"I love you, girl! It’s what I’m here for."
"So...Diamond? Was that his name?" I asked, changing the subject. Vicky devoured boyfriends like I devoured true crime stories. She attended a private school downtown and always had stories about parties in empty mansions with stupid teens fucking on every surface. It was something I wished I could do. I graduated from the high school by my house where we had metal detectors on all the doors and bomb threats on Fridays.
"He wanted to hang out too much," she replied with a wave of her hand and a huff. "We were having fun, but then he wanted...more."
That seemed to be a common theme with Vicky. She could never let people get too close. Never let them into the fold. Although we were best friends in all the ways that mattered, there was still a lot I didn’t know about her personal life. Part of that was because she grew up in the mob. For my safety, she didn’t talk about her family or where she lived. She didn’t want anything to come back to me. We didn’t text or call often. We just had these brief moments of surface-level love. I guess, unlike the guys she dated, I was okay with the scraps. It was better than having nothing.
It was better than being completely alone.
"So who is your next victim?" I asked.
Her bodyguard grumbled once more and tapped the Rolex on his wrist. "It's time, Vicky." I snapped my attention to him with wide eyes. It was the first time I’d ever heard him speak.
And oh, man, his voice was deep but smooth. It was the kind of voice that melted panties clear off a woman. "You can talk?" I asked incredulously. He pulled off his sunglasses and stared at me for a lingering moment, his brown eyes piercing into mine. I swallowed. Having his full attention on me made my stomach do a flip.
Vicky cleared her throat and looked down at the table. I tore my eyes from her nameless bodyguard and stared at her with concern. "I’m not going to be dating for a while, Juliet."
Well, that was a surprise. "Oh? Taking a break from dick appointments?"
She frowned. "I’m taking a break from a lot of things. I...I have to do something for my family. I actually wanted to talk to you about it today..."
She wouldn’t look me in the eye, but I sensed she was about to drop something big. "What’s going on? Are you okay?"
"I can’t meet up on Thursdays anymore, Juliet," she whispered.
I flinched. Surely I had misinterpreted what she said. "What? Why? What? You can’t go a week without seeing my face. Stop fooling around." I nudged her wryly.
She shook her head. "I’m not joking. I can’t tell you what’s going on. It’s just...it’s not safe right now."
Her bodyguard slapped some money on the counter for their food, a sign that they were about to leave. "Are you in danger? Wait. When will I see you again?"
Vicky scooted out of the booth and wiped her eyes. "I promise to text you when it’s safe. I didn’t want to upset you, but I wanted to tell you in person."
"You haven’t told me anything, Vick," I replied with a scowl. "Come on. It’s me. Are you ending our friendship?" Panic rushed through my body. She was leaving me? Would she really do that?
She grabbed her purse and looked at me with glossy eyes. "I’ll text you when it’s safe again." What in the ever-loving whiplash?
Vicky and her bodyguard started walking out the door, and I followed after them. I started to cry while calling at her back. "Are you even going to hug me goodbye? We’re best friends, Vicky. I’ve followed your rules. I never pressured you. I kept your secrets."
She paused and spun on her heel, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. I stood there dumbfounded as she wordlessly approached me. "I love you," she whispered before wrapping me up in a huge hug. I squeezed her tightly, a billion questions burning on my tongue.
"Just tell me what’s going on, Vicky," I whispered.
She squeezed me tighter before pulling away. "Thank you for making me feel normal, Juliet."
I looked at her bodyguard, a man I’d seen weekly for the last three years but barely knew. He had a sad expression on his face that I didn’t understand.
"Don’t do this," I pleaded. He averted his eyes, a surprising flash of pain flickering across his expression.
Vicky was about to leave me crying there on the hot asphalt when a convoy of Mercedes-Benzes came peeling into Dick’s parking lot.
"Shit," Vicky cursed before standing in front of me, like a human shield.
"Shit," her bodyguard echoed.
2
"Shit," I muttered under my breath as the car doors jerked open and throngs of men in suits poured out. I tried to count how many people there were, but they faded in and out of the night air like shadows. There could have been twelve or a hundred. Their presence was massive and intimidating, and not being able to see clearly added to the complete terror of it all.
"Go inside, Juliet," Vicky whispered urgently.
Yeah, no. Like hell I was going to go inside; I had a very strong sense that running would draw even more attention to me. I’d be like a fish in a barrel. Not to mention, I wasn’t a total coward. I might not have known this world, but I wasn’t about to let my best friend face whatever this was alone.
I would not abandon my friend.
I watched in awe at the dangerous synchronicity of them. Their suits were all in varying shades of black and charcoal gray. Their leather shoes were polished and pristine. I only saw a couple of women in the bunch, but they wore outfits similar to the other men, as if the expensively tailored designer suit was some sort of work uniform.
"You have to go, Juliet," she whispered.
Sensing that Vicky's life was in danger, I planted my feet firmly on the asphalt, waiting. I wasn’t ignorant about the Kansas City mob and what they were capable of. I didn’t exactly know her family’s rank in the system, but the fact that she had a bodyguard following her around was enough to assume that she was important in their organization—or important to somebody.
Despite the hot night, a chill slithered down my spine, and I fought that instinctual, overwhelming sense to flee. It wasn’t until one of the middle cars opened and a tall man stepped out of the idling vehicle that my breath caught in my chest.
He was...beautiful. Terrifyingly so.
Blond hair swept to the side. Plush lips. Broad shoulders and a muscular build. He towered over everyone and had the sort of presence to make you sit up and take notice. "Fuck," Vicky cursed. "There’s no escaping this now."
"What do you mean?" I murmured as she pressed closer to me, her back colliding with my chest. She wrapped her arms back and around me while tilting her chin up defiantly. Her bodyguard stood his ground and was on alert, but for the first time in my life, I noted a submissive slump in his shoulders, as if he too feared what was coming for us.
It was easy to tell that the man stalking toward us was in charge. It was like an energy shift. Everyone turned to stare at him. They moved when he moved, breathed when he breathed. I found the entire experience to be very...ethereal since they were so perfectly in tune with each other. It was like the entire world spun at his command.