Page 91 of Twisted Knight

“I’m going to Vegas. I want you to come with me.”

She stopped walking and turned toward me, her face barely hiding her excitement. “Are you sure? I don’t want to be a hindrance and I’m not angry, I swear.”

I leaned down and kissed her softly. “You’re not a hindrance, and I know you won't be angry. You’re so understanding it’s ridiculous. I want you there with me…” I pulled her toward me, wrapping my arms around her waist. “What I need to do won’t take too long. And then it’s you and me hitting town, what do you say?”

She smiled at me. “Of course I’ll come. I’ve never been to Vegas. Maybe I can go see a male stripper show while I wait for you.”

I shook my head. “Nope, Dolcetta. I can strip for you, it’s as much of a stripper you’ll see.”

She rubbed at my chest over my shirt. “Jealous.”

“Very much so.”

“You’re the only one for me, Domenico Romano. No Channing Tatum lookalike will ever be able to change that.”

“A lookalike?”

“Yeah, because for the real deal? All bets are off,” she replied cheekily.

I trailed my nose along her jawline. “Ah, man, I now have to go hunt for Channing Tatum.”

She laughed, wrapping her arms around my neck. “I love you, silly man.”

I cradled her cheek with my hand, I would never get tired of hearing her say that. “I love you too, Dolcetta,più della mia stessa vita.”

And it was true; I did love her more than my life, more than my vows to the famiglia, and that was dangerous; I knew it.

She was my religion, my commitment, my everything.

I thought about the ring in my room. Maybe Luca was right. It didn’t really matter where I asked her to marry me. Yep, that was what I’d do. This weekend I’d ask India McKenna to be my wife.

Epilogue One

DOM

“One more drink,” Matteo offered, extending two shot glasses toward me and Sergio.

I looked at my watch once more. It was so much harder to get him drunk than we expected and even the drugs Matteo put in his drink about fifteen minutes ago were still not working.

Sergio was a fat man; maybe we didn’t use enough. Part of me almost wanted Matteo to grab him and take him to a basement somewhere to get the information and be done with it.

I knew he couldn’t. He would have been the first to do it if he could, but torturing our men, even the former ones, without any proof would raise questions we didn’t particularly want to answer.

I threw another look at my watch, getting a warning glare from Matteo, but I didn’t much care. I was supposed to be back at the hotel over forty minutes ago. I’d booked it all, couples’ massage, a show, and the proposal, and this fucking job was once again ruining things. I couldn’t warn India either. This bar had no reception. It was on purpose, of course, but now I had no way to tell her I would be late.

I sighed, pretending to sip the drink.

“What’s up with you?”

Matteo’s nostrils flared; he was not happy with me, but I didn’t care.

I shrugged, looking down at my now-empty glass, pouting like a five-year-old.

“Our boy is in love with a girl with a gold-plated vagina… He just doesn’t like leaving her alone in case she gets her common sense back and leaves him behind.” Matteo explained, his voice dripping with sarcasm.

I sent him a withering look as Sergio let out a booming laugh. “How come you came all the way to Vegas? You always said it was too flashy for you.”

Matteo shrugged. “Checking on the famiglia… Making sure they remember where their loyalty lies. Remind them that it’s not because they have left us that they are not to keep our secrets.”

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