Page 106 of The Devil Can Be Kind

“Am I in danger tonight or something?” I asked, having started connecting the dots from Jesse’s warning and Alonso’s constant presence in my head. There shouldn’t have been a need for either of them tonight.

He snorted derisively. “You know who I am, right?”

“Then why is Alonso playing the role of bathroom attendant?”

His smile deepened, “There are justsomepeople here…I’d rather you didn’t meet tonight.”

Which people?Just as I opened my mouth to ask my question aloud, he cut me off.

“We’d better get back before people start to miss us.”

“Missyou, you mean,” I corrected.

“That’s not what I said,” he answered cryptically.

With surprising tenderness, Marco leaned forward and placed a kiss to my forehead the same way he had earlier. He then took my hand in his and pulled me with him out of the bathroom door.

Alonso, Wyatt and Layton were now gathered in the hallway outside, and I blushed.God knows what they think we were doing in there!Though judging by the cool expression now adorning the Don’s face, I was apparently the only one that cared.

As we approached the end of the hall, the chatter of the guests became louder, and the beat of music grew heavier. When we finally stepped into the bustling room, I was certain Marco would let go of my hand at any minute but surprisingly his grip only became tighter. Satisfaction pulled at my lips as the minutes ticked away with my hand still in his, and I stood up a little straighter, proud to be on his arm.

However fleeting it may be.

People nodded or stared as we walked past. Only the bravest among them dared to approach the Don and even fewer said more than a word or two.

After a few minutes talking to a fat older man with a sufficiently artificial looking wife, Marco pulled us to a smaller gathering of people. I didn’t recognize any of the faces before me, but their expressions nearly all held a sense of familiarity that made me second guess myself.

Marco leaned in to kiss one of the older women on the cheek, resting a hand on her back affectionately.

“Ada, this is my mother, Eliyana La Torre. Mother, this is Adalyn Rossi,” Marco introduced us.

There was a striking resemblance between Eliyana La Torre and her son.

Not only was there familiarity in the curve of their smiles, but it was also there in their unusually large chocolate eyes and raven black hair. Unlike her son, however, Eliyana had a gentle face that looked as if it only knew kindness. She had an elegant softness about her. A kind of softness that any other woman in the Cosa Nostra would have given their entire inheritance to possess.

I could see now why he had laughed when I suggested she wanted to kill me. Eliyana La Torre was no killer.

Eliyana turned and extended her hand toward me, which I immediately took. A smile that I recognized as one of Marco’s lighting her face.

“It is a pleasure to meet you Mrs. La Torre.”

She smiled. “I assure you the pleasure is all mine Adalyn. I have heard a great deal about you. I do hope that Sicily has been to your liking so far,” she said affably, her tone motherly and warm.

“Yes, very much so,” I answered with an appreciative smile.

“Ada, this is my uncle Leonardo Moretti and my aunt Catarina,” Marco introduced me to the remaining two people in the small circle.

They both smiled kindly in greeting and murmured their ‘hellos’ in turn.

With the introductions out of the way, the five of us fell into relaxed conversations about the newly married couple and how beautiful the church ceremony had been. Despite my not knowing the couple in question well enough to comment on many aspects of the subject, they were gracious enough to continue speaking in English to allow me to at least follow the conversation.

After a few minutes, Eliyana asked about my job at Diamond City and after a while the discussion moved on to Marco’s poor gambling skills.

“If I told you that Marco here lost €50,000 on a roulette wheel in one hour, you might rethink working at one of his casinos!” Marco’s uncle Leonardo chortled, smacking the younger man on the back affectionately.

“The damned wheel was rigged!” Marco insisted, immediately going on the defensive.

“It was atmycasino,” His uncle responded good-naturedly, causing us all to laugh.

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