Page 87 of Salvatore

“Let’s play Star Wars trivia on the way down,” Autumn suggests when I tell them it’s going to be an hour’s drive.

“Nerd,” I mutter.

“Devirginizer,” she fires back, skipping past me.

I smirk. Like Aedry, Autumn doesn’t take my shit. But it’s Aedry’s laugh that causes me to turn back toward our suite. She steps out in a strapless white dress that hugs her small curves and shows off her tan.

“I don’t usually wear white,” she says, her cheeks flushing when all I do is stare.

The dress falls above her knee, looking more bride than girlfriend. It’s something I shouldn’t like or want so damn much. But I do, even though every part of me that’s still reasonable warns me against it.

“What’s wrong?” she asks, softly.

She smooths her palms over my chest when I avert my gaze. The longer we’re together, the more I know she’s the one. I want to marry her. But while I told her I’d never let her go, I’m not sure how long I can keep her with me, even with what I plan to do tonight, and especially not with everything that’s going down with the bosses.

“Salvatore?” she says.

“You look beautiful,” I say.

“Thank you,” she says like she doesn’t believe me, like I don’t mean every damn word. “You look really great, too.”

I showered after making sure everything I planned was in place. It’s hot outside, but I wore a long-sleeved white shirt, knowing it’s a look she likes on me.

In the distance, thunder crashes, but it doesn’t draw her attention. She walks slowly toward me, realizing something is messing with my head.

“What is it, love?” she says.

She had to go and call me that. I press a brief kiss to her lips. “Nothing. I just need to eat.”

She nods and allows me to lead her to the table. She does a double-take when a local band is led into the lanai. I pull her against me. “I told you I don’t dance. But tonight, I’ll make an exception.”

She beams through her shock. I pull out her chair, but just as she sits, Devan, one of the staff members approaches. “Sir, you have a phone call.”

There’s a hint of urgency in his features. I already know who’s calling, but I don’t let it show. “Someone’s calling you here?” Aedry asks.

Rather than give some lame excuse or flat out lie I say, “I’ll be right back.”

I try to keep my pace steady as I follow Devan into our suite and take the call.

“Salvatore,” I say as a way of a greeting.

The unsteady breath Vin releases warns me I’m in a shit ton of trouble even before he speaks. “You alone?”

Hell. What did you do?

“Yeah. What’s up?”

“We have a situation.”

He says “we.” Like always, Vin makes his problem, my problem.

“What situation is that?” I say, already assuming I’m flying out tonight to fix whatever Vin fucked up this time. As much as I’m usually ready for anything, I’m not prepared for what he says next.

“Lucca is on the other side of the island, taking out Bianchi. Him, Encacio, Carlo, and two locals already wasted his first on the beach, and a couple of men, but there was another boss we weren’t counting on being there, along with a few of his boys.” He lets out another breath like he’s taking a drag. Like the first, it comes out ragged. “Lucca’s the only one left. He needs you to take out the other targets.”

Rage unlike anything I’ve ever felt roils my stomach like lava. “You’re telling me you sent me, my woman, and my family to the same fucking island where two mob bosses were meeting?”

“It wasn’t supposed to go down like this,” he says, his voice rattling.

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