Page 73 of Mistletoe in the Mafia

“Camila and I were raised together,” I state, moving to stand beside Madelyn again. “The two of us don’t get to see each other often, but we’re pretty close. And I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about her, Flowers.”

She frowns a bit before nodding. I take her hand in mine, rubbing small comforting circles with my thumb. I can tell she doesn’t like that I hid that from her, but in the grand scheme of things, my having a cousin is nowhere near as bad as my other secrets. I need to tell her the truth soon. It’s only a matter of time before everything blows up in my face.

“Where’s that husband of yours?” I ask Camila, who’s openly staring at us both with intrigue.

“Lukas is in Moscow. He had business there,” she informs me, and I catch the hidden meaning behind her words.

He must be working on finding Scepter. She and I share a look that tells me everything I need to know. I’m grateful to my brother-in-law for going to such lengths for me.

“Russia must be freezing this time of year,” Madelyn says innocently. “Are you Russian too, Camila?”

“My husband is, but I come from an Italian family. My dad was Italian, and my mom and Dom’s mother were sisters,” she informs her.

I can see Madelyn trying to make sense of everything. “Complicated family tree, huh?” she asks with a smile.

“You have no idea,” Camila drawls.

The tension eases as the two of them start talking, their conversation flowing more naturally than I expected. I stay quiet, letting them bond, though I remain hyper-aware of everything happening around us. Joshua appears out ofnowhere, holding a beer and looking like he just escaped a particularly grueling conversation.

“Couldn’t get laid?” I ask with a smirk.

I briefly saw him with an energetic brunette who was talking with her arms as much as her mouth. He looks slightly disturbed by what she was saying.

“She was telling me about her interest in necromancy and how she’s always had a fascination with dead bodies,” he says, shuddering in disgust. “Not touching that, thank you very much.”

“You’re such a dick, Benson,” Camila says, rolling her eyes.

His smile turns up at the sight of my cousin. “Well, well, well, if it isn’t my favorite blonde. How’s it going, Vitelli? Are you ready to leave that husband of yours and give me a chance?”

Camila scoffs.. “No way in hell.”

He shrugs. “Worth a try.” Then he turns to my girlfriend. “Hey, Maddie.”

“Boss,” she says on a short nod.

“Please, don’t call me that outside of work,” he says on a frown. “I’m currently not FBI but Josh, sweet, charming, laid back, fun-loving Josh.”

“You got it,” Madelyn says with a smile, although she looks a little confused.

I’m sure she’s not used to seeing him outside of work. Joshua changes stripes like a chameleon. He’s always so serious at work, but to be honest, he’s a bit of a goofball. An annoying one. Joshua joins our little circle and soon enough the four of us are laughing and talking. Carly also makes an appearance for a while. They particularly enjoy telling Madelyn stories about me from when we were kids.

When the music shifts, transitioning into something softer and slower, couples begin making their way to the dance floor. I can already feel Madelyn’s gaze on me.

“Don’t even think about it,” I warn, taking a step back.

Her smile turns mischievous. She sets her champagne glass down before placing a hand on my arm.

“Come on, Dom. We have to dance.”

“No,” I say stubbornly.

“Yes.”

I glance at Joshua and he’s grinning, obviously enjoying this.

“Come on, don’t make me beg,” she asks, her voice dropping to a whisper.

She gives me a look that I’m pretty sure she knows I can’t say no to and that does it. With a sigh, I take her hand, ignoring Camila’s knowing smirk.

---