AllFreeNovel
Share Us
My eyes go wide. “You want me to spy for you?”
“Not spying,” Dad replies. “Just reporting. And in the interest of safety, you’ll want to make sure Lucas only knows the surface-level details, if you catch my meaning.”
For a moment, I’m at a loss for what to say. A week into my new marriage, and my father is already telling me to hide something from Lucas. Fucking things up with my new husband would be a mistake... but fucking things up with my family would be an even bigger mistake.
Besides, Ireallywant that job.
“All right,” I reply finally. “It’s a deal.”
“Good,” Dad says, clearly pleased with himself. “Be careful with what you share with him, Vivian,” he reiterates. His gaze is piercing from across the pool. “There may be... implications.”
Relief, along with more than a little anxiety, washes over me. But it’s the closest I’ll ever get to a hard yes, and I know it.
“Speaking of which,” Mom says as she gestures for the sommelier to refill her champagne flute, “how has Lucas been treating you, Vivian?”
“Mom,” Violet protests, “enough already. She’s not married to him for her health.”
“Your mother just wants to make sure you’re taking well to the Emmerico’s,” Dad interjects. “I do too, truth be told. This has to all be a bit of a shock for you.”
I blink. “Wait... You guys don’t know about Lucas?”
Dad frowns. “Know what?”
I take a sip of my ginger ale—no alcohol for me, not after the Callie debacle—to avoid meeting his eyes, but I can tell he’s sizing me up, looking for some sign that I’m not playing ball. My father can smell a rat a mile away. “He left on business the night of the wedding,” I say. “He hasn’t been back since.” I hesitate. “I sort of figured you guys would know what was going on.”
Dad takes a deep breath, exchanging a knowing look with Mom. I glance from one of them to the other, aware of something passing between them. “What?” I ask, sitting up in my lounge chair. “What is it?”
“There’s been some... turbulence in our operations since the alliance,” Dad admits.
“Within the two families?” I ask. “Is that why you want me working for Sterling?”
“Sis,” Violet hisses. “Stop prying!”
But Dad is already shaking his head. “It’s all right, Violet. To answer your question, Vivian, no, not exactly. Outside instability. A few of the smaller local gangs are trying to muscle in, take over some of the territory we’ve staked out. We’ve had some… complications with those.”
“What kind of complications?” I ask, feeling a cold ball of dread settle in my stomach.
“Nothing we won’t be able to handle,” Dad replies smoothly. “And it shouldn’t cause trouble for either of you. Nothing that would put a strain on your marriage, you understand.” He gives me a thin smile.
“But it’s enough to require Lucas’s attention?” I ask.
“I don’t know the specifics of how the Emmerico’s operate,” Dad replies. “Need-to-know only, at least until we’ve found our footing. Victor still doesn’t trust me fully, I can tell. I don’t trust him, either.”
“That will come with time, Andrew,” Mom reminds him gently before turning back to me. “I assume Lucas has assigned proper security to you until he’s back?”
“Er... in a sense,” I reply evasively.
Dad’s brow furrows. “What does that mean?”
I clear my throat. And here I was thinking bringing up the job would be the most awkward part of this conversation. “His older brother Theo is staying at the apartment.”
And just like that,the air goes as chilly as the middle of December, and all the relief I felt at having gotten their permission to take the gallery job seems to evaporate in an instant.
“Theo,” Dad reiterates, as if he’s not sure he heard me right. “Theo Emmerico.”
“Yes,” I reply, my heart pounding.
Mom turns to Dad with wide eyes. “He wasn’t supposed to be back in London for another six months, at the earliest.”
