AllFreeNovel
Share Us
“No shit. She’s a convenient wife who will give us the power of the Russos.” There it is. “She’s never even offered me head. A real fuckin’ tease.”
The air turns sour, men in the room looking around to see if everyone is on the same page and around Dario, I see Paulie’s face pierce with pain, Jason’s hands tightening intentionally.
So much better than anticipated.
“So what, you’re on her fuckin’ side? My men on the side of some whore? Fuck, a few months ago, she was stripping!”
“Nothing wrong with stripping, especially if you’re doing it to help out your family,” Tino says. He’s the most carefree and easy of the crew, and he’s also falling for Sammi fast.
“Just because you’re fuckin’ one of the whore—”
And then the room snaps.
Tino moves, handing me off to Gian as he bolts across the room, decking Paulie in the face, blood instantly pouring from his nose.
“Let’s get you out of here,” Gian says, quickly ushering me out of the room. And while my face shows fear and concern, a party is happening in my mind.
Another win for Team Carluccio-Russo.
THIRTY-FIVE
-Lilah-
“I’m going to fucking kill him,” Dante says later that night, moving the pack of frozen peas he brought me and glancing beneath to the swollen skin.
“I’m fine, honey. Promise. A little sore, but you should have seen it. They were all over him!” I’m nearly bouncing in my seat with excitement, adrenaline still coursing through my veins.
“Delilah, your entire cheek is one giant bruise.” I nod excitedly.
“I know. I wanted him to do it.” Dante stops and looks at me and my smile widens. The movement hurts a bit, and when he sees the tiny wince, the peas go to my face again.
“Delilah.” His voice is equal parts stern and absolutely exasperated, and I put a hand to his cheek, mimicking him in a way, minus an ice pack.
“I promise, this was my plan. I did it, Dante. They aren’t loyal to him anymore.”
“Explain before I lose my mind.” His voice is exhausted but also strained.
It’s really taking everything in him not to go find Paulie and kill him. I know this to my soul. I smile, a small, painless tilt of my lips.
“I did it, Dante. I got his men. They aren’t his anymore. They’re mine.”
“I don’t . . .” And then he gets it, his mouth dropping just a bit in shock and awe. “Jesus Christ, you’re insane. You planned this?”
“I told you I did. Though, to be honest, he’s kind of a little bitch, so I didn’t think he’d actually hit me that hard.” Dante snorts out a laugh and I smile too. “But yeah. It was . . . I guess it was my final test of sorts. To see who they’d be loyal to when push came to shove.”
“And they chose you over Paulie?”
“Yeah. They came rushing over to me, helped me up, and then Tino decked Paulie in the face. We’ll have pretty, matching premarital bruises tomorrow.” I smile at the idea. “I knew they were on my side, but before we do anything . . . drastic, I needed to know how far. If it's just because I’m pretty and nice to them or if it goes deeper.” Dante sighs, shaking his head.
“But you’re Lilah, and you can have the loyalty of just about anyone without even trying.” He puts his hands to my face, one holding the peas, the other warm on my uninjured cheek. He looks at me with pride before pressing his lips to my forehead. “You are so fuckin’ smart, you know that?”
“Remember that if you ever want to try and get one over on me,” I say with a smile. “I already have your men in my pocket.”
“Technically, Marco was never my man,” Dante says with a sigh.
“Oh, honey.” I give him a fake pout. “Are you jealous that Marco loves me more than you?” He looks at me with stark eyes, not a drop of humor in them anymore.
“I want every man under our command to prioritize you, Delilah, so no. If anything ever happens, they’re trained to pick you.”
