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I didn’t recognize any of the men who had infiltrated his dinner party, but I suspect that most of them were undercover agents.
Taking a bullet had been a good way to show my father that he could still trust me. Especially when I argued with the doctor about treating the others first. Dad had seen that as dedication to the family and he hadn’t bothered to mention any more about my being seen with an FBI agent.
I continue to dance with a stranger, my eyes locked on the door, waiting for my dad and brothers to show up. When they walk inside the club, they are met with the manager immediately. My oldest brother, Damien, nods at me as they follow the manager up the stairs at the back of the club to one of the VIP lounges.
I dance with the stranger for the rest of the song and then another before heading up to join my dad and brothers.
Damien, Matteo, Giovanni, and Salvatore were sitting opposite my father. Glasses filled with amber liquid are on the table and Dad is talking on the phone. His hushed Italian is so low that I can barely hear him but I pick up just enough to piece together that he’s still searching for who is behind the attack.
“Aria,” Damien says as I sit beside my father. “Do you always have to come to these places earlier and dance like a prostitute?”
“Are you going to pay me not to?” I ask, giving him a bright smile as I cross one leg over the other and fold my hands primly in my lap. “Because unless you’re going to pay me – and it better be a large sum – I’m going to continue doing what I want. This isn’t the old days where men control women, dear brother.”
Matteo snorts and looks away from us, reaching for his glass. Gio rolls his eyes, pulling out his phone and scrolling through whatever hookup app he’s on now. I don’t bother to ask. The last time he brought a girl home was shortly before she became a runaway bride. She left him at the altar, and since then, he hasn’t bothered trying to find anyone else to fill that place in his life.
Not that I blame him. Bringing someone around our family – trusting them enough to bring them over – is a lot. There are months of dating that lead up to telling someone from the outside that your family is dangerous.
Personally, I avoid that conversation by never bringing anyone home.
“Alright,” Dad says as he ends his call. “Now that I have you all here, we need to talk about business.”
I look around the club, searching for anyone that might be watching us. That’s why Dad invites me to the meetings. He doesn’t think that I have anything to add to the family business, but he knows that I can keep watch without making others suspicious.
As I look down at the lower floor, I see Tyson enter. A week without shaving has left his facial hair longer and neatly groomed. He’s wearing glasses and his tattoos are on full display. If I didn’t know it was him, I might not have recognized him.
Especially now that I saw those tattoos extended up over his neck and down over his knuckles.
A flash of desire rushes through me as I watch him weave his way through the club, talking to a few people before heading to a bar.
Instead of watching him, I scan the rest of the club, looking for anyone that might be a threat. Dad is still talking to my brothers about the attack and the mafia behind it. I barely listen to anything he’s saying. It’s not information I need.
Not yet, at least.
“Aria, I don’t know how I feel about loosening your protection detail,” Dad says, finally drawing my attention back to the conversation. “I know you’re looking for more independence now that you’re twenty-one, but I think that’s a bad idea. We don’t know what the Carrigans want or why they’ve finally decided to target us.”
I sigh, leaning back in my seat, knowing that it’s time to play my part.
“Dad, I don’t need more security. The attack was nothing to worry about. The Carrigans are trying to gain some ground but they gained nothing after the way our men took care of them.”
“I want you to listen to me, Aria. It’s dangerous out there. Things are changing fast and I can’t run the family and keep track of you.”
I roll my eyes and reach for Salvatore’s full glass, downing the amber liquid before handing it back to him. “I don’t need anybody watching over me.”
“You were shot. That makes me think that you are some sort of target. The Carrigans will do whatever they need to. That means targeting you.” Dad nods at the bandage that hides the healing wound. “That should be enough proof that you aren’t safe.”
“I’m safe enough and that’s all that matters. You don’t need to keep worrying about me.”
Dad narrows his eyes and his mouth sets into a thin line. The look on his face is the one he had before he murdered my best friend in front of me. It sends a shiver down my spine, and I suddenly wish that I was a thousand miles away from my father.
“I’m not asking for your opinion,” Dad says, his tone soft and deadly. “As a member of this family, you are going to do what I tell you to do. If that means that I am going to have another person working your protection detail, then that’s what it means.”
“I don’t want another person on my detail,” I say, knowing that I have to make this fight good if I want him to believe me. “You’ve trained me to fight and fire a gun. I can take care of myself.”
“Enough!” he shouts, his voice booming over the music.
I smirk at him, knowing that I’m playing with fire. There’s a chance that he might hit me, but I need to do whatever I can to create the distraction Tyson and his colleague need.
As I get up, Dad’s hand clamps around my wrist. I try to pull myself free, knowing that Damien will move between us as he always does.
