“You’re sure she said she would come?” Ana stared at the door of the restaurant for the dozenth time, irritated at her own agitation. She was the one holding court here, not Neal, but she couldn’t help but feel like she was an anxious suitor, hoping her date would show.
“She’ll be here,” Katia said. “She’s curious and not smart or subtle enough to strategize some other way to obtain information. Trust me.”
Ana nodded at the trust me part, but she balked inwardly at Katia’s assessment of Neal. True, they’d only spent a few moments together at Sanctuary, but her first impression of Neal was that she was sharp and quick-witted, not a stereotypical dumb athlete like Katia and Mikhail seemed to think.
Former athlete. Ana had found quite a few references to Neal’s exemplary college basketball career, but the facts were scant and every article ended with some statement about what a shame it had been that she was no longer able to play with veiled references to injuries that had occurred off the court. More googling didn’t yield any additional facts, and she’d decided she’d simply ask the source if she was still curious by the time Neal showed up.
If she showed up.
The waiter appeared and asked if she wanted to hear the specials. He mistook her murmur for assent and started reciting a long list of drinks and their respective ingredients. Several drinks in, she shot a look at Katia, who shooed him away, and she resumed her uncomfortable wait. “Five more minutes. If she doesn’t show, we leave.” She looked up in time to see Neal headed toward them. “Don’t turn around, but she just walked in.”
Katia immediately turned in her chair, and Ana whispered, “I said don’t turn around.”
“She can see you looking at her.”
“Much different than having both of us stare. Of course she’s used to being admired for her physicality, but we’re not here to discuss that.” Unless it comes up naturally she mused. As Neal took the final few steps to their table, Ana straightened in her seat and crossed her hands on the table. A moment later, Neal was towering next to her.
“Interesting place,” Neal said. “Is this where you have all your assignations?”
Ana forced a laugh, like meeting other women for strategy sessions or anything else was a regular occurrence, and she was completely indifferent to Neal’s allure. “Maybe. I suppose you’ll have to follow me to find out.” She gestured to the chair across from hers and Neal sat down, but even seated, she towered over the two of them. Ana waited a moment for Katia to excuse herself from the table, and then cocked her head. “Have you been following me?”
She was kidding, but the slight twitch along Neal’s jaw told her she was on to something. “You have been following me. You must find it very boring.”
Neal laughed. “Hardly. Although you don’t leave the house much.”
“Understatement.”
“True. A little shopping and a luncheon now and then. Word is you go to the salon once a month.” Neal tapped her fingers on the table. “I think that’s it.”
Ana resisted breathing a sigh of relief that Neal hadn’t mentioned her other regular activity and simply smiled. “You’re thorough.”
“I am.”
“An admirable quality.”
“Is that why you asked me here today? Because you admire me?”
“I hardly know you.”
“So that’s why I was lucky enough to get the invite,” Neal said. “You want to get to know me.”
Neal grinned and Ana smiled back at her in return. She liked that Neal wasn’t intimidated by her, that she seemed completely at ease. At home, Mikhail surrounded them with supplicants, as if his worth rose with every compliment, but she had no use for their sucking up. She knew her worth even if she’d chosen to trade it for a life with a soulless man and an empty marriage. Someday…hopefully soon, she’d find a way to trade it all away for exactly what she needed. “Maybe I want you to get to know me.”
“I’ve barely spent any time with you, but already I see that you’re a dreamer.”
She balked at Neal’s words, both irritated and intrigued at the characterization. “Dreams are for people who have no ambition.”
Neal frowned. “Do you really believe that?”
“Why do you ask?” Ana sucked in a breath. “Wait, does the bodyguard dream of being someone else, not to mention somewhere and with some other people?”
“I’m not a bodyguard.”
“Only because your charge has fallen out of favor and has crawled off to hide out until the storm dies down. Did she ask you before she left you alone to pick up the pieces?” She watched Neal shift in her seat, clearly uncomfortable with her assessment. Good. That made them even. She shook her head. “Never mind. Don’t answer that. I’m sure she had her reasons.”
Neal’s lips parted and she inched forward in her seat, like she wanted to say something, but after a few seconds, she folded her arms and leaned back. “Everyone has reasons for the actions they take. Like you, for instance. Care to discuss why you summoned me to this meeting?”
