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He reached across the car and clutched my hip. “Where do you think you’re going without kissing me goodbye?”
My insides melted at his words. Stefan was by no means soft, but I liked this side of him. He wasn’t a big, scary Mafia man with me.
So I turned my head and parted his lips with my tongue. He palmed the back of my head, deepening the kiss as he tugged at my dress like he wanted to rip it off me. We kissed for what felt like hours before our lips separated. And when he looked into my eyes, breathless, I knew there was something special brewing between us.
“Thanks, Stefan.” I placed a soft peck on his lips. “I won’t forget this.”
“I’ll be here tomorrow at nine on the dot.” He tapped his fingers on the steering wheel. “If I have to come in there and get you, I’m dragging your pretty ass out by your hair.”
“Yes, sir.”
Stefan snorted. “This fucking girl,” he muttered as if he were talking more to himself than to me.
I got out of the car and hurried into the house.
One night of freedom.
Free from them.
And the obligation.
Pretty soon, my dad would be home, and then we could talk about handling his shady business with the Vitales. I needed to know more about the loan, like how much he owed them. We hadn’t talked about more than work since the day out front of Starbucks when he confessed his crimes. Our employers watched us every second.
So this was our only chance.
And now that our lives were safe for the night, I could relax and formulate a coherent plan. I needed the time and space from the Luciano brothers to gather my thoughts.
I waved to Stefan before I walked inside the house. He returned the gesture and then peeled out from the driveway. The tires screeched as he sped away in the black Ferrari.
On my way to the kitchen, I ran into Angelina. She was an older woman with graying hair who had raised me. My nanny. But she was more like a mother to me.
“What’s wrong,bambina?”
I didn’t bother to hide the tears or wipe them away. “Nico Luciano is marrying Vittoria Vitale.”
“Why are you so upset?” Angelina pulled me into her arms and hugged me, stroking her fingers down my back.
“Because we were together. I mean… I don’t know what we were doing. But I liked him. I was so stupid to think we could have a relationship.”
“So that’s why the Don summoned your father to his penthouse? To announce Nico’s engagement?”
I nodded, taking a step back to compose myself. “Nico could have told me.” I dropped my purse on the kitchen island and sat on a stool. “I made a fool of myself. Spilled champagne on the table, my dress, and Stefan’s pants.” I shook my head, hair falling in front of my eyes. “It was so embarrassing.”
“How did you get home?” Angelina opened the freezer and removed a carton of chocolate ice cream. “Where is your father?”
“He’s still at the Portofino. Stefan drove me home.”
She put the ice cream on the counter and grabbed a can of whipped cream, maraschino cherries, chocolate syrup, and sprinkles. Whenever I felt like shit, Angelina knew how to cheer me up. Even before Dad sent my mom away, she wasn’t around much. My mother was usually busy drinking away her feelings over my dad’s work. It killed her that she married the Mafia.
After my mom discovered the truth, she started drinking and popping pills, living in a drug-induced state to numb the pain. She was in California in another rehab. But she called it a wellness clinic.
At least she wasn’t here.
Maybe she would have a chance to avoid the fallout. I could see the tension between my dad and Salvatore at dinner. We were only biding our time until the Lucianos did something about his betrayal.
Enzo walked into the kitchen as Angelina made me an ice cream sundae. He was Angelina’s husband and had been my family’s chef since I was a child.
Enzo came up beside me and placed his hand on my shoulder. “I thought I heard you crying,stellina.”
