“So, you’re basically an Avenger now?” King crosses his arms.
“I’ll put in a good word.” I slap his shoulder.
“It’s all I ask, man, all I ask.” He looks behind me. “You good, Iz?”
“Oh, other than jumping out my own window and trusting Leg Day skipper over there…” She points at me. “I’m good.”
I gasp. “When have I ever skipped Leg Day!”
She makes a face, then blushes.
I clear my throat and wink. “Okay, that doesn’t count; it was totally worth it. Fuck, until this moment, I was trying to remember why steam got me hard.”
“I’m so glad I’m here to witness this extremely disturbing conversation.” King sighs. “Everyone’s inside, got your text earlier. The chief’s looking into it, and you know the bosses, all suspecting someone was trying to kill one of us… again.”
I sigh and slam the door. “Good thing we’re unkillable.”
“It’s good to be alive!” King shouts, erupting in laughter and throwing an arm around my shoulder. “Also, don’t look directly at Junior’s black eye; he’s super pissed Serena caught him in the ring.”
“No shit?” I stop walking. “He got caught?”
Izzy shoves past us. “She showed boob again. Of course, he got caught! Idiot…” She stomps into the house.
“Good to see things are still going well with Iz,” King jokes, opening the door for me.
“Yeah,” I croak. “You have no clue.”
“Bro, just fu—” He stops in front of Nixon, her uncle. “Sir, I was just about to say how fucking beautiful your family is, sir.”
Nixon, with his bazillion tattoos, short black hair, and blue eyes, looks ready to actually murder King. Too bad it’s his sister’s son because I think Nixon actually dreams of holding King over a large building and waiting until he pisses himself.
Nixon grunts then crooks his finger at me.
King makes a quick exit, the bastard.
“Yes?” I lean against the counter near the kitchen, waiting for whatever orders he’s about to give me. Technically, my orders come from my own Family, but Izzy is his niece; ergo… I’m all ears. He’s the boss to the Abandonato Family, meaning her dad reports to him.
Meaning, as her ex and now savior, I report to him as well.
It’s a respect thing, and I actually do respect him.
“What happened?” he nearly growls. His lip ring looks more intense in the light, and I find myself backing up a bit.
Why so angry all the time, dude?
“Well,” I start slowly. “Your niece had a bit too much wine, so I offered to drive her being a DD and all.” I grin; it doesn’t make him smile back. Hellllllll… “And…” I try again. Damn it, I’m charming. What the hell is wrong with him? “She was supposed to be ready wasn’t answering her phone, so me being me, I—”
“Annoyed her,” he answers. “Continue.”
“I think you mean saved her life by stopping by early, yelling at the men who were trying to put out the fire versus saving the princess in the castle and asking her to jump into my arms. Think Disney’s gonna write a movie about it one day? I even have a title, The Mafia Royal and his—”
“No,” Nixon says. That’s it, just no. “The village idiot and his inability to check in when I call him.”
“I don’t text and drive,” I say, honestly probably annoying him further. “But the chief is looking into it; he’ll have some answers. Until then, she’s staying here.” I move past him, only to have him grab me by the shirt and drag me back against the counter. “Ouch.”
“No.” Is it just his favorite word or what?
“Look.” I jerk away and try not to get pissed; getting pissed makes me go through my medicine faster. I’ll literally burn it all off, need more, then need more, and shit, I can’t think about it. If I do, I start to panic. “If it was arson, where’s the first place they’ll look?”
Nixon curses.
“And then they’ll go to the Capo, to Tex, putting King and everyone else in danger, followed by Phoenix, Sergio… I think you get the picture. The only boss she’s actually safe with, the only Family that actually makes sense, is the only one who wields the power of both the Sinacore’s and the Russians. That”—I put my hand on his shoulder—“as disappointed and pissed as you look—would be me.”
“Take your hand off my person.”
I pull it away, seriously tempted to pat him on the cheek then run. My fingers itch to rile him up. Instead, I offer him a shit-eating grin. “I know that you hate that I’m right, but… I’m right.”
“Don’t tell Chase,” Nixon mutters. “Guy already wants to murder you for sleeping with his daughter.”
“Had he left the tree up—”
Nixon jerks his head in my direction. “You were saying?”
“We would have saved the squirrels?” I offer lamely. “Don’t worry, I’ll keep it in my pants.”
“Or course you will.” He grabs my shoulder; his fingers dig in until I know I’m going to have a five-fingered-shaped bruise. “Because if you don’t, we’ll find you a brand-new tree, really tall, and hang you from it with your intestines.”
“That’s very detailed for being so on the spot,” I mutter. “Don’t worry, I’m here to protect her. I’ve only ever wanted to protect her.”
I’m not lying.
I kept away to protect her heart.
And selfishly mine.
And until the last breath of air leaves my body—I’ll keep at it.
Until my heart stops beating.
“Good.” Nixon gives me a little shove into the kitchen. “Heard about Jenna…”
“Damn, she was the worst,” Tex, the Capo and King’s dad pop out of nowhere, looking like a lost bodybuilder sans the orange skin. Dude just keeps getting bigger and bigger with his full tats, guns strapped to his body beneath his black suit coat, and big wide smile. I’ve been told that I act like him sometimes, but I don’t see it, like at all.
“You owe me fifty.” Nixon points at him. “I said it would be this week.”
I sigh. “You guys are really good parents. I mean, seriously, I’m shedding a tear, you bet on me too?”
They just shrug, then Tex says, “Does it count that your dad and Phoenix bet a car? No?”
“Daaaaaad…” I peer over at him and Phoenix. They have this weird love-hate bro fest going on. I mean, last year, they went on a fishing trip to Alaska.
Two powerful freaky as hell mob bosses just chilling with the salmon.
Fucking weird.
They bought matching tackle boxes.
Tents.
I can’t anymore.
The wives think it’s adorable—but I stopped thinking it’s anything but creepy when they started developing the same tastes and mannerisms.
I guess it works since Phoenix knows all the secrets of the Italians, and Andrei carries all the ones from the Petrov Family, so maybe that’s why they’re so alike? They know what it’s like to live in darkness, accept it, and do everything in your power to keep it away from those you love.