Every Dog at the Auction Ignored the Mafia Boss’s Deaf Daughter—Until the Last Cage Opened

The silence in the library lasted for an eternity.

Outside, the rain began to hit the leaded glass windows with a steady, rhythmic pattern.

Reed smoked his cigarette down to the filter, his dark eyes scanning Sloan’s face, weighing her words, her posture, her complete lack of fear.

Finally, he dropped the butt into an ash tray on the desk.

"Frank," Reed ordered. "Bring the girl a chair."

"Boss—"

"Do it."

Frank dragged a heavy oak dining chair across the rug, slamming it down behind Sloan. Sloan sat, keeping her arms resting on the armrests, while Mia immediately climbed onto her lap, burying her small head into Sloan’s shoulder.

Goliath dropped into a heavy sit beside her knees, his head resting across her boots.

Reed leaned against the edge of his desk, folding his arms over his broad chest.

"Here’s how this works, Miss Hartley," Reed said, his voice flat and businesslike. "You lied to me. In my line of work, people who lie to me end up at the bottom of the Mystic River."

"I know," Sloan said.

"However," Reed continued, looking at his daughter, "you gave my daughter her voice back ten minutes ago. For that... I owe you a debt."

He pointed a finger at her.

"You are not leaving this estate."

Sloan’s jaw set. "Carbone—"

"Listen to me before you speak," Reed cut her off sharply. "You aren't leaving because if Tommy Serno or Johnny Vance finds out who you really are—and that you took a camera into Serno’s operation—they won't come for me. They’ll come for you. They’ll burn your apartment in Dorchester to the ground before the sun sets."

Sloan went pale. He was right. Becca was still in Dorchester.

"My friend—" Sloan started.

"Frank already sent two cars to pick up your computer friend," Reed said casually. "She’ll be here in twenty minutes. Safe. Clean."

Sloan closed her eyes for a brief second, letting out a long, shuddering breath. Reed Carbone didn't miss a single detail.

"You will stay here for two weeks," Reed stated. "You will train Mia. You will train the dog. I will pay you fifty thousand dollars in clean cash, give you a new legal license for the dog in your name, and when this is over, my men will ensure Tommy Serno never steps within five miles of your neighborhood again."

"And if I say no?" Sloan asked, opening her eyes.

Reed looked at her with a terrifyingly clear gaze. "If you say no, I buy the dog from you right now for a quarter-million dollars, put you on a plane to Seattle, and you never see him again."

Sloan looked down at Goliath, whose warm weight was pressing against her shins, and then at Mia, whose fingers were twining around her coat sleeve.