Chapter 2 - The Red Notice
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Cassidy stared at the black embossed card in her trembling hand. There was no company logo, no job title, just a single phone number and the name Valenti.
Gavin stood frozen behind the bar, looking like a man who had just watched his own execution order get signed. Cassidy didn’t look at him. She untied her stained apron, dropped it onto the nearest table, and walked out of the double glass doors of The Gilded Spoon without looking back.
The Chicago rain was coming down in heavy, icy sheets.
Sure enough, parked illegally by the curb, was a massive black armored SUV. A man in a dark suit stood holding a large umbrella, holding the rear door open.
Cassidy hesitated. Stepping into that car felt like stepping off the edge of a cliff. Dominic Valenti was dangerous. He belonged to a world of shadows, high-society revenge, and ruthless power. She was a girl drowning in medical debt who just wanted to make rent.
But then she thought of the red final notice sitting on her kitchen counter. She thought of her mother’s failing kidneys, the dialysis machine, and the terrifying reality of having exactly fourteen dollars in her checking account.
She took a deep breath and climbed into the SUV.
The interior smelled of expensive leather and rain. Dominic sat across from her, scrolling through a tablet. Bella was strapped into a car seat beside him, holding a brand-new coloring book.
“You’re exactly four minutes early, Miss Tate,” Dominic noted without looking up. “Punctuality is a rare trait.”
“Why am I here, Mr. Valenti?” Cassidy asked, gripping her purse tightly in her lap.
Dominic set the tablet aside. His cold gray eyes locked onto hers.
“Because my daughter has not spoken a single word in two years. Because she flinches when people move too quickly. And because today, when a man raised his hand to her, she did not run to her security detail. She hid behind you.”
Cassidy looked at Bella. The little girl gave her a shy, tentative wave.
“I need a companion for her,” Dominic continued, his tone strictly business. “Someone who does not view her as a broken thing to be pitied, or a mafia princess to be feared. I need someone who will stand between her and the monsters of the world.”
“I’m just a waitress,” Cassidy whispered.
“You were a waitress,” Dominic corrected. “As of today, you are Bella’s personal guardian. The starting salary is ten times what you made pouring coffee, plus full medical benefits for you and anyone you claim as a dependent.”
Cassidy’s breath hitched. Medical benefits.
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“Why would you trust me?” she asked.
“Because loyalty cannot be bought, Miss Tate,” Dominic said, leaning forward. “It is proven in the trenches. And I just watched you throw away your only source of income to protect a child you had never met. You start tomorrow.”
