Page 3 of Under His Protection

Our every-other-day meetings were a routine that ensured we were all kept up-to-date about anything of importance. But today’s topics worsened my mood. The faint strain in my overworked muscles annoyed me too.

“The Sarround Gala is coming up soon,” Franco said as I stood.

I nodded. “Yeah, yeah, yeah.” That stupid-ass party is only good for talking business.

Romeo got to his feet as well. “I can’t say I’m in the mood to party.”

I hoped he would be one day soon. He couldn’t live in guilt like this. Not for good.

“But Dante, if you don’t intend to take Vanessa,” Franco said, walking inside with us, “maybe you should secure a date to ward her off.”

Now I had to hunt down a date? I didn’t have time for that. Waving him off, I dismissed the chance of ever looking for a woman again.

2

NINA

Nina

Itied the knot tighter on my server’s apron. Glaring up at my “older” brother, I clenched my teeth and took out my frustration on the length of maroon.

“Ricky,” I started.

“No.” He shook his head, sending his longish brown hair flopping over his brow again. “Don’t use that tone with me, Nina.”

I sighed, trying to find some rare, hidden reserves of patience. I had none. “Ricky, don’t be a dumbass.”

“Stop scolding me,” he volleyed back, proving we were world-class bickerers. I bet lots of siblings fought, but none of them had to deal with a moron like my brother.

“I’m not scolding you. I’m telling you to go home.”

He rolled his eyes and snatched a biscuit off a tray that passed by.

Tessa, my best friend, swatted at his hand. “Don’t get caught taking food on the clock.”

With a full mouth, he grinned at her. “I’m not on the clock. You are.”

Tessa and I weren’t only friends. We worked together, too. She was the sister I never had, and I could count on her to have my back in educating my brother.

“Yeah.” She flicked her finger back and forth to indicate both of us dressed in our Hound and Tea uniforms, ready to spend hours on our feet all night, waitressing at the steakhouse. “We are on the clock. Because we have jobs.”

“And because we have a job and have an iota of financial common sense,” I said as I jabbed my finger at his chest, “you should listen to us!”

He groaned.

“Going upstairs to gamble is not common sense,” Tessa said louder.

We only had so much time on our break back here. I supposed I was “lucky” that Ricky had stopped in here on his way upstairs to the private gambling rooms that were totally illegal. Dad seldom visited, but when he did, it was time for the “boys” to hang out, and they did so up there. I’d never spent a minute on the second floor of my workplace, and I never wanted to.

“It’s all about luck, Tessa,” Ricky cajoled, like he was such a charming, suave guy. He wasn’t.

“No, it’s not.” I crossed my arms. “You’ve already burned through all the money Dad left us in his will?—”

“He left it to me, Sis.” He flicked a finger at my brow. “Not you. He left it to me.”

I smacked the palm of my hand on his brow, resulting in his wince. “No. He left it to us, but because you’re older, you were supposed to divide it between us.”

“Well, I’ll make it all back.” He smiled like the idiot he was, always confident that things would magically just turn around in life. I used to think it was a delusion. A defense mechanism. We were raised by our old, cranky grandmother while our dad was off in the military, and she was horrible with making or keeping money. Our mother ran off after I was born, and Dad cared more about being present for the army than he ever was with us. Ricky and I hadn’t grown up with the best background, and I guessed that his inclination to take risks and gamble was a product of that.

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