Entangled With The Mafia

Chapter 15: The Invitation

Amelia

"Devon!" I say breathlessly with my hand over my erratic heart. "You scared the s**t out of me!"

"Close the door," he commands.

I do as he says. "What are you doing here in the dark? You're trying to give me a heart attack, aren't you?" I set my bag down on the couch. "How'd you even get in here?" I glance back at the door. "Did you pick the lock?"

He gives me a once-over. I can guess how I must look in this red satin gown. "Where were you tonight?"

My face grows bright red. I don't know if I'm embarrassed, ashamed or angry. A bit of all three, I think. "With Ethan Keller at a strip club. And before you ask, yes, this older man groped my breasts and caressed my thighs. And put his hand over my crotch. I did everything I had to do. I followed your orders."

This appears to make him mad. "My orders? I never told you to do anything like that."

"No, you just told me to do everything they wanted me to do, and that's what I did, Devon." My voice cracks towards the end. I want to cry, but I hold back my tears. This isn't the time for this. I don't need him to see my vulnerable side tonight, too. I'll do it later.

He stands. "Did he hurt you? What have they done to you?"

I back away. "Just say what you came here to say. I'm not trying to guilt-trip you. I just answered your question."

"I'm worried about your well-being, Amelia. You're like a sister to me."

I peer at him. His brows are furrowed, and his lips are set in a thin line. I laugh. I actually laugh. Tears streaming down my face kind of laugh, doubling over and clutching my belly kind of laugh. Devon looks at me like I've lost my mind. Maybe I have. "f**k off, Devon. No brother would send his sister to hell as you sent me. Or maybe they would." I think of Theodora's words. Didn't he make her entertain those men before? Who knows what they must have done to her? "You and Damien, you're the same. You'd be great friends."

Devon takes slow steps toward me. "Never compare me to that criminal. I don't know what you're on, but you're out of control. Get your s**t together."

"Am I out of control?" I ask him, serious now. "If you have so much influence, you could've gotten Aaron out without putting me in this position. I don't understand why you're trying to play the Big Brother role."

He watches me closely. "I came to tell you that tomorrow will be Damien Keller's birthday, or were you not told?"

I shrug. "I'm just an employee. Why would they tell me that?"

"My client told me there's an 80% chance that this government official will be there. He throws one of these every year. He was in the last one, but before our agent could communicate with us, he was killed." He pauses to let this piece of information sink in. "It's a good opportunity for you to find out who he is. If you do, give me the name, and all of this will be in the past."

"But how will I get in? I didn't even know about this party, and I'm the only employee in the lounge who delivers their letters." He's asking for something that's impossible, or perhaps he's mistaken, and there'll be no party. I don't tell him this. Either way, even if he's right, I can't invite myself. I don't even know where it'll be. Maybe it's a small gathering with his family and close associates, nothing business-related.

"Find a way, Amelia." I watch as his gaze lowers to my chest. It makes me blush and turn away. "I'm sure you'll have no trouble with that. If you're trusted, you'll find out where it is. Stay at the gate and see whoever goes in. Snap a picture. Do your thing."

"That's too risky, Devon. You can't find someone else to take pictures?"

"There's this place he owns, all the way out of the city. He only gets there with his helicopter, so no one knows exactly where it's located. If you can find the location or even get on that helicopter, we might just succeed."

I scoff. "You want me to hide in a helicopter? How will I get to the gate? This isn't the movies, Devon. I can't do the impossible."

"I want you to give this your all." He grabs both my arms and shakes me lightly for emphasis. "I know you're going to get it. I feel it. You've survived this long, and you've come this close. I believe in you, Amelia. Aaron would be proud."

I shake his grip off when he mentions my brother. "You're wrong. He wouldn't. He would never forgive me for this, and I don't want him to ever find out."

Devon takes a step back. "If that's what you want, he won't ever have to know. It'll be our secret."

I can't sleep. I'm rolling around in bed, just thinking about what I will do. What have I missed this week? Then again, if he had only discussed it with his family, how could I have heard anything? He calls Nora and asks to fetch Ethan about ten times a day. Elizabeth's part of the furniture, and Theo, well, she's his sister.

