sure they’re able to work now that the power is working. I need the monitors on. I need a phone.

Sophia enters the kitchen in black pants, almost like yoga pants but with pockets, and a white babydoll tee. She grins like she just conquered the world and I should bow down at her feet, but I’m not ready to do that just yet. So what if she was here when I woke up. She didn’t try to escape last night after I went to bed. Big fucking deal. Let’s see if she stays put long enough to make it worth trusting her again.

“Dean, I wanted to talk to you.”

“Ok.” I place my hands on the counter, leaning my body a little toward her. “Go ahead.”

“I know you don’t trust me, but I want to earn that trust back with you. I think my informant, Rosa, lied to me.”

“What do you mean?”

Ines enters the kitchen, and beelines to the refrigerator. “Don’t mind me,” she says in a singsong voice.

Sophia stares at me, and I nod my head toward my office.

“We can talk in here.” I shut the door and take a seat on the brown leather couch near the window.

Sophia sits down next to me. “Rosa told me about the plan for Bishop to take Mia, but Bishop didn’t show up. Or did he? Do you think he went to her house?”

I rub at the back of my neck. “I’m not really sure. I hope not. I think we had time before he was planning on hitting.”

“I have a feeling Rosa set me up.”

“Why do you think that?” I stare into her brown eyes, wondering how on earth anyone could ever lie to her.

“Well, you said yourself that Bishop planned on kidnapping the girls, but you also said you knew you had the jump on him. That you would get to her before he did.”

“She said Bishop would be there that night? On the night I picked you up?”

Sophia nods. “Yes.”

I rub my chin, thinking Sophia may be right. “How do you know this woman?”

Sophia’s eyes dart away and she doesn’t answer.

“Fine, you don’t have to tell me, but you’ve always trusted her?”

Sophia nods. “She’s never given me a reason not to.”

“How long has she been Bishop’s housekeeper?”

“As long as I’ve known her.”

“Does Bishop trust her?”

Sophia shrugs one sun-kissed shoulder. “Yes, I guess.”

“Maybe something has changed the game. Maybe he no longer trusts her.”

She purses her lips, her doe-eyes watching me. “That’s what I’d like to find out.”

“If we work together, we can find him much faster, you know?”

“Yes, I know.” She leans in closer, the scent of her shampoo filling my nostrils. Smells like raspberries and cream. And again, the same feeling overwhelms me. “I told you. I’m all in.” The corner of her lip lifts into a smile. “I mean it.”

I nod, trying my best not to let myself get too dizzy from being this close to her. “I really hope you do.”

“What do I have to do to make you trust me?” She leans even closer.

I want to say maybe if she kissed me it might make me trust her a little more, but last time she was near my face she almost broke my nose. Had she hit me any harder, I’d probably have a nice black eye to show off. “You could start by not running away.”

“I’m still here.” Her voice is low and I watch as she licks her lips.

I mirror the action. “Yes, you are.” Every cell in my body is shouting at me to kiss this girl. However, I remain rooted to my spot.

The air thickens, and she licks her damn lips again. It’s like she’s purposely trying to kill me, or something. My cock hardens and I lean closer.

“Dean, can I ask you something?”

Her question breaks the spell and I lean back a bit. “Sure.”

“Can you promise me you’ll help me find Bishop?”

“Of course. I told you we both have a common enemy.”

“But, you don’t need me.” Her eyes sparkle in the light and I stare a beat too long into them.

“Yes, I do. I think if we can work together we can cover more ground.”

“Ok, I like that idea. I think we could accomplish more working together rather than working apart.”

“With my resources, we should be able to find him easily.”