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“Oh.” I chuckle under my breath while pulling out the stool opposite him. “I can’t tell you how much I am not a sweetheart.”
“Something we agree on…”
I ignore Wicked’s jab, grabbing the packet of smokes on the middle of the table and biting one into my mouth.
Lighting the end with my black Zippo, I place it on the table and cross my legs, removing my blazer and allowing it to hang off the chair behind me. I’m well acquainted with power struggles, but right now it isn’t between Lion and me, not even Papa. It’s between my nemesis, who thinks having a girl on his lap is affecting me the way it would have all those years ago, and me.
I blow out a cloud of smoke. “Come on, Papa Dearest.” I flick my eyes up at him, catching everyone else watching me carefully. Khaos, I think his name is, can’t take his eyes off my midsection, and the rest of the guys are trying to pretend they’re not staring.
I don’t bother with Wicked.
Papa takes the chair beside mine and I flick ash into the ashtray. “What the fuck has been going on?”
Lion leans forward. “Your family has threats outside of the Cosa Nostra, Lala. Ones that are beyond Victor’s control and even your own.”
“I’m listening.”
“Do you remember when Wicked gave you that envelope all those years ago?” Papa asks softly, and I finally look toward him, my throat threatening to close. I mourned him. I thought he was dead and that Wolf would never know who his grandfatherwas. The man who taught me so much. It broke my heart every time I thought about the events that he would miss, yet here he is. Sitting with a bunch of outsiders because he doesn’t want to consult with his family and keep it in-house.
I swallow back the taste of betrayal from both of them. “Yes.”
“If you had opened it, you would have seen—”
“What makes you think I didn’t open it?” I smirk around the trunk of my cigarette.
“Because I fucking told you not to?” Wicked growls from beneath his—whoever she is.
I drag my eyes to where they are, keeping the grin. “Aw, and how very un-Ruby Roseof me to not go against your orders.” I stub out my cigarette. “I read the note.Victor, it’s out. They know about me and what I did. She needs to marry Mikhail.” I wave my hand in the air, smiling at Khaos who slides a glass of vodka over to me.
Papa’s eyes shoot to Wicked before resting back on me. “I know you can, Bubba. But this is something else. It’s someone in-house.”
“I’m waiting!”
“Ruby!” Wicked barks and I flinch, my eyes flying over Papa’s shoulder and landing on him and his lap dog. “Give your old man a fucking minute, yeah?” My mouth closes and then opens.
“First of all!” I keep my eyes on Wicked even though it burns to do so. “You don’t get to tell me what to do anymore, Wicked. You gave up that rightyearsago.”
His cheeks spread into a wide smile, flashing his white teeth and perfect dimples. I didn’t notice when I first saw him, but he has a tattoo on the side of his neck and that nose ring is still there. I’m annoyed at how much it all suits him. Instantly annoyed. Fuck. “That’s funny. That’s real fucking funny.” He buries his head into the crook of the girl’s neck, biting down on her skin.
I catch Jade’s eyes, which go from the girl, to me, to Wicked a few times, before coming back to me. Between the underlying silent conversation we both share, I can see it in the back of her mind, the wheels spinning.
“Oh my fucking God!” a little voice squeals from behind, and Wicked flies up so fast from his chair the blonde bitch stumbles to the ground. I’d laugh if I didn’t recognize the girl’s voice instantly.
I stand from the stool and pause when I see Poppy standing at the bottom of the stairs. Her hair is long and blonde, her eyes wide with shock. She looks the same. “Pop?”
She smiles so wide that my heart expands with it and I crash down the stairs, shoving Val out of the way. My arms fly around her neck. I squeeze her so tight—tight enough to make sure this isn’t a dream. She can’t run away. Papa, I’m mad at. Too mad to enjoy him being home.
“Where have you been?” I smack her arm but hook mine in hers and drag her up the stairs. “We are having a drink right after I finish God’s work.”
“That’s funny. They sent the devil to do God’s work?” Wicked snickers before dragging his eyes off me and onto Poppy. “I told you to stay at the house.”
Poppy rolls her eyes and shoves him out of the way. “Yeah, then I found out that my long-lost sister is here. I’m not going anywhere.”
I force down the laugh that wants to come out as she moves through the kitchen area. “I’ll get our drinks cold while you—do the devil’s work.”
Lowering myself back onto the barstool, I flutter my lashes up at Wicked. “Aw, now would you look at that. Just like old times.”
“Jesus Christ…” Royce mutters, grabbing Wicked’s shoulder and dragging him through the same way Poppy went. “You need to explain shit better.”
