Feathers and Blood: A Dark Mafia Romance (Feathers and Thorne Series Book 1)

Chapter Four

Isabella

I’m one of the first to show up to the office while the other workers come and go throughout the day. They manage the project onsite, working outside the trailers set up as makeshift offices, leaving me alone for most of my time. I try to stay at my desk to not draw too much attention to myself and get roped into another pushy conversation with Jacob like the night before.

He hasn’t come by, so maybe he hasn’t noticed the missing money clip.

I stayed at the hospital with my father last night and paid for his last round of chemo. Hopefully, although unlikely, it will be the last bill for a while, at least until he has to start another session. I always keep a change of clothes in my work bag, and it came in handy last night.

The job site is alive with noise, and only when that noise stops do I finally look up from my desk. The sun has set on the construction site, and everyone’s workspaces have been shut down for the night. My ankles are tired in my heels, but I’ll have to walk again, knowing better than to fetch a bus at this hour, let alone a sticky cab seat in a taxi.

The phone rings, and I answer it on impulse. “Isabella Julis with Lacey Construction, how can I help you tonight?”

“Come to my office, baby. We need to have a talk.”

The line stops, but Jacob’s voice echoes through my mind. My hand shakes as I press the phone back into place, my heart beating hard against the wall of my chest. I know better than to break; it’s the most obvious sign of guilt.

I wipe my damp palms against my skirt and pull it down to my knees when I stand up. Checking the buttons that line up my blouse, I reluctantly make my way to the trailer nearby, watching the moon filter through the construction project.

Jacob is sitting at his desk when I enter, his hand toying with a dark-colored bottle of beer while his eyes focus on the sight of me. He motions to the chair opposite his desk, and I abide, my nerves shot in this tense silence.

“How was your day, babe?”

I swallow the urge to correct him, to use my name, but something tells me I don’t have that kind of power tonight. “Busy.”

“Busy? I bet. My day has been just as busy.” He leans forward, taking a long gulp of beer before spreading his slight grin into a wide smile. “You know what I had to do today? I had to deal with a man on the site who was selling the copper fittings of the electrical panel for scrap yard money.” he shakes his head, sighing heavily.

“He was taking it after everyone had left the job site and selling it for extra cash. When I confronted him about it, he whined about his kids needing private school tuition and his wife, who has been begging him for a second honeymoon. Well… greed does funny things to normal people.”

“Jacob, what does this have to do with—”

“Ah-ah, I’m talking, baby. It would suit you well to shut your mouth until I say you can open it again.” His eyes poke holes through my skin. “So, as I was saying, he became greedy and decided it was easier to steal than to strike a deal with me. I’m an understanding man, babe. I do my best for my workers, and I’m always there when they need me.

“They found his fucking corpse in the harbor this morning. Terrible travesty. But I guess when you find a dead thief, no one really gives a damn. Just one more rat off the streets of this city. The same goes for any kind of theft, even the ones in an office late at night when no one is looking.”

I flinch at his casual threat. “Please, Jacob, let me—”

“SHUT UP!”

I shudder at his volume, pulling back into my chair as he stands up abruptly. He throws the bottle aside, and I only hear it shatter against the far wall. Jacob undoes the buttons of his blazer coat, strolling like a drunk on the New York sidewalk, waltzing his way around the desk and standing right in front of me, my knees knocking at his.

“I don’t like the police, baby. I don’t think I should have to call them over some minor theft. It was only a few thousand, and I have plenty to spare, but for you to take it and not tell me; that’s the betrayal aspect I don’t appreciate.” He pulls my chin upward, forcing me to look into his scheming eyes while mine fill with nervous tears. “Go ahead, baby. Plead your case.”