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Ronan approached Nico, and the two spoke in low tones. Nico disappeared down the hall leading to the front door.
Ronan started toward Lyon.
“Good luck,” Kira said, turning away to leave him alone.
“Having a good time?” Ronan asked when he reached Lyon.
Lyon nodded. “You have a close family, and I’m not just talking about your brothers.”
Ronan laughed. “I’m not sure that’s a compliment coming from the leader of the bratva.”
Lyon smiled in spite of himself. "I promise you, it is. I’m impressed.”
Lyon could tell from the shine in Ronan’s blue eyes that the compliment meant something to him. “Thank you.”
Lyon hadn’t known what to expect in Ronan Murphy, but he’d so far found the man to be surprisingly affable and down to earth. It was a different kind of leadership than the one Lyon was used to.
The bratva was stiffer, more formal. Then again, the Syndicate had been that way once upon a time. If Nico could reimagine that organization, it meant Lyon could do the same with the bratva, within limits of course.
“What do you say we step outside?” Ronan asked.
Lyon set down his beer and followed Ronan to the front door.
30
Kira felt a swell of satisfaction as she watched Lyon leave with Ronan. He would learn to trust her again.
Step by step. Move by move.
She made a plate of food from the platters set up on the dining room table and took it to the small seating area tucked into the corner. It was out of the way of the crowd that had congregated in the large sunken living area at the center of the great room. The glass walls met in the corner, making Kira feel like she was sitting outside in the snow, with none of the attending cold.
The house was pure magic, not unlike the Murphy family itself: modern and unpretentious and yet somehow still impressive.
She took a bite of the deep-dish pizza she’d put on her plate and sighed with pleasure. It was from Burt’s, and everyone knew Burt’s had the best deep-dish pizza in the city.
She was about to take another bite when she saw Angel Vitale weaving her way through the living room toward the seating area.
Nervousness fluttered in Kira’s stomach, and she put the pizza down and wiped her hands on her napkin just as Angel reached her.
Angel smiled, and Kira felt like the sun had somehow fallen through the roof of the house. “You must be Kira.” Kira took Angel’s proffered hand. “I’m Angel Vitale.”
“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” Kira said.
“Do you mind if I sit?” Angel asked, gesturing to the chair across from Kira. “It looks like you’ve stumbled on a little oasis.”
“Please,” Kira said.
Angel sat and glanced at Kira’s plate. “Would you believe I’ve already made Nico take me to Burt’s twice since we’ve been in the city?”
“How long have you been in the city?” Kira asked.
Angel grinned. “Two days. And I’m seriously considering getting myself a plate.”
“No one would blame you,” Kira said. “But… you live in Rome right?”
Angel laughed. “I know. It’s ridiculous. Italy has amazing pizza. But it’s not Burt’s.”
“That’s true,” Kira said.
