Page 18 of Pay the Piper

I can’t help but return her smile. “It’s a pleasure to meet you. Ellie speaks so highly of you.”

Nonna pinches Ellie’s cheek and guides us through the house to the dining room, giving a mini tour along the way.

The Santori home is spectacular. Weathered wooden beams crisscross the tall ceiling of the entryway, and if I didn’t know we were in Florida, I’d swear we were in a European villa. A curved staircase with a wrought-iron railing curves up one wall and spirals into the second-floor landing, and as we continue, it’s clear that much of the back wall of the home is tall arched windows and French doors.

Being married to Conor, I’m accustomed to elegance and luxury, but the combination of light and charm makes this mansion feel more homey. It’s definitely not the dark, menacing undertone I was expecting from a dangerous family. Instead, the vibe is lighthearted and easygoing.

Finally, Nonna drops us off in a grand but cozy dining room, where some of the most handsome men I’ve ever seen sit waiting at the table in silence. The pictures Conor gave me of these men do not do them justice. Dante is as handsome a middle-aged man as I’ve ever seen. I recognize the eldest, Gabriele, or Gabri. He’s devilishly good looking as well, but there’s an aura of danger around him that the other men don’t carry. Then there’s the younger brother, Niccolò, who is also insanely hot but warm like his father.

“Damn, Teddy’s looking better than ever. Can’t say I don’t like the makeover, but I don’t know if you’ll be able to handle all your blocks with that petite frame!” The least menacing of the three men looks up at me with a blush-worthy smile and a wink.

Ellie rolls her eyes. “Nikki, stop hitting on my friend!”

He raises his hands in surrender before putting one over his heart. “Hey, this is just payback, little sis. You started this by hooking up with our teammate. And not just any teammate, Ellie. Our goalie. Speaking of Cuddles, where is our guy tonight?”

“He had business. This is my friend Abby.” She pauses and turns to me. “These are my brothers, Nikki and Gabri, and that’s Papa!”

“Hi, Abby! I’m the Nikki brother and the grimacing grump beside me is the Gabri brother.” He says, elbowing Gabri in the side.

Gabri’s only response is a grunt to me and a death glare at his brother.

The older man stands and walks toward us with a warm smile, stopping to give my hand a gentle shake. “A pleasure to meet you.”

“I’ve never heard you mention anyone named Abby before,” Nikki whisper-yells to his sister.

“She’s a new friend,” she whisper-yells back.

“How new?” Gabri growls.

“She works at the library! She started last week and—”

“Are you telling me you’ve known this woman for a week and you’re bringing her into our home?” He’s seething mad, and for the first time tonight, I sense the danger I expected when Ellie invited me over.

“Gabri! That will be enough!” their father snaps before patting me on the shoulder. “Any friend of Ellie’s is welcome here any time. Please have a seat. My wife and mother will be back in shortly, and we can begin dinner.”

Gabri and Ellie’s dad are seated at each end of the table with Nikki to his brother’s left. Ellie takes the seat next to her father, leaving me to choose between the empty seat beside Nikki or sitting across from her. It doesn’t take a genius to see which of the Santori brothers will be the easiest and safest target. And I’m sure the seat directly across from her would belong to her mother, so I opt to sit next to the younger brother.

Nikki greets me again with a smile. “So, Abby, tell us about yourself.”

Wow, he’s charming. He’s classically handsome with a dimple that could break hearts. But I don’t feel butterflies the way I do when Misha is around. I suppose that’s a good thing, though. Feelings for my target would threaten to sabotage my mission altogether. Misha is more of...well, I don’t know what Misha is. I’ve barely had time to wrap my head around how well my main mission is going, let alone explore the magnetic pull I feel with my pupil. I’m not convinced that the sparks I remember weren’t imagined, but it’s so unlike me to feel something other than fear around a man that there must be something there.

“Abby?”

The second call of my name brings me back to the moment, where every beautiful olive-skinned member of the Santori is staring. While I was lost in my head, Ellie’s mom and Nonna took their seats as well.

“Well, I’m pretty boring, really.”

“Trust me, boring is nice,” Nikki mumbles beside me.

With a chuckle, I continue my story, praying I remember all the details so that when this Mafia family inevitably looks me up, there will be no red flags.

“You’ve really only met this girl twice?” Gabri grumbles, and I’m sure that if he were a cartoon character, steam would be coming out of his ears.

I don’t envy Ellie as he glares in her direction. If I didn’t know they were related, I’d fear for my friend’s life. Even so, I’m not sure anyone would survive Gabriele Santori’s wrath, family or not.

“Yes, Gabriele. What’s the big deal?” Ellie says, not cowering at all.

“What’s the big deal? The big deal is that after everything we’ve been through this year, I would appreciate you being more selective about the company you decide to bring home.”