This was it. The tipping point. In order to ask the question and get the information she wanted, she was going to have to divulge information, share secrets, strategically. Ana cleared her throat and reached for the glass of water at her place setting. After a deep swallow, she set the glass down and adjusted the coaster, not stalling so much as judging the best way to pitch her plan. When she looked up, Neal was staring at her with a smoldering intensity, belying the business nature of this meeting, and a surge of warmth flooded her. Why couldn’t the liaison from the other side be less attractive, less desirable? Lust wasn’t ideal when it came to employing strategy, but her options were limited.
“I have a business proposition.”
Neal’s gaze didn’t waver, but Ana spotted a flash of interest in her eyes, which encouraged her to go on. “I believe Mikhail is working with Dominique Mancuso.”
Neal lifted her glass and took a drink and Ana recognized the tactic. She waited patiently for Neal to digest the information and respond. She didn’t have to wait long.
“So, what if he is?”
Not the response she’d expected. She’d been operating under the assumption Dominique’s actions were independent of the rest of the Mancuso empire, but when it came down to it, she’d based her beliefs on Mikhail’s reports—not her best move. She could either tuck tail or press on. There was really only one choice, and she decided to go all in. “If you don’t realize Dominique is your enemy, then you have no business purporting to be in charge.”
She watched carefully, but Neal’s reaction was a small series of micro expressions—widening eyes, a slight twitch of her eyebrows, and her lips pressed together—but the rest of her body appeared relaxed and nonchalant.
“I assume your belief,” Neal over-emphasized the word, “is based on facts, but the bigger question is why are you telling me this?” She raised her hands. “I’m not in charge of anything. Just an unemployed bodyguard, remember?”
“Maybe. Maybe that’s simply what you’d like everyone to believe.” Ana cleared her throat and dove in. “Whether you’re in charge or simply the messenger, you should know that Mikhail has a grand plan to bring the Mancuso family business to its knees. Whose side are you on?”
* * *
Neal forced herself to stay calm, to keep her expression firmly fixed in neutral mode. This was the tip-off, right before the ref threw the ball into the air. She always knew exactly where she was headed, but hiding her plan from her opponent was key to her team’s success.
This evening had all the trappings of a date. White linen tablecloths, candles, and fancy china. She’d accompanied Siobhan to many such places, but she’d never had a seat at the table. Instead, she’d been positioned nearby, ready for any trouble that might develop, well-placed to listen in, observe, but not participate in important family decisions. Not for the first time, she questioned Muriel’s message. Had Siobhan really left her in charge, or had she abandoned the family entirely and left her behind only to cover her retreat?
She breathed deep. It didn’t matter either way. She owed Don Carlo her life and she wasn’t about to leave his legacy in tatters if there was any way around it. She faced Ana and delivered her message with intense calm. “If you know anything about me, then you know whose side I’m on.”
Ana nodded like she respected the declaration. “Then I have a proposal. Would you like to hear what I have to say?”
The question seemed silly on its face, but it signaled to Neal that Ana was smart and savvy about the connections she was seeking to forge. Once Ana told her what she’d come to say, Neal wouldn’t be able to unhear the words. Even if she didn’t act on them, anyone else who found out about this meeting, about what they discussed would make assumptions about her loyalties and act accordingly. But here she was, sitting at a fancy restaurant with the wife of one of the most powerful crime organizations in Dallas, and there was no turning back now. She shrugged to convey a nonchalance she didn’t feel, but she knew would be critical to whatever happened next. “Sure. I mean, I’m here already, right?”
The waiter showed up again and topped off their wine. He pointed at the menus they’d laid to the side. Neal started to say she wasn’t hungry, but Ana spoke first.
“Bring us two filets, rare. A selection of sides, and another bottle of red. And leave us to talk.” She looked at Neal. “You eat meat, right?”
The question was an afterthought, and from anyone else, Neal might have been offended at the assumption of control, but she found it admirable instead. She’d always assumed Mikhail’s reclusive wife would either be exactly like one of the bimbos that accompanied him to clubs or a passive, milquetoast female he’d aligned with for family fortune, but Ana was a smart, passionate, beautiful specimen, the likes of which an ass like Mikhail would never deserve. “Yes, I eat meat.” She turned to the waiter. “Make mine a ribeye. And I’d like a whiskey, neat.” No sense letting Ana think she had all the control.
