Corrupted Chaos (Tarnished Empire)(3)
“You’re digging where you shouldn’t be. And you may be good, Izzy, but not that good. I’ve tracked every fucking hack you’ve done,” he said, an arrogant smirk on his face. Then he leaned in and whispered, “It’s not warfare, love. It’s the laundering of so much money they would control everything. We’ve built alliances, though. It’s fine. You need to back off.”
The way his breath felt on my skin, on my neck, so close to me that I could smell him . . . I loved it in a way I shouldn’t. My body instantly gravitated toward him as if I should lean in instead of away. “They won’t honor that alliance. So either let me do my job or fuck off,” I ground out, trying to ignore everything he was doing.
He hummed low, not moving back even an inch. “If you get kidnapped, I’m leaving your ass with them.”
“Great.” I peered up into his eyes and turned my face so our lips were just a touch away from each other. “They’ll probably be better company than you anyway.”
“Say that again, and try to mean it this time,” he growled.
Our stares held, his full of something I didn't normally see. Cade was alive right there next to me, his gaze no longer dark and cavernous but wild and full of adrenaline and joy, like a kid ready to play his favorite game. That look mirrored mine when I found something to keep my mind off my own demons. We’d have worked well together in another life.
We heard the bathroom door opening and stepped away from each other. My brother-in-law came in, too, swooping Delilah under his arm, smiles a mile wide as they hurried through saying goodbye to me.
Cade ushered them out of the house without a backward glance.
Well, good riddance to him, too. Except I wasn’t proud to say I did flip him off as he exited.
Still, I went to bed with deep-brown eyes threaded with gold in the back of my mind. I tried my best not to slide my hand between my legs, imagining what it would have been like to lean in an inch farther and taste that man’s lips.
I hated myself for it the very next week.
The following Monday started terribly with rain pelting down on me as I made my way into work, drenching my navy blouse and pinstripe pencil skirt. I didn’t even have time to dry off, though, before HR called me in.
My stilettos squished with the rainwater as I made my way down the hall, hoping they had a simple update for me of some sort. I’d never been summoned like this, not even for a review of my work.
As I turned the corner and knocked on the already open door, though, understanding dawned. Cade in a black three-piece suit sat behind a small elderly woman at her desk with what looked like one outrageously expensive Berluti loafer propped on a bent knee to hold his laptop across his thighs. He was the epitome of a successful and very intimidating businessman.
To add to it, he didn’t even look up or greet me as I entered. The woman with wiry white hair whom I had never met before chirped as soon as I shut the door, “Congratulations, Izzy! We have amazing news for you. Take a seat.”
I readjusted my pinstripe wool pencil skirt and glanced between both of them with so many questions running through my mind. “I’m sorry. Is he a part of this—”
She cut me off by talking over me. “Oh, Mr. Armanelli sits in on some office procedures. He is a supervisor here. Have you met—”
“We have.” My tone gave away precisely how much I despised him.
“Right.” She shifted in her chair. “Well, please take a seat.”
Chewing on my cheek, my heart beat faster. Thinking over the last conversation I’d had with Cade, I replied, “I’m fine with standing.”
“Of course. Of course.” She chuckled. “Well, you’ve been reassigned to Stonewood Enterprises, and it was such a great contract that you’ll be starting in the next week. No long waiting period.”
“Reassigned?” I stuttered, the air whooshing out of my lungs. I felt like I’d been sucker punched.
“Yes, we’ve acquired a wonderful contract.” She slid it across her pristine white desk while he typed away like no one was in the room.
The fact that he was even there—after having never set foot in this office in all the time I’d been there—was him waving a red flag in my face. Like he wanted to fight.
I cleared my throat and straightened my blouse, not picking up the packet to even appear intrigued. “But what if I don’t want to be reassigned?”
“Well, this is within the state’s rights, Ms. Hardy. If you check section . . .” She droned on about distance between home and work and where I was needed and a bunch of other crap I knew wasn’t true. I just glared at him with his smug expression as he lifted his gaze to smirk at me.
Anger, swift and hot, flew through me faster than I could control. “You requested this, didn’t you? The almighty Caden Armanelli.” I wrinkled my nose at him in disgust.
Immediately, the woman stood, her blue eyes widened into orbs of concern. People didn’t just sneer Cade’s full name. Businessman, my ass. We all knew when they threw around the Armanelli mafia name they got what they wanted. “Ms. Hardy, we’ve talked with a few of your team members, and there is state work you’ll still be doing there. It’s a great opportunity for you all to be contracted there. Cassie and Braxton will be transferred too. You’ll get amazing corporate raises that the state can’t compete with. You’ll even get to travel for work, and it’s good for the team.”