Page 153 of Cross & Crown

mob boss would be tense, but especially someone like Nick,

who had childhood ties to the organization and a job that was

inherently opposed to everything the mob stood for.

He was a white knight, stepping into the shadows.

“Come on, he’s upstairs waiting for us,” Nick said.

A man was indeed waiting for them in the lobby when

they reached the top of the escalator. He was attractive, with

dark hair and kind eyes that seemed at odds with his job.

He was dressed in a soft-gray suit, his sky-blue tie the only

anomaly. Nick slowed when he saw him, coming to a stop a

few yards in front of him.

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They stood opposite one another, silent, their expressions

stern. Kelly glanced uneasily at Julian and JD. This was going

to go so wrong. He could feel it, they were going to destroy

this beautiful hotel lobby in a firefight.

The man took a step forward, and Nick moved to meet

him. Instead of violence, though, they embraced. The stranger

patted Nick on the back and held a fistful of his hair as Nick

hugged him. They broke apart and both men were smiling,

although Kelly recognized the wistful glint in Nick’s eyes.

This was a bittersweet reunion, at best.

“Damn, you look good, Nicky,” the man said, and he

brushed at Nick’s shoulders, grinning.

“No one calls me that anymore.” Nick turned and waved

a hand at Kelly, keeping his other hand on the man’s shoulder.

“Mikey, this is Kelly Abbott.”

“The boyfriend?” Mikey asked with a raised eyebrow.

Kelly didn’t know how to answer that. He knew enough

about mob and gang culture to know that having a “boyfriend”

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