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“What’s your name?” she asks, looking at me again.
I straighten my shoulders. “Enzo.”
“Enzo,” she says my name as if it’s odd before shaking her head slightly. “Well Enzo, you’re in for a treat. Come on in.” She steps to the side so that Maximo and I can pass by her.
We enter a dimly lit hallway and the strong fragrance of roses hits my nose.
“This way,” Lucia says, slightly bumping into my shoulder as she moves in front of us.
I take in the curve of muscle on her arms, wondering what kind of work she does.
If she’s the cousin of Maximo, it’s probably not anything good.
From what I know, most Italian women in the mafia families are just housewives who stay in the background. But looking at the woman in front of me, I can’t imagine her beinganyone’swife. And staying in the background?
No.
This is a woman who gives orders from the front.
I remain quiet as she leads us into another room. I pause, taking in the handful of people in the room. There’s at least a dozen people, but only half are sitting at the table in the middle of the room that is clearly for the game.
The other handful are standing along the wall or over at the small mini bar, fixing drinks.
A sharp nudge in the middle of my back has me moving forward and I turn my head to find Maximo watching me. “Nervous, soldier?” he asks, lowly.
I shake my head. “No.” It’s only a half lie, I decide. I’m nervous, but probably not for the reasons he thinks. I don’t hold any nerves over the fear of the clearly dangerous people in the room. But not knowing the situation of what I’m walking into is definitely something that has always put me on edge.
Because the way that some of the men are looking at Maximo with a glare tells me they aren’t close to friends, and this game is going to go to hell, it’ll only be a matter of time.
Theoneman who isn’t looking at Maximo with hate in his eyes, stands with a bright smile on his face. “Maximo!” He practically shouts.
His bright blue eyes are dancing with mirth, and long, wavy black hair bounces against his shoulders. He wraps Maximo up into a strong hug, patting him on the back hard enough that the thumps resonate through the room.
He turns to me, holding out his hand. “Polo Messano,” he says smoothly.
I find myself glancing at Maximo, but he’s already watching me. He gives a sharp nod of his head and I find my mouth opening up before I can change my mind. “Enzo,” I tell him.
“No sir name?” Polo asks me, raising a thick brow.
“Not one of importance,” Maixmo says, waving Polo away from me.
My eyes narrow slightly, unsure if that was supposed to be a slight or not.
The two take seats next to each other. Lucia is by the bar, next to one of the only other women in the room. The difference in them is stark as they stand next to each other. Lucia is obviously here to play and the other woman, she looks like she’s here to be playedwith.
As if hearing my thoughts, Lucia pushes the woman up against the bar, running her mouth along her neck. The woman shivers and I can’t tell if it’s from fear or lust. Lucia lets out a laugh before reaching behind the woman to grab a small bottle of tequila. With her free hand, she drags the woman with her to the seat next to Maximo. Lucia sits before pulling the other woman down into her lap.
“Dealer.” One of the other men sitting at the table snaps. The short man leaning against the wall comes forward with a stack of cards in his hand.
A soft sound draws my attention to Maximo, his dark gaze on me. My skin warms and my heart moves a little quicker in my chest. His lips spread into a slow smile and it only makes megrow hotter. He beckons me forward with a finger and I move to stand behind him.
As the game gets started, I alternate my gaze between Maximo and the others in the room. Every now and then, Maximo tilts his head back to look at me, as if to make sure I haven’t left.
Trouble doesn’t start until the game has been going on for about an hour.
“You’re fucking cheating, Costa!” One of the men snarls.
Lucia lets out a laugh. “I’m not cheating.”
