Page 78 of A Seed Of Peril

Subtly shaking my head, I whispered, “Absolutely not.”

Today was Dino Santiago’s twenty-ninth birthday. He chose this place to celebrate. Like hell was I going to allow my minimal discomfort to spoil the evening. A massage, my body pillow, and if necessary, a warm bath before bed would do the trick.

Dominic kissed my ear. “Okay.” He pulled away, resuming his meal. I put my hand on his thigh, considering myself the luckiest woman in the world for having him as my protector.

Selected crew stood guard outside the restaurant—Dominic’s orders. We sat at the booth down at the other end of the establishment. No windows, only walls. He had a clear enough view to be able to spot anything out of the ordinary, including unwanted guests. With the other mole walking free, chances couldn’t be taken.

Our waiter approached the table.

“Is there anything else I could get for any of you? Refills?”

When I looked up and over at Dominic, he was shaking his head.

“I want more of these,” Katrina said, showing the waiter—who could’ve passed for fresh out of high school—her last zucchini fritter.

“Manners,” Dominic reminded her.

With a toothy smile, she asked, “Please?”

I smiled, amused. Dominic let out a small chuckle, shaking his head.

“Certainly,” the waiter said, then turned on his heel to fill her order.

“Lulu, can I have some?” She eyed my salad. When she passed me her plate, I added enough salad to her plate for a few bites, handing it back as she thanked me. She poured what was left of her ranch dipping sauce on it, chowing down.

“We gotta hit this place again,” Dino said to none of us in particular. He began helping himself to another portion of his gyro “Fucking good food.” He chewed in bliss.

He wasn’t wrong. The food was delicious. The staff was friendly. I once again took a moment to admire the Mediterranean-style furnishings that paired beautifully with the modern color palette of blues, soft creams, and brown wood tones. Patterned tile made up the floor. Artwork hanging on the walls paired with the tourist attraction decor brought it all together.

The waiter returned and gave Katrina a fresh plate of fritters, leaving immediately after. She waved her hand like she was trying to cool it off, blowing on it before Anthony took the plate and began cutting the fritters in half, telling her it would help them cool faster. She drank more of her soda, picking back up on coloring an activity sheet the waiter gave her with our menus.

“Too bad you can’t just up and move this place to Saddle River,” I jokingly suggested.

“They should build one in that plaza at the mall,” Dino added. “Would be a smart investment.”

“Yeah, talk about a missed opportunity,” I agreed, stealing a bite ofPastitsiofrom Dominic’s plate. I playfully smirked when he amusingly lifted his brow.

“Dip your hand in the cookie jar,” Angelo spoke up. “Then, you can make that happen.” He looked over at Dominic, anticipating his answer.

Staring off past his brothers, Dominic silently mulled over the idea. After a handful of beats, he said, “I could…”

“What about any of the other families?” I wondered aloud.

“Kostas is still within our territory. Stefano and Alessandro have no say.”

“Why can’t you share, Uncle Dominic?”

All our eyes landed on our niece.

“It doesn’t work that way,” Dominic answered her.

“Why?”

He cut another corner off hisPastitsiowith his fork. “It just doesn’t.”

She huffed, picking up a half of one of her fritters. “Sharing is caring, you know.”

Dino burst out laughing, the rest of us unable to stifle our own. Dominic shook his head again, lips parted as he amusingly smiled.

---