Page 54 of Pretty Little Disaster

“This is my sister's home, her children are sleeping upstairs, and we are among friends tonight,” I assure him, trying to hide the smirk from my lips, Wes strikes me as the kind of guy who watches far too many Al Pacino films.

“Friends…is that what you think? Come on, I’ve seen enough episodes of The Sopranos to know you must trust no one.” He makes a loud, obnoxious laugh and I humor him, merely for thefact he makes Lorna so happy. She needs as many people in her life who do that as possible.

“Is that a chocolate fountain…Ohhhh, Jonah, let's do the chocolate fountain.” Cass leaves the guy with no choice when she takes his arm and drags him towards it.

“You don’t fancy the chocolate fountain, Wes?” Lorna asks sarcastically, while we all watch Cass attempt to feed Jonah a chocolate-covered strawberry.

“I think I’ll leave them to it.”

“Come on, let's get you a drink.” Lorna takes her friend's arm and drags him over to the bar, and as soon as Amanté Greco spots that I’m alone he makes his way over to me.

“Amanté.” I nod my head respectfully. He’s going to be pissed at me, I’m prepared for that. In his opinion, I should have gotten him the name of the person who killed his daughter, and killed the gun supplier while I had the chance. I’m assuming he is unaware that the supplier was my fiancée's father but there's truth in Wes’s words, with these people there are never any guarantees.

“Congratulations,” he tells me in a stiff voice, his eyes dark from grief and hate, combined.

“Appreciated.” I can sense the tension between us and when his wife comes to stand beside him, she manages a smile through her own sadness. “Nic, your father would be very proud of you. You have found yourself a charming wife. Serena speaks very highly of her,” she tells me.

“I’m very lucky.” I smile, looking over to where Lorna is talking with Wes and her mother.

“Let us hope that luck doesn’t run out.” I hear the threat in Amanté’s tone as he takes his wife's hand and leads her toward Vincenzo Leone.

“I’m surprised to see him here.” I turn my head when I hear a voice come from the steps behind me.

“I’m sure him being here is a statement. He wants to show Gio his support while at the same time, making me feel like a failure,” I tell Vito, Dario’s guard. He and Vito grew up together, he trusts him with his life, and with the life of my sister and their children, which says a lot for the man.

“Anyone in your situation would have done the same,” he assures me, then silences when Madalina and Dario finally manage to drag themselves away from the Sandaco sisters to join me.

“Where is your bride?” Madalina’s eyes search around the room.

“She’s with Wes and her mother.”

“Is she having fun? Does she like the chocolate fountain…I knew she would love it.” Madalina claps her hands.

“She loves it, why don’t you go see if she wants it for the baby shower too?” I suggest, narrowing my eyes at Dario so he knows to stay behind. He kisses his wife and sends her on her way with a tap on her ass, and I ignore the fact she’s my sister as I lead Dario into a more private corner of the room.

“Amanté… Do you think he might know who Doyle was to Lorna?” I check.

“I don’t think so but who can tell? All men in this room have their spies.” Dario keeps a smile on his face as he nods his head at Vincenzo.

“He’s mad at me, and I understand that but there's something not right, there was a threat in his voice, and the way he was looking at Lorna… I don’t fucking like it, Dario,” I voice my opinion and wait for him to come back at me.

“No harm will come to Lorna, she is family now. An attack on her would be an attack on me.” He glances over to my sister and fiancée, both of them look infectiously happy, and to know that he’ll want to keep it that way as much as I do, brings me some relief.

“That worry you’re feeling, it never goes away, Nic. If anything, it gets worse. You have to learn to live with fear. It’s hard for men like you and I. Men who have never been scared before,” he tells me, keeping his eyes focused on the room.

“I never thought I'd hear you compare us,” I snigger.

“Nor did I, but it is true. I read you wrong, just as you made the wrong judgment on me. That is rectified now. What you must do is stay smart, stay vigilant, and protect what's important to you.”

“I just can’t believe that the thing that’s important turned out to be her.” I stare across the room at the woman wearing my ring, and beautifully bearing my child. How is it possible for someone to make you feel strong, and yet so powerless at the same time?

“Some things are meant to be, look how much your sister detested me when we first married.” Dario laughs to himself. “Don’t let fear destroy what you have, Nic. You have the money to take care of her, and the skills to protect her.”

“It seems I’ve got it all, yet I haven’t got a district,” I point out. The last thing I want to do is add more pressure to his shoulders, but Dario needs to know how important this is to me.

“A district isn’t everything, at times it can be a burden.” I can’t decide if Dario is giving me words of wisdom or softening the blow of what's to come. Hard as I try, I can’t see him going against his faction leaders, not this soon after taking over from his father.

“Just be happy with what you have, it’s what most men would kill for.” Dario pats me on the shoulder before mingling back into the crowd.

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