There are dark circles under my eyes in the morning, which I cover with concealer. I don't need to be looking like a ghoul at work. As I'm leaving the apartment, I freeze at the doorway. Yesterday, I thought about quitting and never returning to that place. Devon managed to distract me. I'll have to endure those people and do their bidding. Am I willing to repeat last night again?

If I don't leave now, I'll be late. If I decide I don't want this, being late won't matter.

I lock the door behind me. On my way to work, it's all I can think about. As I'm at work, it's all I'm concentrating on, too. I shouldn't have returned, yet here I am. Pouring drinks. Smiling at customers. Is being here genuinely worth it? I'm starting to doubt all the decisions I have made so far, including accepting Devon's proposal. Maybe I should've left things as they were. As if on cue, my phone starts vibrating in my pocket. I wipe my hands on my apron and pull it out of my pocket.

It's my mother calling me for the hundredth time this week. I've been ignoring her calls, sending her short texts apologizing and telling her I'm busy. I can't face her, and after what I did last night, I won't be able to hear her voice without feeling ashamed of myself. I ignore it once again, send a quick text, and stare at the black screen.

Nora waves her hand in front of my face. "You're distracted, honey. You're lucky it's me and not the boss."

I slip my phone back into my pocket. I didn't even see her coming. "What is it?"

"He wants to see you."

I drop the cloth I'm holding and follow Nora down the corridor. She sits at her desk, and I stop by his door. I take a shuddering breath and close my eyes as I raise my hand. I knock twice. "Come in," he says.

I twist the handle and make my way inside. Ethan is standing beside him. This feels like the first time I was here. I found him so intimidating then. I realize I still do.

I stand near his desk. "You wanted to see me?"

"Ethan was telling me a little about what happened last night," he taps his cigar, and I watch the ashes fall into the crystal ashtray. "You weren't thrilled to be there."

I see no point in lying. "I wasn't."

"Unfortunately, working for us sometimes entails certain...obscure activities. A perfect example would be what you did last night."

"That wasn't part of the contract of employment." I'm supposed to be just a bartender. Why is he making this seem acceptable when it clearly isn't?

"You didn't even read the contract, Miss Huxley." He searches my face. I keep my expression neutral and my eyes on his. I don't see what the point of this conversation is. Does he want to fire me? If so, I don't think I'll try to convince him to let me stay. Whatever happened last night won't be repeated. It's a promise I made to myself, and I'll be damned if I break it.

I realize that signing it without reading it first was f*****g stupid. I should've read that goddamn paper. Theo warned me about it, didn't she? f**k, I should've listened. That was undoubtedly the dumbest decision I've made so far.

"It was," he agrees. My cheeks grow red. I said it out loud. Dammit. What in the hell is wrong with me? "Still, you've done this company a great deal of good these past couple of weeks. Thanks to your performance last night, we're better off today than we were yesterday. So, we would like to extend our gratitude to you."

His statement makes me unreasonably angry. "Is that so?"

"I would like to invite you to an event," he says. He shares a look with Ethan, then continues, "You'll have to be here by five PM sharp. I'll give you the rest of the day off to get ready."

I can't believe what I'm hearing. My heart starts racing. It's the party Devon told me about. It must be. Damien Keller is inviting me personally. I change my demeanor. I'm no longer on the defensive. "I--I don't know what to say."

He arches a brow. "Is that a confirmation or not?"

"Yes," I say quickly. "It is. Thank you for inviting me. I'm...honored." This could be my chance to finally get rid of them. If that man is there, it'll be a piece of cake. I won't need to snap pictures or smuggle in a recorder. I'll hear his name and report it back to Devon. Then, I'll go back home. Aaron will be free, and life will start making sense again. I'll forget this s**t ever happened, and I'll go to college and get the Economics degree I've dreamed of my whole life.

"I'm honored," I say with vehemence.

"Good," Damien says. "Be here by five, then."