Page 82 of Twilight Mask

“Marco told you, didn’t he?”

Angelo nods, exhausted. “Warned me yesterday. I told Simon something was coming down and this plan came together. He didn’t like it, but it worked, right?” He gestures at the bullet-riddled room.

There are other bodies. Some injured guests, though none look dead. A few men in sunglasses are still and staring at the ceiling. But from what I can tell, none of the Bianco soldiers that flooded in after them were hurt.

“They were bait.” I remember wondering where the girls were and realize they must’ve been hidden away before this went down. “This was a trap.”

“Marco told me a few of the smaller families were coming together to take us down. Simon had gotten some similar information recently, and I guess that was enough to do something drastic.” He looks up at me, head cocked to the side. “Where is your boyfriend, anyway?”

“Left. We thought it was best.”

“Good call.” He sighs and pushes himself to his feet. He holds a hand out for me with a slight smirk. “Glad you stuck around.”

I let him help me up. “I thought Simon and Davide were dead.”

“They’re okay. Simon’s outside making sure everyone’s okay and Davide’s taking point on the clean-up and capture.” He laughs a little, his voice shaky. “Honestly, I was the only one in real danger. Aside from poor Peter and Vincenzo.”

“You’re an idiot. You should’ve had a double too.”

He shrugs and grins bigger. “I mean, hard to pull that off, considering my mask only covered half my face.”

I roll my eyes as relief floods through me.

Simon and Davide aren’t dead. They’re okay, they’re all okay. My family knew this was coming and while they took a risk, arguably a very stupid risk, it worked out. The attack was mostly stopped. The men responsible are either dead or running away. Their plan worked.

So why do I still feel so wrong?

“I was right there,” I say to him as we walk through the crowd of soldiers together toward the front of the building where everyone is gathered. “I could’ve walked away.”

“Yeah, true, but I suspect after this, Simon is going to be a bit more willing to let you see your boyfriend, considering he saved all our asses.”

“I don’t know. Simon’s kind of a bastard.”

Angelo laughs long and loud, his head tilted back, and I grin at him. Once we’re outside, I spot Claudia standing with Mom, Elena, Stefania, and Emily in the shadow of an armored car with half a dozen guards lurking around them. Elena waves at me, looking happy and like a huge weight is suddenly gone from her shoulders, and I find myself waving back. I take a step toward her and wonder if maybe I don’t belong, if maybe I should slink away and hide in my basement, but then I’m marching in her direction and everyone else is turning to greet me, and then Mom’s hugging me, and so is Elena, followed by Stefania, Emily, even Claudia, and this is right. This was right all along.

“I’m glad you’re still here,” Elena says.

“Yeah, me too,” I tell her and lean into her hug.

Chapter 41

Marco

Icould stay here, right here, for the rest of my life. It’s not a question of getting bored, being satisfied, wanting more; it’s only a matter of physical needs.

“My arm’s asleep,” Laura whispers in my ear.

I grin and adjust so she can sit up. She stretches and her hair falls down to her back as I watch. Her lips make a little pout, and she lets out a long, sighing breath every time she does this, and I can’t get enough of it.

There are other details I notice: the way she sleeps on her left side, the way she switches hands when she brushes her teeth, the way she puts on her shoes and talks to them as she ties the laces like they’re her little friends.

These are the details I missed through the cameras. In person, she’s so much more.

“You know, I haven’t gotten a visit from Jackal in a while.” She smiles at me and leans down to kiss my chest. “Something wrong with him?”

“Not at all. Just needed a break.” I catch her hair and pull her down into a kiss. Her bed’s big and comfortable, and I could stay in it forever.

“You know, I like having two boyfriends.” She looks at me with a shy smile. It’s strange, seeing her like that, but Laura’s so much more than she lets people see. “You don’t get jealous, do you?”

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