Mafia in Death - an In Death series fanfic (J.D. Robb)

Chapter 9

"Sir, the person you mentioned this morning is here.", Caro said on the private 'link. "Shall I get an assistant and lead him to the waiting lounge or shall I direct him to your office?"

"Bring him here personally, Caro. Thanks.", Roarke replied and hang up.

He knew that Don Miguel would keep in touch with him, but he never expected that he’ll get the first flight to New York after the last night’s events.

Irony, he thought, how somebody connected to Eve walked at the same floors as the Don in impressive clothes, but that person went to him to extort money by blackmail and murdered by greed. This person was different.

“It’s nice to see you again, Roarke.”, the Don greeted as he entered the office.

“Likewise, and welcome to New York.”, Roarke replied as he reached his hand and shook.

The Don’s cane clicked to the marbled floor and muffled to the carpets, and then helped himself to the visitor’s seat. “It’s been years since I last stepped in US. Still busy and noisy as ever.”

Roarke noticed how the Don’s eyes roamed around his office with astonishment. When he offered him a cup of coffee, he tried to stifle a laugh when the Don’s eyes glazed at his first sip.

Very much like Eve.

“I’m sorry for the unannounced visit. I bet you have several appointments today, and I disrupted your schedules.”

“Don’t be, Don Miguel. What’s the point of being the boss if you can’t even change your schedule?”, Roarke said. “I could offer you a first-class suite in The Palace for free, so you can stay there during the course of your trip here.”

“I don’t mind taking that offer, but thanks anyways.”

The Don sipped his coffee again, and after savouring its last drop, he placed it to the small table. “So, how’s the Lieutenant?”

Roarke raised a brow, surprised on his inquiry. “She’s fine and back to fight the justice.”

“I see.”, he sighed. “Last night I was terrible for both of you, and quite insensitive especially to her. She might be good at hiding her emotions, but I could sense that she’s distraught about McQueen’s case. You might have known this, but I made some background inquiries about her. Eve was…an amazing woman, and with that childhood, she managed to become one of the most respectable women in the society.”

“Eve is my life, and my salvation. I couldn’t imagine myself before her, and now that I found her, I would die if I lost her.”

And would risk everything to protect her, Roarke thought. That’s why he created an invisible wall that would raise flags whenever somebody checks on Eve’s profile, and has the control what data should appear on screen.

He has several questions, especially the two medical files he retrieved with a paternity match to Eve. These two files – one was from a random drug test in high school and one was a blood test result during college – were the most unique among the hundreds of medical exams the Don has in records, since the rest were bogus and mismatched to the other. If none of these were genuine, then whose blood was tested in the two matched files?

“I’ve never seen you like this before, Roarke, being too much in love. But it turns out to be a good thing for you. You transformed yourself for the better.”, the Don said.

“I believe you’re not here to praise my wife. Because if you are, then you’re making me jealous.”

 “Of course not.”, he chuckled, and then pulled a clear folder from his case. “I’m here for a business proposal.”