Page 75 of Wicked King

“Shockingly, nothing.”

“Not possible.”

“That’s what he said, boss.”

I drag my fingers through my hair, tugging at the ends. My relationship with Dante has certainly been less strained over the past couple months since we called a truce between the Kings and Geminis, but there’s no way he’s doing this out of the goodness of his heart.

“Fine, set up a meeting,” I growl. “Today.”

“Will do, boss.”

The moment the call drops, the hum of a familiar voice reaches my ears. Even through the reinforced front door, I recognize Jia’s melodious timbre. My heart rams against my ribs, and my feet propel me to the entrance.

I open the front door before Nicky makes it halfway down the hall. Jia stands in the foyer, her long, silky locks pulled up into a messy bun. Despite the beads of perspiration glistening along her brow, she looks hot as fuck.

Which reminds me…

“Aren’t you hot in that long sleeve shirt?” It hasn’t escaped my attention that she constantly wears long-sleeved tops and dresses, but now that we are living together, I’ve realized it’s all she wears.

She exchanges a quick glance with her grandfather, but it’s so swift I may have imagined it. A tendon in her jaw flutters before her eyes narrow as they regard me. “Skin cancer, you’ve heard of it, right? I’d like to avoid it.”

The sharp edge to her tone surprises me since we’ve been on rather good terms since her return to the penthouse.

“Got it,” I mutter as she stalks past me with Guo at her heels. “How’s everything at the boutique?”

She releases a frustrated huff and grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. “Awful. I’m so behind. Even with Ari’s help while I was in the hospital, I’ll never get all the designs done in time for the grand opening of CityZen.”

“Grand opening? You have a date in mind already?”

She nods. “September first, for Labor Day weekend. I’ve been working on the fall line for months.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

Jia gnaws on her bottom lip. “Honestly, I thought I would’ve escaped from your clutches by now.”

An unexpected chuckle tumbles out.

She flashes me the back of her hand, showcasing the simple platinum wedding band. “But the whole getting shot thing put a crimp in my plans, and here I am, still shackled to the mob boss.”

“And you love it, wifey.”

She rolls her eyes, but the hint of a smile curves her full lips. For a second, I’m so completely enthralled I nearly miss the text message from Jimmy.

Jimmy: Dante’s available now. Meet at his office in 15.

Merda. Shoving my phone back into my jacket, I rush to the door. “Sorry, I have to run. An important meeting just came up.”

“You have to go right now?” Jia lifts a curious brow.

Spinning back to face her, I shoot her a smirk. “Why, are you going to miss me?”

“Of course not.”

“Right…”

“I was just wondering if it had anything to do with me or the shooting?”

It only takes me an instant to decide to lie, but apparently, the pause is enough to trigger her suspicions.

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