Page 25 of Little Dove

“Why is she assigned to you in the first place?”

His jaw flexes. “She snuck onto the grounds at Nico’s and got the jump on me,” he says through gritted teeth.

My head whips towards him. “She did what? How the fuck did she manage that?”

“She had the damn dog lie down and pretend to be injured, and I found him. I stopped to check on him, and she put a gun to the back of my head. Alessio and Nico allowed her to stay because she didn’t want to leave, but Nico’s pissed becauseher family is connected to the cops. She’s also connected to the Belovs, or at least her family is. Alessio trusts her because she helped save the girls when Giovanni and Rafaele got into Nico’s place, but Nico isn’t sure. He still thinks she’s going to sell him out the first chance she gets.”

I understand the worry, but at the same time, her best friend is neck-deep in this, and that would be a very stupid fucking decision on her part. “Why did she decide to sneak onto the plane?”

“She said she didn’t want to stay in the house doing nothing,” he scoffs. “As if she had a fucking choice. Alessio is pissed, and so is Nico, but that fucker, Dante, said it’s probably for the best. I’m going to beat his ass the minute we get back.”

“I’ll join you, though not for this. Mostly because he needs to understand where he stands with us.”

“If you’re going to talk about me, you could at least do it in English so I can chip in,” Rori’s voice drawls drily.

I turn to look at her and find her eyeing us, while Amara watches on curiously.

“What makes you think we’re talking about you?” I ask. The details we have on her don’t suggest that she can understand Italian, but if she’s somehow managed to keep that hidden, we’re going to have to make some adjustments.

“Because Goliath here always gets this sound in his voice whenever he does,” she returns with an amused look in her eyes. “Anger, frustration, those all seem to be reserved for me. But mentioning the Belovs was what clued me in.”

“Who are the Belovs?” Amara asks.

“Russian Bratva,” Rori replies before I can. “Nasty bastards who the men in my family work for in one capacity or another. That little fact makes me untrustworthy to this lot, and to the crew in New York. Well, that, and some of those family members I mentioned are cops who occasionally do some dirty work forthe Belovs. And, if that wasn’t enough, I’m also a bounty hunter, so I’m constantly in contact with the cops. That part really sealed the deal.”

“Are you untrustworthy?” I ask her bluntly, giving her a cold look. I don’t hurt women, but if a woman endangers those I care about, I have no qualms about putting a bullet between her eyes. I don’t really care about her connection to the Belovs, since we have no issues with the Russians, but I can understand Nico’s concern around her ties to law enforcement.

“Even if I say no, you’re not going to believe me,” she returns with a shrug. “But no, I’m not. My family and I are estranged for a reason. Sienna is the only family I have, which means that when she’s in trouble, I’m at her back, whether you all like it or not.” Then she gives Alonzo a pointed look in the mirror. “And instead of seeing me as an asset, this one sees me as a liability.”

“Because you’re fucking reckless,” he snaps. “You think you’re invincible thanks to your dog, and because you know how to handle a gun. You’re going to get both of you killed if you don’t start using your brain.”

She ignores him and instead focuses on me, giving me an assessing look before her face splits into a wicked grin. The sudden change makes me uneasy. What the hell is up with her now?

“Actually,” she begins, “maybe you can help me out with something. I’ve been wondering: since you lot are so freaking big, when a woman gives you a blow job, does she still have to get on her knees, or can she just lean over? He won’t tell me, he just gets all mad and growly, and you’re even bigger than he is, so you for sure know what I’m talking about. Well, unless I’m completely wrong and you’re not that big everywhere. Your brother is blessed with being proportional… we should compare the two of you. You know, for science.”

“I’m going to gag your annoying ass,” Alonzo threatens instantly, his hands gripping the steering wheel so tight his knuckles are white.

Amara splutters in shock. Her cheeks are aflame as she claps a hand over her mouth, her shoulders shaking as she tries to contain her laughter.

I arch a brow at Rori, both surprised and amused at her question. I’m starting to get a much clearer picture of the woman that has my brother so tied up in knots. The sooner we get back to New York, the better.

9

AMARA

Rori is hilarious,and despite the tension she has with Alonzo, the ride to the plane is mostly stress-free. At least for me. I notice that Alonzo and Lazaro are both on edge, their heads constantly moving. Instead of allowing myself to get distracted by that, I focus my attention on Rori.

I haven’t had many positive relationships with women; most of them hate me on sight or just aren’t interested in getting to know me, but Rori seems genuine. Time will tell if it stays that way. However, the moment I tell her I do hair, her eyes light up in excitement.

“Oh my God!” she exclaims. “When we get back, I’ll have to charm someone into getting some supplies for us. Do you think you can help me touch this up?” She points to her hair. “It’s starting to fade, and I kind of want to do something fun with it. Any suggestions?”

I eye her hair. “May I?” I ask, holding up my hand. She nods and leans forward. I gently run my hands through her hair,testing it with my fingers. “You take really good care of it,” I tell her with a smile. “It should be pretty easy to freshen up. But what do you mean by fun with it?”

“I was thinking of adding some colored panels,” she explains. She pulls out her phone and shows me some example photos. “I’m really liking this dark purple color.”

I glance at it and then her head. “I think you can do it. Though, I don’t have much experience with these kinds of vivid colors. None of the ladies in town would be caught dead with them, so I haven’t practiced since I was in school.”

Rori waves that away. “I don’t care if it turns out horrible. I can rock a pixie cut, and did for a year when we were in college. Hair grows back.”

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