Ana watched the waiter leave and then turned back to her. “You like to act rough around the edges or is that really who you are?”
“We’re not here to talk about me,” Neal said. “I thought you wanted to tell me about your husband.”
“Mikhail, yes.”
Neal noted the sidestep. “He is your husband, isn’t he?”
Ana grimaced. “We have an arrangement. You people here in the States do not understand true alliances. In my country, alliances are formed in childhood. My family matched me to Mikhail from a very young age.”
“You’re telling me you don’t love him.”
“Love? Love has nothing to do with relationships. Relationships are based on mutually beneficial connections, and the best ones have to do with business. When those desires no longer match, the relationship must end.”
Neal thought about Siobhan’s relationship with Royal, the FBI agent who’d been investigating the Mancuso family before things had shifted dramatically, and she’d abandoned her career to start a life with the consigliere of a crime family. Their attraction hadn’t been about business at all, but apparently, Ana and Mikhail didn’t have any connection outside of business. She filed that thought away to examine further when she was by herself. “I get it. You and Mikhail have different interests. How does that affect me?”
“I suppose it depends on what you want. Your Don is dead and your boss has fled the country.” She arched her eyebrows. “Don’t look surprised that I know this.”
Neal cursed inwardly at her inability to mask emotion in Ana’s presence. “It’s not a secret that the situation is not ideal, but I am still curious about your angle in all this.”
“Mikhail is making moves. Moves that place our assets at risk. I may have tied my fate to him, but I will not go down for his mistakes. The Mancusos have a cash flow problem and I have ready access to plenty of funds. Funds that will allow you to reclaim your stakes and rebuild.”
“What do you get out of it?”
“What do you care if my help gets you what you need?”
Neal sighed, disappointed that Ana so clearly underestimated her. She shoved back from the table. “Find someone else to help you find a way out of your marriage. Or better yet, find your own way. Not everyone has a secret fortune at their disposal—don’t act so helpless.”
She turned to walk away, but Ana’s commanding tone stopped her before she’d made a single step.
“Secret fortunes aren’t any good without alliances. I’m offering you more than money here.”
Neal was certain Ana was referring to business, but her suggestive tone was a lure that kept her fixed in place. She wanted her to ask what the “more than” was, but if she did, she’d be headed down this road without any sense of direction. She should leave. Go back to Michael and the rest of the crew and dig in until they figured a way to keep things together until Siobhan came back or Dominique came to her senses. The Mancusos had ruled Dallas for many years, and they’d find a way to seize control again.
Or not.
What would become of her then? She’d only ever known two career paths in her life: basketball and working for the Mancuso family. There was no college degree or family to fall back on. Add to that the fact there were people who relied on her, who wouldn’t survive without the money she wired every month, funds she had because of her position. The cash flow problem wasn’t just the Mancusos’, it was hers as well.
She slowly turned back to Ana and placed her hand on the back of the chair she’d just abandoned. “I’ll stay, under one condition.”
Ana motioned for her to sit. “Name it.”
Motive was everything and Neal needed to know Ana’s before she could trust her, align with her in any way. “Tell me what’s in it for you.”
Ana sighed and looked away for a moment. When she turned back, her smile was melancholy. “I could easily make up some lie. Something plausible you would believe in order to get you to work with me. I won’t do that. It’s disrespectful. It’s not a good way to start a relationship. I can only promise you this. Someday, I will tell you, but now is not the time.”
Neal shifted in her seat at the way Ana said the word “relationship,” but then again everything Ana said sounded sexy and suggestive. She forced her attention back to Ana’s refusal to declare her motive, a move that should end this discussion, make her walk away, but she didn’t do either. Siobhan had left her in charge. Michael believed she could handle it, but she was certain he said that because he thought it was temporary. She had an opportunity here to forge her own alliance, bring something of great value to the table. This gig might be temporary, but what if she could leave a lasting impression? Besides, she owed it to Siobhan to step up—this was another way of protecting the family, every bit as important as being a bodyguard.
“Fine, but you better keep your promise.” She leaned in close to Ana. “Tell me more about this alliance.”