Chapter 50: Chapter 50

Jasmine made a beeline straight toward Dennis’s desk. She sat in his chair and placed her bag down.

“This job suits you,” I couldn’t help but comment. “Perfect performance.”

She took out a pair of latex gloves from her bag and slid her hands into them. “I’m a lawyer, not a fucking actress.”

I shrugged. “Both professions wear masks, so they’re kinda the same if you know what I mean.”

“Please, shut up.”

I chuckled and refrained from making any more comments. I’d thought she’d be as nervous as me, but she acted as if she’d done this before.

She booted up Dennis’s computer and took the SSD out of her bag. Once the computer lit up, she plugged the SSD in, and we watched as the copying of information began immediately.

“You have about five minutes before Siri gets back,” I informed her.

The screen read 10 percent completed.

“Will that be enough time?” Jasmine muttered.

“Let’s hope. If not, knock her out and run.”

“That’s not funny.” She tapped her nails rhythmically on the glass desk. “Let’s hope it doesn’t come to that. If I get caught, I’m not going to jail for you.”

Twenty-one percent completed.

“Look on the bright side. If you get caught, your father’s a lawyer. He can pull some strings to get you out.”

Twenty-seven percent completed.

“I should make you come in here and do this. Here I am, doing this out of the kindness of my heart, and you’re teasing me. Is Stefano next to you?”

“He is.”

“Tell him he needs to increase my pay for emotional distress. That motherfucker kissed my neck. I almost broke character.”

Thirty-six percent completed.

“I saw.” I chuckled.

“You’re sure there’s no cameras in here?”

“I’m sure,” I replied. “According to the blueprints I got, his is the only floor without cameras, even in the hallways. It’s like he doesn’t want a record of who’s coming and going from his office.”

Jasmine tried to open the desk drawers, but they were locked.

She sighed. “Are all these files necessary?”

“Apparently. They hold important information. It’d be good if the family got their hands on them, so don’t fail.”

Forty-nine percent completed.

“Well, thank you for your concern.” I could practically hear her eyes roll.

I chuckled. “Anytime, love.”

“Cheating bastard.”

I followed her line of sight to a photo of Dennis, his wife, and his three children, sitting on his desk.

Fifty-five percent completed.

I sucked my teeth. “Yeah, he’s a pig.”

“How long has it been?” Jasmine asked impatiently as she spun in the chair.

I checked my phone. “About two or three minutes.”

“Why does it feel like it’s been forever?”

“Because you’re in a rush to get those files copied?”

“This wig is itchy.”

“It’s only for today.”

Sixty-nine percent completed.

“I still can’t believe he hires secretaries that he can sleep with. It’s pathetic. Imagine coming to work to fuck your boss. I feel sorry for his wife. He doesn’t even hide it from his employees.”

“That’s because they can’t talk about it even if they wanted to. He fires and destroys the lives of anyone who tries.” I’d done extensive research on Dennis and his company, and what I’d found wasn’t pretty.

“This is what has them so scared?”

“He has connections to the Volkov family.”

The camera rocked, signaling that she was nodding. “Aah, that makes more sense.”

Eighty percent completed.

“Yeah, there are rumors that he did something to one of his past secretaries after she tried reaching out to his wife.”

Jasmine snorted. “As she should.”

I chuckled. “You’re heated, huh?”

“I hate cheaters. If you know you can’t settle down, then don’t.”

“Men are dogs, I know.” Something sharp pinched my side, and I jumped. “Ouch! Fuck, I didn’t mean you!” I turned to glare at Stefano.

He quirked an eyebrow in response.

“What happened?” Jasmine asked.

I rubbed the spot and grumbled my annoyance. “Stefano is being a dog. Ouch! Okay, okay! I’m done. Jesus.” I batted his hand away and glared.

Ninety-eight percent completed.

Jasmine laughed.

One hundred percent completed.

“Fina-fucking-ly. It’s done. Time to get the fuck out of here.” Jasmine immediately jumped into action and packed everything up. She powered down the computer and grabbed her bag.

I sighed in relief. “Infiltration and retrieving the documents is a success. Now it’s my turn. Don’t forget your line.”

“I know.” She quickly left the office before anyone realized she was in there.

I heard her sigh in relief when she finally sat back down behind the desk and took off the latex gloves. Not a minute later, Siri rounded the corner, waddling her way toward the desk with her high, pregnant belly.

Jasmine got back to her training.

Time dragged on, and finally, after what felt like forever, it was lunchtime. Dennis returned from his meeting and approached Jasmine.

“Are you ready for lunch?” He smiled down at her with eyes that screamed ~Please let me fuck you~.

