Chapter One

Chapter One

Jada

“She’s gone.”

I looked up from the papers on my desk. “She?” I asked.

“The woman who asked me about fifty different books and then didn’t buy any.” Tatum flopped into the beanbag chair in the corner of my office. “I thought I had her with the newest Diana Palmer since she looked it over for a solid three minutes, but she put it down just like all of the other ones.”

“Maybe she’ll come back later?” I suggested.

Tatum furrowed her brow. “Um, are you feeling okay? Normally, you tell me good riddance.”

I shrugged and sat back in my chair. “I mean, maybe I’m feeling nice today? I guess we can’t be chasing away potential customers right now, especially when we’re going to be expanding into Wisconsin.”

Tatum rolled her eyes and tipped her head up to the ceiling. “As if Murphy will let anything stop him from investing in Happily Ever After. You could never sell a single book again, Jada, and he would open another store tomorrow.”

“Your mafia boy toy is rather smitten with you,” I laughed.

“The feeling is mutual,” Tatum sang.

“I still find it very interesting that I never once heard about Murphy before he kidnapped you.”

She held two fingers in the air. “He was the second to kidnap me, but I wouldn’t really call it a kidnapping. He was just trying to keep me safe until he figured out just what the hell was going on.”

“Which he still doesn’t know,” I drawled.

Tatum flitted her hand in the air. “I have all the faith in the world in Murphy. They’ll find Candace, and all this unpleasantness will end.”

I raised my eyebrow. “Have you been reading Regency romances again?” I laughed. “You sound like a proper lady of the ton.”

Tatum sighed lightly. “I might have gotten lost in the Julia Quinn display the other day. What I wouldn’t give to have ten minutes in a carriage with Colin Bridgerton.”

“Girl,” I laughed. “You can have Colin. I will spend my ten minutes with Anthony.” I fanned my face with my hand. “The things that man could do to me.”

Tatum wrinkled her nose. “It’s a good thing we have different tastes in book boyfriends, otherwise we would spend all day arguing over them.”

“Arguing over who?” My eyes shot to the doorway where Murphy was leisurely leaning against the doorframe.

“Good god, man,” I gasped. “Clear your throat or something to announce your presence.”

“If you two weren’t so enthralled with talking about fictional men, you would have heard the bell above the door ring, and I did clear my throat.”

I tipped my head to the side. “Seriously?”

Tatum laughed and rose from the beanbag chair. “Did you decide to move from the car to actually inside the bookstore to watch me?” she asked.

Murphy flattened his lips. “Are we really going to argue about this again?” he drawled. “As long as Candace is out there, you are going to have my eyes on you twenty-four-seven.”

“And if you can’t be with me, one of the guys will be,” Tatum recited. “Blah, blah, blah. I know, Murphy. I just think Candace isn’t going to mess with me. Who am I in the grand scheme of all of this?”

Murphy reached out and pulled her into his arms. “The woman I love. They already came after you once, so who’s to say she isn’t going to try again.”

Tatum buried her face in Murphy’s chest and sighed.

“I really need to record you two when you’re together. You got some smooth lines, Murph.” I tsked and shook my head.

Murphy rolled his eyes and tucked Tatum under his arm. “You done with my woman for the day?” I asked.

I held up my hands. “Hey, she’s all yours. And once the Wisco store opens that you’re funding, she’ll be her own boss.”

“Investing,” Murphy growled. “I’m investing in expanding your business.”

I brushed my hand at him. “Just fancy schmancy words.” I gathered the papers on my desk and turned off the lamp. “I’ll see you in the morning, Tatum. Try not to pull a muscle or anything with the mafia man. We’ve got inventory coming up.”

Tatum laughed. “I’ll make sure to stretch.”

Murphy shook his head. “Later, Jada. Try not to bust anyone’s balls on the way home.”

I saluted. “I’ll try, but sometimes it just happens.”

I wasn’t one to take anyone’s shit or have them blow up my ass.

Murphy recognized this, and for as much shit as he gave me about it, we understood each other.

I listened for the bell over the door and immediately locked the door behind Tatum and Murphy.

The last time I had been lax about locking up, trouble had walked right in.

Trouble that I wasn’t sure how I was going to deal with.

“It’s simple, really. Get close to the Banachis, and just tell me.”

“Tell you what?” I asked. “And I haven’t even met any of the Banachis before. I don’t know why you think I can get close to them.”

Candace picked up a book and paged through it. “Something tells me you can make things happen, especially when your life depends on it.” She closed the book and set it down. “Get close, tell me everything. It’s simple.”

“And what happens when I do that?”

A slow smile spread over her lips. “Then you don’t die.” She moved to the door. “I’ll be in touch when I think you have information.” She put her hand on the door handle and looked back at me. “And if you think for a second to tell Leo or the guys about our little chat, then I’ll have to make a visit to Larson House.” She looked me up and down with a smug curl of her lip. “I’ll be in touch, Jada.”

The bell above the door dinged as she exited, and it swooshed shut behind her.

I still didn’t know what the hell I was supposed to be doing.

It had been two weeks since that visit from Candace, and I wasn’t any closer to the Banachis.

Murphy was the only one I had met, and that was only because he was shagging Tatum. It wasn’t like I could just walk into Leo’s big ol’ skyscraper in the sky and ask to be his best friend.

Candace thought I would be able to get some information on the Banachis, but I didn’t think she was right.

I finished shutting down the shop and headed out the back door. My scheduled Uber was waiting by the backdoor, and I slid into the backseat.

“Hello, Hank,” I sighed.

The older man in the front seat turned to smile at me. “Jada,” he called. “How’s my favorite bookseller?” he asked.

I sighed and buckled up. “Oh, I think I’m okay today.”

“Long day?” he asked as he pulled out of the alley and into the busy rush hour traffic.

I owned a car, but taking an Uber to and from the shop was easier. It took me ten minutes to clear my mind and let someone else drive the traffic of Chicago.

“Oh, not really. It just feels like a Thursday. I’m ready for my day off on Sunday.”

“Aren’t we all?” Hank laughed. “Just some music for the ride home?”

I enjoyed talking with Hank most days, but today, I didn’t. Thankfully, Hank picked up on that, and I didn’t need to fake wanting to be social.

“Music would be great.”

He glanced at me in the rearview mirror and turned up the radio.

The sounds of the latest hits drifted throughout the car as we made our way to my apartment.

My thoughts drifted back to Candace and the vague orders she had given me, but the precise consequences would happen if I didn’t do what she said.

I had teased Tatum that she had landed smack dab in the middle of a mafia romance, but now it seemed I had also landed myself in one of the books on the shelves in the shop, except mine had no glimmer of romance in sight.

Just lies and betrayal were in my book, and if I messed up, I would for sure end up swimming with the fishes.