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“We’re a protective bunch. We’ll always have your back.” Something dark swirled in her near-black eyes. “The only times we don’t is when someone betrays us.”
I shivered. “I would never—”
“I’m not saying you would. Just that we’ve had to turn on one of our own before when she turned her back on us and went to the enemy. It was a painful process for all of us to learn the depth of her betrayal then have to do something… unpleasant about it.”
I got the message. She was dead. “That won’t be me.”
Emiliana sighed then released my arm. “I never thought it would. It’s just something that needs to be said when an outsider joins our family.”
The word was like a slap in the face, and I took a step back, pain slashing my heart. I didn’t belong. I would always be on the outside, looking in. Never good enough.
“Hey.” Emiliana frowned. “Whatever you’re thinking, knock it off. You’re one of us now. That’s it, warning aside. I only said it because we’ve been hurt before, not because I think you would ever do something against any of us.” She tugged me onto the sales floor and over to the girls. “I think I broke her.”
Sofia grabbed the dress from my arms, and Nicole pulled me aside. I shook all over. I’d been so stupid.
“Sweetheart”—Nicole rubbed up and down my arms—“whatever Emiliana said, it wasn’t to hurt you. Talk to me.”
I shrugged. There was no reason to put what I knew, what I’d been born into, into words.
Nicole sighed. “I’m going to tell you a story, and I want you to pay close attention, okay?” She waited until I met her gaze then nodded. “I was eighteen and dirt poor when I came into this family. It wasn’t under the circumstances that you are. My life before this one was hard. We didn’t pull punches.” She snorted. “But we also weren’t going anywhere, and I wanted a different life, one where I didn’t have to worry about not having enough money for food or clothing. Or if the electricity or heat would be turned off because we couldn’t pay the bill.”
I’d been there too. I was surprised that the sophisticated woman before me had as well.
She shrugged. Sorrow pulled her lips into a frown. “I married Tony’s father young. It was a hard life with him, one I wasn’t expecting, but I made the best of it. When he died, that’s when my world changed. I’d always loved the girls, and I was finally free to have more of a relationship with them and with my sons. So if some crazy thought about you not being a part of this family or not being good enough is going through your head, then stop it right now.”
“But it’s true. If you knew how I’d grown up, where I came from—”
“Honey, I come from dirt-poor trailer trash. So no, it’s not true. Get that garbage out of your head and let yourself be happy.” She pulled me in for a tight hug then wiped the tears from under my eyes that had started to fall.
At that moment, I fell in love with her all over again. She was the mom I’d never had. The one I’d always wanted. I bet she was about my mom’s age.
“All better?” Lil asked as we rejoined the group.
I nodded. The dresses were in garment bags, and two of the ever-present security detail took them to the vehicles. “Where are we going now?”
“Next door.” El grinned. “We’re going to clean out the store.”
The guards were a barrier between us and the street as we went from one store to the next. As the door shut behind us, blocking the cold December air, I stopped short to take in the high-end lingerie. El was right. It was going to be fun.
“Need any help?” Sofia was at my side, her pretty almond-shaped eyes dancing with mirth.
I laughed. “No. I’ve got this.”
She rubbed her hands together and surveyed the store, probably looking for the best plan of attack. “Good. I have things to buy and a husband to seduce tonight.”
I bumped my shoulder into hers then went to a rack of plum baby doll negligees with lacey tops and sheer skirts. There were several colors, and I grabbed a few in my size then went on to pick up a few sexy bra-and-panty sets. I added a midthigh hot-pink satin robe and one in black to my growing haul before I turned to the dressing room. Somehow, I’d managed to escape the saleswomen—they were fawning over Sofia. They must have known her through her clothing designs or because she seemed to be the shopper of the group, and they saw dollar signs.
I was the first to the dressing rooms, and I sorted through my choices as I slipped into one of the large rooms then hung everything up. When the door opened, I half turned, expecting it to be Sofia or Nicole. It wasn’t.
My blood ran cold, and I opened my mouth to shout, but the black-haired woman slapped her hand over my mouth. With her other hand, she put a finger to her lips, her eyes wide and wild. Her jacket parted, and I caught a glimpse of a gun. My heart galloped desperately.
“Shh,” she warned. When I nodded, she removed her hand. “I’m not here to harm you.”
“Says the woman with a gun.” I couldn’t help the sarcasm. I was nervous and pissed—it was supposed to be a fun day, not one where my life was possibly threatened.
“The gun isn’t for you. It’s… please, just listen.”
Something about the way she looked settled me, taking all remnants of fear away. Her eyes darted to the door then to me. She was on the balls of her feet, obviously close to fleeing the minute she heard the slightest noise. “Okay.”