I straightened in my seat and quietly murmured, “This is it!”

Jasmine nodded, her voice back to its coquettish affectation. “I know the perfect place.”

He glanced at his watch. “I have about an hour to spare. Let’s make it worth it, yeah?” He turned his gaze to Siri, who acted like she wasn’t listening in on their conversation. “When I come back, you can take your break. Don’t push yourself too hard.”

She looked up at him and nodded with a light smile. “Thank you.”

Jasmine packed up and followed Dennis out of the building.

I tuned out their conversation during the ride to the restaurant, my nerves slowly getting the best of me.

“They’re entering the building,” I said, taking a deep breath.

Stefano nodded. “You know what’s next.”

“Right,” I murmured and turned to the duffle bag at my feet.

I unzipped it and pulled out the sniper rifle I’d prepared.

“Jackson, make sure the camera is set,” Stefano informed Jackson, who had tagged along to take photographic evidence of me completing the mission.

“Everything’s good to go.” Jackson gave a thumbs up as he set the camera on the tripod. “It’ll look picture perfect.”

I shot him an odd glance. “I’m killing someone.”

He looked at me, obviously confused. “Shouldn’t you look good doing it?”

“What kind of…,” I muttered in disbelief.

“Stop messing around,” Stefano told him. “Stay focused, amorina.”

I nodded and took another deep breath, discarding all other thoughts and locking onto my task.

My hand shook as I perched the rifle on the window ledge. We were in a high-rise building with windows that actually opened, located across the street from the back of the restaurant, on the fourteenth floor, and with a perfect view of the restaurant’s private dining area.

After making sure everything was in place, I told Jasmine, “Let me know when you’re ready.”

“Almost,” she whispered. “I hope your aim is good.”

“Don’t worry; I’ve got this,” I said, yet my heart twisted with anxiety. There was a huge difference between aiming at a target and aiming at a real person.

“Is this the restaurant you like, baby?” Dennis asked Jasmine.

“Yeah. I have a private room reserved for us already,” she replied.

“That’s great. Meals are best eaten in private.” His suggestive tone made it more than clear that he wanted something other than food to be served at lunch.

Jasmine’s voice was strained as she mumbled, “Let’s get inside first, please.”

I listened in as the hostess greeted them and led them toward the private dining area. I caught sight of them the second they entered the room.

“Let him sit by the window,” I told her. “I see you.”

“You sit there while I go to the ladies’ room and freshen up,” Jasmine told him, directing him to the chair right in front of the window. It was the perfect spot for my shot.

“Perfect.” I nodded my approval and zoomed in on his figure as he adjusted his tie and checked his watch, a large grin on his face.

Jasmine left the private room, just like we’d planned.

This was my chance.

My finger trembled as it grazed the trigger, and I had to focus the lens more than I had when I’d practiced.

Sweat beaded my brow, and I could feel my heart thumping.

I waited as Dennis pulled out his phone and started texting someone, my finger resting on the trigger.

“Steady,” I murmured to myself, focusing the laser dot on the side of his head. “Steady.”

I took another shaky breath.

Stefano’s hand landed on my shoulder, and it suddenly gave me the strength I needed to do this.

With a final exhale, I pulled the trigger.

A whistle sounded as the bullet zipped through the air. Blood spurted as the bullet impaled the glass window and connected with Dennis’s head. His body fell off the chair and disappeared from view.

I sighed in relief, but there was an unsettled feeling in my chest. I had crossed the line of no return.

“You can go back in now. It’s time for act 3,” I told Jasmine, trying to contain the shakiness in my voice.

I knew I’d get used to this level of violence sooner or later, but for now, I was glad I still felt a sliver of guilt for pulling that trigger.

Stefano’s arms quickly closed around me from behind, and I leaned back into him and closed my eyes.

In his embrace, with his warmth and comfort seeping into me, I was able to calm myself down.

His lips grazed my ear as he murmured, “Good job, la mia piccola donna pericolosa. Ti amo.”

I furrowed my brow. “‘Your dangerous little woman’? Really?”

He chuckled against my ear, and I stiffened as I realized what else he said.

“Wait,” I turned in his arms. “Did you say—”

I cringed as a scream blasted my eardrums. Jasmine’s final act had begun. I quickly turned back to the window to watch the scene play out.

I heard the sound of the dining room door being thrown open as people came filing in to see what the commotion was about. “Oh my god! He’s dead!”

“He’s been shot!”

“There’s a sniper! Everyone, step away from the windows!”

Chaos erupted as the millionaire Dennis Romney was found dead in a restaurant. The person who found him? His newly appointed personal assistant, who disappeared a day after his death.