Page 85 of Blue Moon

“Oh, you mean Barbie?”

“Barbie? Is that her real name?”

“Of course not. I thought we could add a touch of drama, and she’s excellent at undercover work, isn’t she?”

“I don’t like surprises. Why’d you call her Barbie?”

“Isn’t it obvious?”

Long legs, tiny waist, generous chest… Yeah, it was.

“I guess. Does that mean Sin is a fan of immorality?”

Marcel sputtered a laugh. “S-I-N. It stands for Super Intel Nerd, and she knows a lot about everything, including you, Mr. I-Duct-Taped-the-Basketball-Player-into-a-Porta-Potty-at-Prom.”

That incident had happened over a decade ago. How the fuck could Sin have found out about it? The asshole had hit on one of Neve’s friends and wouldn’t take “no” for an answer, so Ryder and a few buddies had resorted to alternative measures.

“That’s really fuckin’ creepy.”

“It’s her job, and also her calling.” Marcel patted him on the shoulder. “I’ll leave you to pack up while I put together lunch.”

23

LUNA

“Is everything okay?” I asked Romeo.

Tonight’s show had been another sellout, and the performance had gone without a hitch, which meant Romeo Serafini should have been smiling. But instead, his scowl was a bucket of cold water to my good mood as he strode across the room with Rocky trotting along behind him. A few folks smirked at the pink flower clipped to the shaggy patch of hair on top of the dog’s head, but nobody dared to say a word to Romeo. I felt rather than saw Ryder step up to my elbow.

“Fucking paparazzi. They were taking pictures of Alessia.”

“What? Why would they do that?”

“Because she was with me, and for some unfathomable reason, they think you and I are involved in more than a professional capacity.”

Oh, crap. “I’m so sorry.”

Romeo’s scowl curved into a devastating smile. “My offer of dinner still stands, but Alessia is off limits. What kind of stronzo thinks it’s okay to photograph somebody else’s child?”

“I’ll set the record straight. Tell them there’s nothing going on between us.”

“For them, a denial is as good as an admission. Just stay quiet and I’ll handle it.”

“H-h-handle it?”

“They’ll soon learn that invading people’s privacy is unacceptable.” He cracked his knuckles. “Same time tomorrow with the dog?”

“Uh, yes?”

Romeo strode off, leaving Rocky dancing around my feet, and I turned to Ryder.

“What did he mean by that? What’s he going to do to the reporters?”

“Put them in concrete boots and drop them in Lake Mead?”

“Be serious.”

“I wasn’t being entirely unserious.”

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