Page 34 of The Mafia's Surprise Gift

“To an extent. You need to fuck the guy from the store.”

Suddenly, that sweet guy from last week burst into my thoughts. “Really? I don’t even know if he’s in town anymore. He said he was only passing through.”

“I don’t care. Find him and fuck him, Mae. He’s the perfect distraction.”

14

JIAN

“Achoo!”

I would follow Rocco into the darkest, deepest pits of hell. I would give my life for him in a heartbeat because he has every drop of my loyalty. I would pull the trigger on anyone he asked me to.

But the next time he asks me to come back to this town? He can go and fuck himself.

All these trees and nature and pollen were playing hell with my pollen allergies, much to Dino’s amusement over breakfast. Unable to stop sneezing, my latest run of antihistamines had run out, so a trip to the pharmacy was in the cards. I’d popped two pills and driven here as fast as I could, unwilling to be away from Rocco and Dino for too long.

Things were tough with the Russians. Rocco had hit back hard for what they did at the funeral, but as far as I was aware, there hadn’t been much retaliation other than the attempted defense of some of their territory. Not that it mattered. Rocco’s anger was like a bulldozer and no one was safe.

Just like my poor nose and this fucking pollen.

Pushing open the door, I headed inside the pharmacy and tried my hardest to keep the next urge to sneeze under control. I needed the strongest pills I could get my hands on. Not just to keep my eyes from streaming, but I refused to go down in history as the bodyguard who got his charge killed because he couldn’t stop sniffling.

That kind of infamy was dangerous.

Thankfully, the pharmacy was a cool respite from the summer heat outside, and I didn’t even need to ask the pharmacist where to go. She took one look at me, flashed me a sympathetic smile, and pointed to the far aisle. I nodded at her and hurried in the direction she pointed.

Row upon row of pollen medication greeted me. I almost didn’t know where to start and cursed myself for not refilling my prescription before we came here. Granted, in all the commotion after Aldo’s death, a warning about the forest was far from everyone’s mind. As I browsed, I dug out my phone and sent a quick text to Dino to make sure everything was good.

He texted back immediately with several skull emojis and then called me.

“Jian, relax,” Dino said the moment I answered. “Nothing is going to happen because you’re not here.”

“That’s exactly when shit will happen,” I snapped back. “Shit always happens when we split up.”

“Really? Like when?”

“Remember a few years ago when I took that bullet for you, the tall guy trying to assassinate you? Rocco wasn’t with us. And when Rocco got hit by that car? You weren’t there.”

“By that logic, you’re going to get murdered in the pharmacy because we’re not there,” Dino remarked, but the humor bled quickly from his tone. “Relax, Jian. Trust me. Rocco is fine. I’m fine. You just get your meds and come back. Easy peasy.”

“I don’t trust this,” I muttered, running my thumb over a couple of boxes as I debated my purchase. “It’s not like them to just sit and take shit from us. They’re planning something. They have to be.”

“Or,” Dino countered, “we’re hitting them too hard and fast to retaliate. Once Beatrice is finished up here with the house, we’ll go back to the city, and then the real war will start.”

“You think?” I chose a box with multiple Max Strength stickers slapped over it.

“Trust me.” Dino sighed. “Look, I’ve got to go. Text me when you’re leaving, alright?”

“Will do. Thanks.”

As I hung up, a sudden soft presence appeared at my elbow and the sweet scent of vanilla filled my nose. I turned and came face to face with Mae. My heart immediately slipped off rhythm.

“You needed to phone a friend about allergy medicine?” Mae asked, eyeing the box in my hand with a light smile gracing her beautiful face.

“Yeah… I mean, of course,” I replied as my brain quickly kicked into gear. “It’s an important decision.”

“How so?” Mae glanced up at me through her long lashes, then she tipped her head to the side and sent waves of her red curls cascading down her bare arm. She wore a light green summer dress, making her eyes stand out like gemstones. With no straps to hold it up, there were just miles of bare, creamy skin across her chest that was drawing my eye no matter how hard I fought to remain respectful.

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