Free Russo: His Untold Story (Blacklisted #3) by Maria Delaurentis Page A

apartment building downtown. It was nice to know that she had found some place to call her own, and I was happy for her—no matter how much it hurt that she wouldn’t talk to me.
    I began to look into opening a restaurant again. Brie had bookmarked a bunch of different properties that were for sale, so I started there. They were all nice, but I wanted more. I made calls to different real estate agents and finally found a guy that seemed to understand what I was looking for. He promised to call back in a few days with some options. The nice part about having money saved was I didn’t need to worry about a bank loan, so I started to make calls to different vendors and offices I’d need to work with. There were different licenses I’d need and my father had been the one to obtain them for our original place so I was utterly lost. After days of phone calls I was in a good place, with all of the information I needed. I was going to make this happen.
    I left Brie alone, for the most part. I had checked her account a few times, and this morning was no exception. There was a deposit from a restaurant not far from here—she must have found a job. I kept the information in the back of my mind but continued to do as she asked. I started spending time in the fitness center of the hotel, anything that could keep me productive. I had gotten so familiar with the hotel staff that I was often greeted by first name. It felt good to communicate with people again—I had forgotten what it was like to be normal. I had spent so long in this dark place, mourning and plotting every second of every day. Had I just exposed myself to the real world again… maybe none of this would’ve happened.
    Another week had passed, and my realtor had been in touch. He had a few places he wanted to show me. After a day of touring the city with him we came upon a beautiful brick building right against the water. High ceilings, a lot of land for additions, and everything in the kitchen was new. It was perfect. I told him to draw up a contact, and wrote him a check without hesitation. He stared at it a few minutes before he took it, as if he couldn’t believe I was paying for the whole building upfront—but that’s the best way to do it. No bullshit from the banks, as my dad always told me.
    I was riding on a surreal high when I got back to the hotel. I felt like I was on the right track and soon enough I’d have my livelihood back. I knew I had a lot ahead of me between the remodeling, hiring, and getting the permits and licenses but I wasn’t worrying about that today. Instead there was a certain brunette that I wanted to see—whether she was up for it or not.
    It was late in the evening by the time I got to the restaurant, but I figured she’d still be around. Places like this didn’t get busy until late in the afternoon so her shift must’ve been till close. When I opened the door I was rewarded with her scent instantly hitting me. It was still fresh in my mind. I could only see the top half of her over the podium she stood at but I could see the way her shirt hugged her body, the way her hair hung around her face—she was more beautiful than ever. She still hadn’t looked up and started to ask how many she was seating when she finally made eye contact with me. She dropped her pen, a frown taking over her features.
    “Michael, why are you here?”
    “You look good, cara mia. You’re a sight for sore eyes,” I sighed, moving close to her. I don’t know why I thought she’d be excited to see me but I guess I had gotten my hopes a little too high.
    She grabbed a menu and ushered me towards the back, trying to dismiss me by telling me a server would be over.
    “Actually, I’d like you to be my server,” I smirked, knowing she couldn’t say no. She wouldn’t let me mess with her job, and dealing with me was better than fucking with her new gig.
    "What would you like to drink?"
    "How have you been?"
    "What. Would you like. To drink," she