Page 68 of Caged Bliss

Now Angelo’s gone again with the other men. I wish he were here. The house feels so big and quiet, and I’m going crazy as I pace around the kitchen. I keep calling Serena, but she’s not picking up. It rings and rings, and it tosses me to voicemail. I send her a couple texts, just trying to find out if she’s still alive, and there’s only silence.

Silence filled by the crack of Skinny’s skull and his last pained grunts.

There’s a knock at the door. I flinch, hesitate, but peer through a window. I recognize Angelo’s sister, a woman named Elena. She’s pretty, gorgeous really, and her smile is big and bright when I open up for her.

“You must be Claudia,” she says but she doesn’t move to come inside. “I heard Angelo stashed you here. I figured I’d come over and say hello.”

“Hello. Angelo told me about you.” I hesitate, but step aside to let her in. “Want something to drink?”

“That’d be great. It’s been a long night already.” She follows me into the kitchen. I find wine in the refrigerator and pour two glasses.

“Is your husband with Angelo right now?”

She shakes her head. “Brody’s back home, but he’s Seamus’s brother. I guess my actual brother and my brother-in-law are there.”

“I don’t know how you do it.” I curl up on the couch and she sits on a chair facing me. “I’m so stressed out right now.”

“I can imagine,” she says gently. “I mean, what you went through earlier. That must’ve been hard.”

I stare at the wine and take a long sip. It doesn’t help. “I feel like it’s all happening so fast, you know? For months I was going in to Cage and doing my best to watch out for my sister, and now—” I gesture vaguely into the air.

Now I’m killing people.

“That’s not your fault,” Elena says and crosses her feet under her butt. I like the way she’s sitting. It’s weirdly informal and comfortable, and it puts me at ease in a strange way. “Angelo’s a hurricane right now. He got out of prison and decided to tear everything to pieces.”

“You’re not kidding.” I smile bitterly to myself. “I can’t even say I’m mad that it happened. I think if he hadn’t shown up, Serena would’ve kept on indefinitely with Tommy, and who knows what would’ve happened to her.”

“Now there’s a chance,” Elena says, nodding to herself. “But more importantly, what about you and my brother?” Her eyes seem to sparkle as her brows raise. “From what I hear, there’s a little something going on between you two.”

I clear my throat and change my position, not sure how to handle that question. “It’s, uh, very new.”

“That’s a very diplomatic answer.” Elena’s beaming huge and I can tell she’s loving this. “Come on, be honest. You and my brother are sleeping together.”

“I mean—” I look away, cheeks burning. This is his freaking sister. I’m not going to start talking about our sex life. “There’s definitely something between us.”

“Do you want to be with him?” she asks, which is very direct, and I haven’t even thought that far.

I like Angelo. I might like him even more than like—I want to be around him all the time. He makes me feel good. We mesh together in a way I’ve never experienced with another person before, like every time he’s in the room somehow my life is lighter and easier. There’s the sex, which is mind-blowing and addictive, but it’s all the little stuff too. The way he holds me after, the way he laughs at my jokes, the way he can’t seem to keep his hands off me.

“I think we’re moving in that direction,” I say after a long pause, which I know is pretty awkward, though Elena doesn’t seem to mind.

“That’s really good,” she says and slaps her knees. “Seriously, you don’t know how happy that makes me. Angelo’s been having a tough time ever since he came back home, and I think he really needs someone like you.”

“Someone like me?” My eyes go wide and I’m not sure what that’s supposed to mean.

“Someone not in our world,” she clarifies. “A woman not involved in the Famiglia. You can tell him I said this if you want, but I think Angelo needs to find his own way right now.”

I let that sink in, and it makes sense. Angelo has hinted at something along those lines a few times. He feels like the family left him behind, and now it’s up to him to find a way to define his relationship with them. Maybe I’m part of that definition, and maybe I’m not.

But I did kill to save his life, which probably says a lot about how I feel.

We chat for a while longer. I start to feel at ease with Elena. She’s got a way about her—it’s bubbly and upbeat, but not overbearing, and it makes me really comfortable. Eventually she gets a text that says the guys are on their way back and she calls it a night, but promises we’ll spend more time together soon.

“You need to meet our parents,” she says, grinning huge. “Plus, I think you’ll like Stefania and my sister Laura.”

“I mean, I’d be happy to get to know everyone more.”

“Fantastic.” She looks over her shoulder as a black SUV parks out front and Angelo climbs from the passenger seat. He says something to the guy driving, and I stare at the back window. It’s shattered, and the seat is covered with several towels, like they’re hiding something underneath.

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