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“The room next to mine.”
“Uh-huh.”
“And did you pick that particular one out for me?”
“I did, and before you ask, there were definitely ulterior motives when that room was selected,” I say, walking Alexis back to her room. “I’m going to need to leave soon, Lex. Make yourself at home, and I’ll text you when I return. In the meantime, if you need anything at all, just let Gaby know.”
Her face lights up. “Oh, you don’t have to worry about me. Gaby and I will have girl talk while you’re gone,” she says, smiling.
My brow raises, but I manage to keep the smile that threatens at bay. “You just make sure you’re ready for our date when I return.”
“Hmm, I’ll be ready and waiting.”
I reach out and grasp her nape, pulling Alexis so close that I can breathe in the faint scent of her sweetness. “This time, I intend to check,” I growl.
I’m rewarded with a sharp inhalation of breath and flushed cheeks. Alexis makes it incredibly hard to walk away without crushing her with my need, but we still have a profoundly serious conversation to have, and I’m not going to really touch her until she knows exactly what she’s getting herself into.
The men are all getting ready when I reach the security room. We’ve taken every damn security precaution we can, have the best teams around the globe protecting Katarina and the family tonight, but something still just doesn’t feel right. I’ve had the team check and double check all the perimeters, the mics have all been tested, all the drones are in the air, but that does absolutely nothing to alleviate the nagging feeling that something’s just plain off.
I double check my piece, along with the backup strapped to my ankle. While most mafia meetings wouldn’t allow weapons—in fact we’d be stopped at the door if we even tried to get through with heat—Great-Uncle has allowed them for this particular family meeting. He must know that Chase would never allow his wife into their home for the first time without security. They may want us to believe everyone’s just one big happy family, but we haven’t ruled out the very real possibility that Great Uncle and this entire side of the family are not the same people who put a hit out on Katarina’s father not too awfully long ago.
An incoming text from Chase lets me know he’s talked with Katarina. She plans to spill a glass of wine if she’s in over her head and needs help in the way of a diversion. I alert the rest of the team, grab my bag, and then it’s time to go.
Every one of the intense fuckers we researched in preparation for this meeting are seated around the long, rectangular dining table—all the cousins, and even the don. It’s easy to see why the renowned great-uncle is feared to the degree he is. He looks intimidating, even to me. His hair may be silvery gray, but his dark, intense eyes are penetrating as they take in everything around him. Katarina’s cousin, Giovanni Larussio, is dark and brooding, the kind of guy most people wouldn’t want to meet in a back alley. He seems completely disinterested as the meeting starts but tunes in and pays attention when Katarina’s great-uncle turns the microphone over to her.
I’ve seen this woman through a lot since first assigned to her detail, but there’s never been a room full of guns barely concealed underneath high-end mafia suits. Everyone, including our team, looks tense as fuck as Katarina stands and takes over the meeting at her great-uncle’s request. I scan the room, watching closely for even the slightest of movements. She appears calm and composed, but Chase is tenser than I’ve ever seen him tonight. It’s obvious letting Katarina attend this meeting is costing him a great deal emotionally, and I can only imagine how he must feel knowing just how deadly this night could get.
The cousin on the opposite side of the table from me rolls his eyes and tenses his jaw as Katarina starts to talk. One quick glance at Chase lets me know he didn’t miss the gesture. I give him an up and down of my eyes to let him know I’ve got the fucker in my sights, but as Katarina talks about the casino and resort her father wants to build in Las Vegas, the cousin starts yelling in fucking Italian. My hand is already on my trigger. I don’t even have to look to know my partners are just as ready. No one is going to hurt our boss’ wife while we’re in the room. Every single one of us is poised to take these fuckers out if they make one threatening move, but it’s not him who leaps out of his seat. Reacting instinctively, every single one of us ends up pulling our pieces on Giovanni Larussio, the intense fucker who’s next in line as the don of fucking Italy and has jumped out of his seat, glaring into the face of the rogue cousin.
Giovanni is so worked up that he doesn’t notice immediately, too intent on the tongue lashing he’s giving his insolent cousin, but then he turns toward us slowly, surprised as fuck that we have him surrounded and a room full of guns are leveled at his head.
His eyes are dark and menacing as he surveys us, but he does nothing but shake his head. “Holster those weapons. I mean Katarina no harm.”
No one’s going to holster shit as long as I’m running point for Katarina; at least until we get the say so from Chase, and only when he’s certain there’s no intended harm to his wife does he give us the nod.
Giovanni and his cousins continue to yell at each other. Every single one of our team is on edge, ready to do what needs to be done at a second’s notice, but I think we’ve all had just about enough of this bullshit because this is intense as fuck. A bunch of hot-headed Italians who won’t let the other speak and just keep shouting over the top of each other, and every single one of these fuckers is carrying a piece. They’re still ranting and raving when Great-Uncle intervenes, thoroughly pissing Giovanni off. He’s clearly not in agreement with his uncle’s opinion any more than his other cousin and stalks out of the room.
Chase and Katarina follow Giovanni, with me and a large part of our team surrounding them. We’ve barely reached the foyer, and they’ve just started talking with Giovanni. He hasn’t had near enough time to cool off when our drones pick up a breach at the perimeter, and all hell breaks loose all over again.
I give instruction to the teams on the radio waves to get the families and employees at both estates into the safe room, including Alexis. In three minutes flat, our security team, along with the Larussio security and Giovanni himself, have the entire family moved into the lower-level safe room. I then get ahold of our intel team to get updated on the entire situation and put a plan in place to get Katarina and Chase out of the middle of this fucking mafia war.
It’s over an hour later when our perimeter teams and intel give us the official all clear, let us know they have a lock on the infiltrators, and tell us we can allow the families to come out of the safe room in the lower level.
I’ve been getting a play-by-play of updates back at Chase and Katarina’s estate, and I have it on good authority that Gaby has taken Lexie under her wing through all the commotion. As soon as I have the Prestians safely in the car, I text Alexis.
Me: On our way back to the Prestian estate. You okay?
Alexis: I’m okay, but glad you’re on your way. ??
I smile at her emoji and then send a message to Gaby to make sure everything is set for dinner on the balcony. I chuckle at her thumbs-up, along with the heart emoji. Does no one use words anymore? I make a mental note to pick up a nice gift for Gaby when I’m out later in the week for helping with the dinner arrangements for later tonight and making Alexis comfortable through all the drama of the night.
I don’t do dates,but here I am, all dressed up, ready to do that very thing, and waiting by her room as my heart pounds in my chest like a teenage boy on his very first date.
Lex opens the door just moments after I knock. She looks like an angel made just for me in a simple pale pink dress.
Chapter Ten
Alexis
