Page 93 of Pretty Lies

SIXTEEN

THE BEAUTIFUL, three-level home in the gated suburb seemed as quiet and welcoming as the rest of the properties on the block. Towering trees gave the large Rossi home a sense of privacy from the neighbors.

Della had never been to the home before—only passed it once before with her mother, who pointed out the names of the people who lived there now and before. Chloe’s generation always seemed to talk about the Outfit in that way.

The Outfit before.

The Outfit now.

Della didn’t really understand either.

On another day, she might have asked Cory if she could come inside with him as he dropped his dog off. Mace would stay with Monica, Cory’s younger sister, until they were back at a point where he was going to be staying the night in the same house for longer than a couple of days at a time. She didn’t blame him.

That day, she just had a lot on her mind.

She needed a second to herself to process it all. Cory didn’t seem to mind that she opted to stay in the car while he passed the pup off to his sister. She was so lost in her thoughts, in fact, that she didn’t even realize he had come out of the house again and crossed the entire circular driveway to come and stand beside the vehicle on the passenger side where she sat inside. She rolled down the window when he gestured for her to do so.

Della sighed. “You ready?”

Cory gave her a look. “Yes and no.”

“What’s that mean?”

His grin had her own growing.

Not that she knew why.

He just made her smile.

“You’re not in your head about some of the shit Tommas was saying earlier, are you?” he asked.

Well …

“A little, maybe,” she said.

“You’ll handle the business, Della. You’ve been handling it.”

“Not all of it. Just—”

“It’ll be a lot less footwork, more conversation,” Cory interjected. “It’s to your benefit, all things considered.”

“I know that.”

“Then, what’s the problem?”

God.

Pink heated her cheeks.

Cory didn’t miss it, if his laugh was any indication.

“If a mob boss calls you a brat, does that say something?”

“I’m sure you’ve met Tommas’s wife in passing.”

“And?” Della asked.

Cory tipped his chin down, and said in a chuckle, “The man has an appreciation for difficult women. Just because he used a specific term for you doesn’t mean anything one way or another. You’re young—it’s more appropriate to him, likely. And yes, you can be a brat. It’s something you’ll grow out of in this business quickly once shit starts to really pick up with what your father has planned for you and the Outfit. You’ll learn how to communicate your assertiveness in a better way. We all do.”