Page 172 of Lawless God

“Fuck off,” she snorts. She takes her phone out from the pocket of her dress—lucky bitch has pockets—and types the numbers in the calculator app.

Unsurprisingly, I was right.

She looks up at me with wide eyes. “How the hell do you do that?”

“I don’t know. I love numbers. They’re easy compared to words.” My face twists, and she laughs some more.

“We would have been the best of friends in that math class if you’d had just given me the answers.” Her eyes lower, her face falling. “But then again, you and your girls beat up Billie.”

I roll my lips, remembering when some other Kings’ girls and I left Emma’s little sister for dead.

“I…” I hesitate, but the pain on her face is evident. “I’m sorry about that. I was trying to prove myself to my crew. I was surrounded by violence at home and had no idea how to control myself. I know it seemed like it was because you were trying to steal fucking Georgio from me, but I promise it was deeper than that in my teenage mind.”

“Georgio.” She looks at me, eyes sparkling with mockery. “First of all, you have issues with how possessive you are of your boyfriends.” Her eyes dart to Nate and that woman. “Or husbands. Secondly, I wasn’t trying to steal Georgio from you. I was trying to keep him away because I had a stupid crush on a straight girl who was my enemy.”

I choke on my champagne, and some of it comes up my nose. I’m coughing loudly, bringing some attention to us as she taps my back. People roll their eyes, huffing at how unladylike we both look, but we ignore them.

I look at her with watering eyes and my jaw falling. “A crush?”

She nods.

“On me?”

She grins at me. “Talk about impossible love, huh? You were part of the Kings and not interested in girls.”

“You’re fucking with me.”

But her cheeks flush, her eyes shiny.

“Oh, fuck.” I laugh some more. “I’m that irresistible, then?”

“Shut up,” she cackles. “I can promise you it was gone as fast as it came.”

“Are you sure?” I taunt her, batting my eyelashes.

“You’re fucking unbearable.”

I pout at her, then smile brightly.

“I don’t know how Nate does it.”

I puff out a loud breath. “Believe me, he’s fine.”

We drink in comfortable silence, with me watching the blonde girl with all my focus. She looks young. Too young for Nate.

I hate her.

“Look,” Emma cuts off my staring. “As your most convenient ally, I think I should let you know. That girl is Alexandra Delacroix. She’s Xi’s girlfriend, and I highly doubt Nate is hitting on her. My guess is he’s manipulating her, and probably politely threatening her, because he wants Xi back in the game.”

“That’s Xi’s girlfriend? And what, she finds threats hilarious?”

“Well, he probably hasn’t gotten to the threat part yet. Point is, she is not interested in Nate, believe me. She attends these balls because of her mom.” She looks around us. “Who I’m sure is around here somewhere. And Alex is probably just playing the nice Stoneview girl until she gets to go back to Xi.”

“Why does Nate want Xi back in the game so desperately?”

“He’s the best dealer around. He’s smart, committed. He’s got a lot of soldiers who respect him and who are used to listening to him. He knows the clients, especially in Stoneview. They trust him and they’re huge consumers. He’s discreet too. Nate knows all of that. Plus, he’s not scared of the Wolves, and Nate has started a war by stealing their territories.”

I huff to myself. I’ve been left out of everything. All I’m used for is signing contracts so Nate’s name isn’t on them. A mob wife, that’s what I’ve fucking become.

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