Page 90 of Sins and Secrets

Dimitri rubs the back of his neck and glances sheepishly around the room. “I didn’t do it.”

“Obviously.”

Dimitri waves his hand toward us. “I went to his shop. He was so sad. I’ve never seen a man that depressed before, and I grew up in Russia. I figured he didn’t hurt Waverly on purpose, and he gave me this cool tattoo.” He rolls his sleeves up to show the octopus.

Uri glares at me. “New tactic. Wave, it’s your choice.” There’s a long silence between us when he realizes I’m not going to talk. “Pig farm or hospital, your choice.”

I’m not saving his life out of love or a good time we once had. I just don’t want Lukas to bury another family member. “Hospital. He needs help.”

Uri still has his ear to the phone. “Yeah.” He pulls the phone away from his mouth, “The new guy has to come to the next family dinner.”

As Dimitri opens a black case with a needle, I play my one card and save Angie’s brother’s life. “And this one goes to the hospital?”

“Yeah, do we have a deal?”

I throw up my hands. “Fine.”

Dimitri pulls at Adam’s shirt. “Go to sleep, you piece of shit.” He looks at me and Lukas. “It will make the car ride easier.”

With the family business taken care of, Alana gives me a hug. “How are you holding up?”

“I’ve had better days. How did you get here?”

“Darren called in for backup when he left the church. I’ve got a few guys out in the lobby securing the area.” She pauses. “Damn, Waverly. One word: Hot!”

“Thanks.”

She points over her shoulder toward the reception hall. “Ok, I’m gonna hit the open bar while you let Angie’s family in. Go take some pictures, get drunk, and have some much-deserved fun.” Alana reaches out and pulls me into another hug. Huh, I didn’t think she was a hugger. Her warm breath grazes my ear as she whispers, “You had a fucking gun to your head, go take care of him.”

She lets go and motions with her head for the boys to follow her. Dimitri lifts an unconscious Adam over his shoulder with a grunt, mumbling something in Russian.

Uri gives a small nod over Lukas, “See you next week.”

Two arms wrap around my waist. As he pulls me into his body, Lukas buries his head into my neck. He whispers, “You said red.”

“And you stopped, like a good listener.”

He snickers a little in my ear, “Well, communicationiskey.” Lukas squeezes me tighter, “I almost lost you, again.” His voice drips with fear.

“But you didn’t. Members of the Four Families are pretty hard to kill.” I twist around in his arms, embracing him. “Last night we rewrote our story, today we start the next chapter.”

The evening goes on, Adam all but forgotten. I take a shot with Kimberly and buy her a new Michael Kors bag. It isn’t as cute as the first one, but she seems happy with it. Angie and Kyle dance, drink, and kiss all night. We eat cake and are all properly buzzed, love and joy washing away all the horror of a few hours ago. I’m amazed at how quickly humans can rebound.

After the band packs up, Angie pulls me to the side. Her perfect updo is on a forty-five degree tilt, her skin flushed from dancing and having the time of her life.

She hugs me. She’s sticky and sweaty, with wine heavy on her breath. “Thank you for being a great maid of honor.” I’m about to say you’re welcome, but she continues, her eyes watering. “You were the best best friend in the whole world.” She releases our embrace and wipes the tears from her face. Her bottom lip quivers as a shift happens. “But you don’t belong with my family anymore.” My heart stops. “You hid your relationship with Lukas for years. You lied to me. And right now, your family is beating the shit out of my brother, and you’re letting it happen.” Her eyes turn icy. “I don’t know who you are anymore, and I don’t know if I ever did.”

Words are trapped in my throat, held back by my building sob. “But…”

She puts up her hand. “Please stop before you embarrass yourself.”

What? Any remorse I had vanishes and I unleash the side of me I’ve hidden for a lifetime, the real reason why my family kept me away from the crime. I match her coldness. “Lukas is mine.”

She’s about to speak, but this time it’s my hand up, halting the conversation. “You say you don’t know who I am? No shit. I’m the person who planned your dream wedding and paid for it. Who sacrificed her happiness and self worth for your perfect day. But that’s over.” I square my shoulders. “Your family has one year to pay me back, or I’ll find other ways to even out your debt.”

She might not know who I am, but I do. I’m Waverly Fucking Mcleod.

Want to find out why Dimitri rushed out of the family dinner to take a phone call? Or why he came back so happy?

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