Prologue

Athena

H is hands were all over me, fingers grazing places I’d prefer they’d not, his lips attacking mine. I pushed lightly against his chest, backing up several steps toward the dinky little kitchen, doing my best to give him a sultry, come-hither look.

“Come on, Nina,” he said, the fake name I gave him sounding off to my ears. Only then did he slam the apartment door closed behind him, locking us inside. “You can’t run away from me. You know you want me.”

I most decidedly did not, but he wasn’t supposed to know that yet.

“I’m not running away,” I said, shimmying out of my favorite leather jacket to reveal the deep V of my dress. It was a vibrant blue, something short and skimpy I bought just for this date. I unintentionally matched the bright blue silk of his shirt, and I felt just as sketchy as his choice in wardrobe, but “trashy” was what I was going for, so it worked. “I’m just a little warm, handsome. Let’s have a drink first.”

“I think I know what’s getting you hot,” he said with a leer, eyes dragging up and down my body in the short little dress. “And I think I know what you need.”

I doubt it, I wanted to say, but held it in. Leo Lombardi looked every bit of his forty-three years, his hair buzzed so close to the scalp he almost looked bald, and was covered in a mish-mash of tattoos, nothing cohesive or well-drawn. Maybe he was somebody’s type, but he definitely was not mine.

He stepped forward quickly, pulling my body tight against his, and lowered his face to mine again. I turned my mouth away as politely as I could.

“I’m thirsty, Hot Stuff.”

He rolled his eyes, letting go of my waist. I fought the urge to wipe my hands down my hips, wanting to brush away the feel of him. “I guess I can get you some water.”

What a gentleman.

He returned with a glass of dusty water, fingerprints and other marks along the rim. Ew. I delicately took a sip, glancing around the apartment for a good place. There. I walked over to the couch, laying my jacket on the arm and setting the glass on the side table. Both were easily within reach once I sat down, delicately crossing my legs.

Leo joined me, unfortunately, but it was expected. What else would one think when their Tinder date replied yes to the infamous DTF?

I just didn’t expect him to want to get right down to it the second I showed up. He went from telling me how he paused his favorite movie right as Keanu discovered the bomb on the bus to come meet me in the lobby, to shoving his tongue in my mouth with very little transition time in between.

He leaned in to kiss me again, a hand resting high up my leg along the hem of my much-too-short dress. I tilted my head to the side so he could kiss my neck, both to get his gross mouth away from mine, and also to sneak a glance at the glass of water to my other side. I moved slowly and carefully, pulling the small plastic baggie out of my jacket pocket while Leo was otherwise engaged, dropping the pill into the glass of water. It dissolved fast, the water looking normal again in a matter of seconds.

I put a hand on Leo’s chest, directing him back again.

“It’s too late to back out now, Nina. You’ve got me too worked up to stop anytime soon.” Ew. Gross mentality.

“I’m not backing out of anything. I just want another drink,” I told him, lifting the glass of water to my mouth. I kept my lips tightly closed, not wanting to be affected, and let my curly hair fall forward to cover up my trick. “Here, finish this off. I’m feeling a bit…wild. Acrobatic, even. I don’t want it to spill.”

He eagerly took the glass, throwing back the contents in a couple quick swallows. The effects would hit him pretty quickly in theory, especially considering the amount he consumed and how quickly he did it. I just had to hold out a little longer.

He slammed the empty glass back down on the side table, looking at me hungrily. I prepared my lips for another assault, knowing it was all for the greater good.

But he surprised me by wrapping an arm around my back and sliding my body down the couch until he was lying on top of me. His body weight pinned me down and the sudden movement made my dress ride up even higher on my thighs. Then came the tongue I was expecting, delving so deeply into my mouth I had trouble breathing.

My instincts warred with my brain, wanting to push him off of me. I knew I could take him—I had plenty of self-defense training—but it would be better if he just passed out on his own, not knowing anything went wrong.

He reached forward and grabbed one of my breasts, squeezing roughly, and I had enough. “Let’s just slow this train down, big guy. We’ve got all night.”

“I’ve got all night to feel these tits!” was his clever comeback. The words came a little slowly, thank goodness. I wouldn’t have much longer to wait.

But then he reached for his belt buckle. I put my hand over his to stop him, but he liked my hand near his crotch too much, groaning. I rolled my eyes.

Stupidly, I didn’t check to see if he was looking at me when I did it.

“What the fuck do you have to be annoyed about?” he said, pushing my shoulders hard against the couch cushions. The anger in his eyes was worrying, especially when it seemed to give him a second wind. His grip was firmer than it was a minute before, suspicion in his eyes as he saw beyond my facade.

I tried to recover it. “I’m not annoyed. I’m frustrated you’re taking so long. I want you, handsome.” Gag.

“That’s what I thought,” he smirked, easily placated. One hand moved back to his belt, undoing the buckle, but it was the other hand that went to my neck, gripping me just firmly enough to let me know he thought he was tough shit that made my mind up for me .

While he unbuttoned his jeans, I reached up and grabbed the empty water glass, smashing it into the side of his head. He released my throat and sat up straight, but otherwise didn’t react.

So I socked him in the face.

When that shocked look morphed into the nothingness of sleep, I pushed him off me and onto the floor. I stood, finally able to roughly wipe my hands down my dress, shaking off the feeling of that walking red flag of a man. I adjusted my dress, wiggling my boobs back into place and slipping my spaghetti straps back onto my shoulders before shrugging into my jacket.

Leo Lombardi was a key figure in the Morelli crime syndicate, and I needed to know what information he had hidden in his apartment.

It was time to get to work.