Page 106 of His Juliet

“Hi, malysh,” Sofiya crooned. “What are you doing here?”

“I’m pretty sure Noodle thinks Clementine is his baby,” Angelo said. “He was staring at her while she slept.” He came to my side and handed his phone to me again.

“Hello?”

“Fuck, Juliet. Five minutes without your voice is way too long.”

God, how was I supposed to act normally when Romeo said things like that?

“Do you think you can leave the apartment with Noodle? He seemed to relax you in the car.”

My heart squeezed at how thoughtful he was. Noodle head-butted my leg and I leaned down to scratch his ears. His tongue lolled out to the side as he smiled.

“Yeah, I can try.”

“That’s my brave girl. If it gets to be too much, just go back to the apartment and call me.”

“Okay.” I cleared my throat. “Thank you.”

“Can’t wait to see you tonight.”

“Same. Please be safe.” I had no idea what he was doing, but I guessed there was at least an element of danger in it.

“Fucking cute. I’ll be safe, pretty girl. See you soon.”

I hung up and handed the phone back to Angelo. His eyes were kind as he took it. “Do you want to try taking the elevator?”

I nodded, throat tight. He handed Noodle’s leash to me, but I looked at Sofiya. “Is this okay?”

“Of course,” she said. “Noodle’s off the clock right now, but I’m sure he’s happy to give you some emotional support. He can’t stay with us in the shooting range, which is why he wasn’t with me. The loud noise could damage his ears.”

I took Noodle’s leash and he pressed his body against my legs, lending me his support as we made our way to the door. My feet got heavier with each step.

“I couldn’t shoot while pregnant because the loud sounds could hurt the baby’s ears. Did you know that? Because I definitely didn’t. Growing a human is wild. Anyway, now the guys have convinced themselves they have a chance against me. As if I’d ever get rusty.” Sofiya flipped her hair over her shoulder before rolling out of the apartment.

“You still haven’t beaten Romeo,” Angelo said. He put a light hand on my upper back as I left the apartment, and I kept my fingers twisted in Noodle’s fur.

“Yeah, yeah. I’m just biding my time, lulling him into a false sense of security before I destroy him.”

My vision turned spotty as we all entered the elevator. It was large and well-lit, with a mirror on the back wall and wood paneling on the sides.

“The Boss has been putting in extra hours in the range. He’s practicing for a rematch,” Dante said.

“I’m sure he is,” Sofiya said. “Not that it will do him any good.”

Their voices faded and grew distorted as the doors closed and panic seized my chest. My knees weakened and I sank to the floor, my arms thrown around Noodle and my face buried in his fur.

“We’re almost there,” Sienna said, crouching down next to me. “Five more seconds.” She counted for me and I clenched my jaw, my stomach swooping as we came to a stop. The doors opened and everyone helped me get out quickly.

Sofiya took my hand and gave it a firm squeeze. “You did it! That’s amazing. Now, are you ready to be a badass with a gun?”

My eyes spun as I took in my surroundings. I’d never been to a gun range before, but this was pretty much how I’d imagined it—a large, industrial space with long lanes and targets at the end. There were a few men already here—huge and threatening—and I tensed.

“They’re just here to learn from Sofiya,” Sienna said quickly, obviously sensing my unease. “If anyone makes you uncomfortable or if you want to leave, just tell me.”

I swallowed hard. They were all being so incredibly kind. I wasn’t used to being treated like this, and it wasn’t what I would have expected from the Mafia.

“Let’s give it a try,” I croaked.

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