AllFreeNovel
Share Us
By the time she’s done, there’s more than one teary eye in the crowd. When I look at Rosa, she’s crying, too. A little subtly. I smile even as my heart aches at the sight.
Roman says his vows and it’s equally romantic. When they’re pronounced husband and wife, Rosa finally looks at me, and my heart races. I know exactly what she’s thinking. This is going to be us in a few months. But I don’t think she’ll be able to walk down the aisle if our relationship remains in the state it currently is.
I’ve always been great at fixing things. And fixing us might be the most important thing I ever do.
The wedding ceremony ends and we move to the reception—a lot of loud music, dancing, guests having fun. I stay in a corner with some of the men. Rosa approaches me once and places a kiss on my cheek, a kiss that feels more perfunctory than anything else. And then she goes back to the bride’s side. My eyes are fixed on her from across the room as she talks to her friends.
“I know that look,” someone says beside me, drawing me from my thoughts.
My eyebrow lifts as I turn to Christian D’Angelo. “What look?”
“The look of a man that’s fucked because he’s starting to realize just how much he cares.”
“Really?” I drawl. “And how would you know that?”
The man smirks before throwing back a shot of vodka.
“Listen, man, I don’t usually give out advice like this. I’m sure you’ll work shit out eventually, but be careful not to take too long. Some things are out of our power, and sometimes we risk hurting those we love the most.”
“Noted,” I say dryly, although I do take his advice to heart. “And exactly why are you in such a good mood?”
“It’s a wedding.” Christian shrugs. “It reminds me of my own.”
Love really does weird things to people. But who am I to question it?
“Since you’re in such a good mood,” I state, “I need a favor.”
His brother’s right by his side, but I’ve quickly understood that Carlo D’Angelo doesn’t talk much and only speaks when absolutely necessary.
“I’m listening,” Christian says.
“I need you to help me find someone,” I inform him, hating that I have to give this information away. But I’ve been searching for a year and I’ve gotten no results. The D’Angelos are well connected and they have contacts in the city that could be highly beneficial. “A man in his late forties, probably works or used to work as a hired assassin. Red hair, and the right side of his face has been badly burned.”
“Name?” Christian asks.
I shake my head. “No idea, all I have are details of his description. And he’s extremely proficient with a knife.”
He looks at his brother, who shrugs, but I can tell there’s a hint of recognition in their eyes.
“We’ll have to get back to you on that,” Christian states.
“Thanks. What do you want in return?”
He inclines his head with a small smile. “Don’t worry, Russo. Not everything has to be a deal. I’ll help you find him out of the goodness of my heart.”
“And here I thought all made men had hearts as black as their souls.”
“Some of us found a way to keep both our hearts and souls intact,” Carlo murmurs.
Conversation shifts to another topic until Tony Legan approaches us with a frown on his face.
“Hey, could you help me check something out with the CCTV?” he asks Christian.
“What?”
“Mikey says he saw some strange woman lurking around. Looked Russian.”
My eyebrows rise. “Let me guess, blonde hair, long legs?”
