Page 66 of Deadly Wolf Bite

“Hi.”

Behind him, Santiago and Conrad catch my eye and dip their head at me. I look from them to Franco, surprised at their acknowledgment.

A beat of silence passes.

Then Franco grunts and walks away, his generals trailing in his wake.

When they’re gone, the crowd returns to their own conversations. I can hear my name buzzing around until Mia grabs my elbow, leading me away from the guests and into a small alcove cut off from the rest of the space.

“What the heck was that about?” she asks me.

“I don’t know. He’s never acknowledged me as his family before, much less in public.”

“Not Franco,” she says impatiently. “Although, yeah, that was a new development. I’m talking about Dom. What did he want?”

“He was just being handsy,” I admit with real disgust.

“What a scumbag.”

“I basically told him that, and when I tried to walk away, he grabbed me.”

“Ugh. He’s like a toddler who doesn’t understand no.” Her annoyance flashes toward something deeper, so maybe I’m not the first person she knows who’s been subjected to Dom’s interest.

“Has he ever…put his hands on you?” I ask.

“What? No.” She blows out a breath. “But there are others…”

My stomach sinks. “Someone has to stop him.”

“Believe me, he’s on my list.”

Before I can ask exactly what list that is, Razor walks up.

“Where have you been?” Mia demands.

“Dutch said to keep an eye on the doors while he got the car.”

She rolls her eyes. “Where’s Grey? Did he finish talking to my father?”

“I haven’t seen him,” Razor says. “What’s he talking to Charlie about?”

“I’m here,” Grey says, joining us.

He looks distracted, and for a moment, I worry he heard Dom’s comments and followed him outside. But there’s no blood or sign of a fight. His suit is spotless and perfectly pressed as always.

“What is it?” he asks when he looks at me.

“Nothing,” I say. “I was afraid you ran into Dom.”

“Why would you—” One glance at Mia has him narrowing his eyes. “What happened?”

“Nothing worth talking about here,” Mia says, ushering us all toward the exit. “Come on. Car’s waiting out front.”

“What about Ramsey?” Razor asks.

I glance back to see Ramsey and his aunt standing in front of the casket. Her shoulders are bent forward and shaking. Ramsey has one arm wrapped around her in comfort, though his posture is stiff.

“Razor, you stay behind with him,” Grey says. “I’ll send Dutch back inside to help. Take him home and get him drunk if you can. We don’t need him noticing anything off about tonight.”

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