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“You dirty, dirty girl. Ariana won’t like it.”
“Yeah, well, she’s going to have to.”
I found the birthday girl taking shots of flaming tequila with a few of her friends and I pulled her to the side.
“Grazia,amore mio[5], here you are. Do you want a shot?”
“I’ve had a few glasses already. I’m fine.”
“Are you having fun? Oh, Grazia,I’mhaving such a great time.” She was obviously tipsy. “I love the present you gave. That bag must have cost a fortune.”
“Don’t mention it. You deserve it.” I smiled, genuinely happy that she enjoyed the Prada bag I had sent to her house earlier. It was a collector’s item and it took Delfina and I over a month to find it. “Look, Ari, I have to tell you something, but please don’t get mad.”
“What?”
“I know you wanted us to party tonight, but something happened and I have to go.”
Her jaw dropped and I clearly see the insult on her face. “You want to leave mybirthdayparty?”
“Ari, come on, you know I’d never do it if it wasn’t important.”
“It’s my birthday party.Ishould be the most important thing today.”
The impulse to roll my eyes was almost overwhelming.
“Yes! Yes, you are but…” there was no way I’d tell her the truth, “Ari, Garon texted me. He says it’s urgent.” What good was to have older brothers if I couldn’t use them as excuses?
“Oh. Family stuff?”
“I don’t know, but I have to check it out. You know how my brothers can get.”
She was not pleased, but what could she say? No one said no to a Caputo.
“Fine then, but you owe me one.”
“Absolutely. Hey, umm, maybe make an effort to spend some time with Pina. She doesn’t know any of your friends and you know she’s not so comfortable with big crowds.”
“Grazia, I’ve spent half my life babysitting her and I had no say in it. Tonight is about me.”
“Ari, come on.”
“Yeah, yeah, I’ll make sure she has fun. The two of you always gang up on me.”
I kiss her cheek and then fight my way to the door through a sea of restless, half-drunk people. The moment I stepped outside I realized my ears were ringing because of the music. It didn’t stop me from marching down the street. There were only a couple of bars around here and one was an Irish pub. Salvatore wouldn’t be caught dead in one of those.
With every step I took, my anger grew. I fought my father for months so he won’t give me an armed guard because I could take care of myself in our damn streets. Salvatore had no business sending someone to watch me. And in my brother’s club? He senthismen in mybrother’sclub? Didn’t he know how insanely stupid that was?
I was not a possession to be kept in a vault, neither was I a child that needed supervision. It infuriated me to no end that Salvatore of all people would treat me like one. He sent his damn lap dogs to hover over me and hold my hand while he comfortably sat a few steps back, like a fucking puppeteer playing everyone from the shadows. I was many things, but not a damsel in distress. Sure, Viktor was making me uncomfortable, but I could have gotten away from him without assistance from the two mountain men Salvatore sent to lurk.
The bar was calledIl Bicchiere Pieno– The Full Glass – and they only served wine. It was a nice place with live music and tables outside. I pushed the doors open with much more force than I anticipated and the windows rattled. There were a lot of people inside too, but the atmosphere was more welcoming than it was in a club.
Determined to get to Salvatore while my anger was still simmering, I went straight to the bar and slapped my hand on the wooden flat top to get the attention of the redhead behind it. She was busy pouring a glass of white to an elderly couple, but it seemed my tantrum was effective because she came to see what the hell it was about.
“Are you in a hurry, Miss?” She asked, irony soaring in her words.
“Sorry for that. My name is Grazia Caputo.” Her eyes grew like an owl’s. Good. I didn’t like using my name like that, but sometimes it was just necessary. “I’m looking for someone. A man – tall, handsome, muscular, lots of tattoos, he tips in hundreds and probably flirts with the waitress. His name is Salvatore.”
Red bit her lip. “I don’t know any names, but there’s someone that fits that description here. Back patio.”
