The Boss Assignment (Rogue Protectors Book 3) by Victoria Paige (red scrolls of magic txt) 📗

“What? Antonio!”

“You’re the one who managed without me for more than a month anyway.”

“What is wrong with you?” she groused. “You’re obsessed with finding a cure? You already said that you can prove it wasn’t us.”

“Yes, but it would give me great satisfaction to thwart these motherfuckers who think they can mess with me.”

At his uncharacteristic lack of control, he could feel Oscar and Charly’s attention on him.

“If you need help with the BOPE, Renata, our legal team is at your disposal. Talk to Simone,” Antonio said quietly.

She sighed. “I will.”

“Are you coming to dinner later?”

“No.”

“Then it’ll be back to normal tonight,” Antonio chuckled.

“Where’s Luis?”

“He said he needed to go home before the unveiling tomorrow.”

“I have to go, Antonio,” Renata mumbled. “Especially since you’re playing hooky again.”

The line went dead.

“We’re not going to Anriotech, Senhor?” Oscar asked.

“No. Turn around and take us to Ipanema.”

15

Jolene Studios.

“Why are we here?” Charly asked.

Oscar dropped them off on a side-street in one of Rio’s most recognizable destination. Art galleries and boutiques lined the avenue but they were still closed as it was barely ten a.m. This shop, however, appeared open and a red-haired woman dressed in butter yellow slacks, and a teal and white geometric-print flowy top greeted them at the bronzed entrance.

“Antonio,” she exclaimed as the two embraced as if they had not seen each other in years.

Antonio turned to her. “Charly, meet Jolene VeraCruz, one of Brazil’s top fashion designers. This is—”

“He exaggerates,” Jolene’s eyes were looking at Antonio, or rather his hair. “Are you cheating on me? Who cut your hair?”

“I was in the States for a while and I needed a haircut badly,” Antonio said.

The redhead eyed him critically. “I like it.” Then gave her full attention to Charly. “You’re the one who needs a haircut. Antonio sent me a text—and I didn’t catch your name.”

Antonio sighed, but Charly had to smile because the woman had cut him off during introductions. “Charlotte Bennett, but you can call me Charly.”

“Come in then. Let me look at you.”

The three of them moved further into the boutique. Jolene locked the door again. Mannequins in various outfits posed strategically all over the shop. Jolene’s designs bore simple lines in bold, colorful fabric.

The redhead turned to Charly. “Let me see your hair.”

Reluctantly, Charly tugged at the band holding her ponytail and cringed at the expression of dismay on Jolene’s face.

“Ay-yaya,” the redhead tutted. “Whoever did this needs to be shot.”

“That would be the paper cutter,” Antonio murmured.

Jolene’s expression turned from dismay to horror and she squinted at Antonio. “What do you have this woman doing for you?”

Antonio chuckled. “Why is it always me?” He nodded at Charly. “She also requires a dress for the gala tomorrow. And see what else she needs.”

Charly’s eyes widened. “But I have more than enough.”

“Look, I admire Renata’s taste,” Jolene glanced over at Antonio. “But she doesn’t know how to dress other people.” She scrunched her nose. “That t-shirt makes you look like a child. I will make you a woman.”

“But—”

Jolene grabbed her arm. “Don’t protest when a man wants to spoil you.” She ushered her into a dressing room that had a full-length mirror. “I’m not a salon, but Antonio doesn’t trust anyone else in Brazil to hold a razor near his head.” The redhead smiled at her in their reflection in the mirror. “I used to cut hair, but my real passion is fashion design.” She glanced over at Antonio, who followed them in. “Antonio gave me the capital to follow my dream. Sent me to Paris to learn from the best and I came back with a French accent.”

The man in question groaned. “Please stop spouting my praises. Dr. Bennett might think I put you up to it.”

Charly grinned at Antonio. “Didn’t you?”

Antonio scowled. “I don’t need help in that department. I’ll wait outside. Not too short, Jolene.” He stalked out of the dressing room.

“That’s for Charly to decide,” the redhead called after him. Jolene shook her head as she put a gown around her. “Such an autocratic bastard. He’s really a good man, but don’t let him—”

“Wait a minute. I think you’re getting the wrong impression. I work for him. There’s nothing between us.”

Charly saw Jolene’s doubtful expression. “You’re the first woman he’s brought to me.”

“Renata …”

“We knew Renata when we were kids.”

“Wait,” Charly said. “You all grew up together?”

Jolene shrugged. “Pretty much. I’m Renata’s age …” she caught herself. “How much do you know about Antonio and his childhood?”

“He told me about his mother …”

The stylist nodded. “That’s his driving force in getting affordable medicine for the masses.”

“I know about his adoptive father.”

Again, the stylist nodded. “Him trying to lift the wallet off Luis was the best thing that ever happened to him.”

“He tried to pickpocket Luis?”

“Yes. And he was successful too, but Luis chased him down.” Jolene’s face turned sad. “He noticed Antonio’s face was beaten up.” She started to wet her hair with a spray bottle. “Sorry we don’t have a shampoo station, but this should do.”

Charly couldn’t care less about getting a shampoo. She wanted to hear more about Antonio’s childhood. “And?”

Jolene hesitated, but blurted out. “This was right after Dante died.”

“Oh.”

“You know about Dante, yes?”

“About the fight?”

She started to fix the ends of her hair with quick purposeful snips. “Yes. Such a tragedy. My heart aches whenever I think about our favelas’ Três Mosqueteiros. Dante was made an example by that bastard. Only nineteen. ” She paused cutting hair. “It was a year after Emilio adopted Antonio that Jacaré disappeared.”

“Disappeared?” Charly repeated.

Jolene picked up a razor and started layering her ends. “Yes. They never found the body. Rumor was they dumped him in the Amazon for the alligators. Sort of poetic justice since Jacaré means alligator.”

Charly shuddered. “That’s the rumor?”

“You know what they say about Luis, yes?”

“Only that he taught Antonio everything he knew.”

The stylist chuckled. “That he did. We were all relieved when Antonio made it out of the favela. We missed him, but he and