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Men in suits and women in smart dresses, all of them dripping with wealth and privilege, mill around the large hall, drinking wine and coffee. The old me would have balked at sharing a room with this kind of company, but now I see that they’re not all bad people. Some of them actually want to help for real.
“This is quite the crowd you’ve gathered here, Ms. Sideris,” a familiar voice, deep and smooth like rich velvet says behind me, and I spin on my heel to see Nathan James dressed in one of his exquisitely tailored suits and a crisp white shirt open at the collar.
“Mr. James.” I offer him a genuine smile rather than one of the well-practiced ones I’ve had plastered on my face for the past hour. “Thank you for coming.”
“Well, Lorenzo told me this was kind of a big deal you’d set up here, so I had to come see for myself. It’s a cause close to my heart.”
I scan his face for a clue as to why that might be but find nothing. He’s cool and calm, exactly the same as when I met him in New York. He’s clearly adept at masking his emotions. Game recognizes game, right? But the mention of Lorenzo’s name causes a fresh wave of anxiety to roll in my gut. I scratch the back of my neck. The Morettis haven’t arrived yet, and my nausea grows with every minute that passes. I lick a bead of perspiration from my top lip.
“Are you okay?” Nathan asks, his eyes full of concern, and I realize I’m picking at my fingernails.
“Yeah, I’m good. Just a big day,” I reply with a confidence I don’t currently feel.
Our attention is diverted to a commotion at the entrance, and a few seconds later the entire Moretti family walks through the crowd, which parts like the Red Sea. They beeline toward Nathan and me, and Kat reaches us first.
“Keres, this place looks fantastic.” She offers me a wide smile before wrapping her arms around me. I awkwardly hug her back, unused to such overt displays of affection. But of all the Morettis, she’s the one I’ve seen the most of over the past five months. She’s been the go-between between my half siblings and me while we figured out my place in Chicago—and in their lives. And we’re slowly getting there. I guess it isn’t easy to welcome someone who was once intent on killing you into your family.
I’ve met with Dante, Joey, and Max a handful of times, and even Lorenzo once, but this is the first time I’ll see Mia since that awful day in the basement in Toledo. My stomach twists into a knot when I see her honey blond head bobbing toward me.
Dante greets me and strikes up a conversation with Nathan, then Joey and Max offer polite greetings before slipping off to find the restroom, leaving me alone to face Lorenzo and Mia. Part of me wishes Ace and Romeo were beside me, but I know they’re not far away and that they’ll be watching—they always are. I need to face this demon alone. Atone for my sins without my protectors by my side.
Lorenzo has one arm draped protectively around Mia’s waist, his grip firm and his jaw tight. She rests a hand on the swell of her heavily pregnant belly, which is tastefully encased in a bright yellow dress.
“Thank you both for coming.” My cheeks flush with heat at the futility of such a platitude. I owe this woman my life, and I have no idea how I’ll ever repay that debt or make amends for what I put her through.
“We wouldn’t have missed it,” Mia says with a sweet smile that makes her hazel eyes sparkle.
Lorenzo grunts, and she turns to him. That smile nearly lights up his face along with hers. “Could you give us a moment, my love?” she asks sweetly.
He frowns.
“Please? Go talk to Dante, Kat, and Nathan. I’ll be right here.”
Lorenzo looks at me with a downright murderous expression on his face.
Mia directs her attention to me “We’ll be fine, right?”
“I almost died to protect her.” I hold up my right arm, revealing the thick white scar on my wrist as proof. “You think I’d do that and then ever let anything bad happen to her?”
Mia’s lips curve, and Lorenzo’s eye twitches. I suppress a snigger.
“I’ll be fucking watching you,” he warns, but his expression is soft, and his tone is all bark and no bite. With a gentle kiss on Mia’s cheek, he slips his arm from her waist and moves a few feet away to join the others, casting a warning glance over his shoulder at me as he does.
“I really do appreciate you coming today,” I say, painfully aware of the debt I owe the woman standing before me.
Mia links her arm through mine. “Do you mind if we sit? Swollen ankles are a killer.” She nods toward the seating area a few feet away.
“Of course.” Lorenzo continues to watch the two of us as we make our way to an empty sofa and sit down.
Mia glances around, her eyes wide and shining. “I love what you’ve done with this place, Keres. When Lorenzo first bought it, we came to take a look around, and I knew even then that it could be used for something incredible. Something like this.”
She places her hand on my knee and squeezes.
I feel my brow furrowing and wish I was more adept at hiding my emotions, but these days I can’t seem to stop wearing my heart on my fucking sleeve. I blame Ace and Romeo and whatever the hell they’ve done to me to make me this way. Sometimes I miss my ice-cold heart.
“Keres?” Mia’s soft voice cuts through my thoughts.
I swallow a thick knot of dread. I can’t sit here and make small talk with her like this. Not when… I take a deep breath. “I’m sorry, Mia.”
