Page 28 of Mafia Star

“Fine. The others know.”

“Thanks. Can you point him in my direction? See the two guys and the woman halfway down?”

I point along the bar, leaning a little to the left to see. I know Misha’s tall enough to have an unobstructed view.

“Yeah.”

“The guy with the maroon shirt is my brother Steven. That’s his girlfriend. The other guy is my date.”

“Got it. Liz, if you need to get away before Marco arrives, just signal any of us.”

I look around and realize Anton, Pasha, and Sergei are now looking at me. I didn’t even notice Sergei at first. He’s up on the mezzanine level looking down. Quite the entourage I seem to have gathered.

“Thanks. I better get back to them. I said I came to ask about Laura and the twins.”

“Got it.”

He says something else into his earpiece as I walk away. It’s Steve who greets me when I join the others.

“How’re they doing?”

“Well. Apparently, Konstantin and Mila decided to redecorate their playroom while Maks ran to the bathroom the other day. They pulled every book and toy off the shelves in like three minutes flat.”

“Oh, no.” Chasity’s eyes widen. “Were they okay?”

“Oh, yeah. Apparently, Maks wasn’t. Laura made him clean it up alongside the twins. You’d never guess it, but those toddlers have their dad wrapped around their little fingers. Laura’s the strict one.”

I know all this because I chatted with Laura a couple days ago. She has the top tier of Enzo and Chelle’s wedding cake, and I got Chelle’s dress preserved. She offered to grab the dress and take everything over to them when they get back. At least, I’m not entirely lying. Maks is a complete softy with his kids. Bogdan’s the same way with his son. My guess is Galina, Maks and Bogdan’s mom, is babysitting Lev— Bogdan and Christina’s six-month-old son —tonight.

“Who’re you talking about?”

Shit. That’s a legit question. I don’t know if Chasity knows about Laura, but Derik definitely doesn’t.

“Our sister’s best friend. She has twin two-year-olds.”

“Sounds like her husband’s pussy whipped.”

I don’t even know what the fuck to say to that.

“I’ll be sure to let his brother know that. He’s walking this way.”

Marco’s voice comes from over my right shoulder. I see Steve’s brow furrow, then he smiles.

“Hey, Marco. How’s it going?”

Steve reaches out to shake Marco’s hand as he steps beside me. It forces Derik to take a couple steps away while Marco’s free hand rests on my lower back. Steve doesn’t know what to make of that. Chasity frowns.

“Chasity, Derik, this is Marco Mancinelli. His brother Lorenzo married our sister Michelle.”

“Hold up. Your sister married a Mancinelli?”

Derik’s grinning like a jackass. He didn't know who owns Bella Vita just that we're related to them now. I glance up at Marco, but his expression remains relaxed. However, his arm slides around my waist, and I take a step closer. Derik’s smile drops as he sees the possessive gesture. Now he’s scowling at me, then his sister.

“You said she was available.”

Chasity doesn’t know where to look, so she shifts her gaze to Steve. My brother rolls with the punches a little better, but I know I’ll be explaining shit in the morning.

“I didn’t know it was more than a date or two.”

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