Page 91 of Vicious Games

A risk not just to my heart but to everything I thought I knew about my future.

Chapter 13

Frances

When Stella Romano said that her sister needed a girl’s day out, I had no idea what I was signing up for.

We started our Saturday morning with a trip to a spa, where I was massaged, plucked, and waxed in places that had no business being revealed to anyone—especially Lucky’s sisters. Stella never struck me as the spa-day type of girl, but I guess looking like a supermodel takes upkeep.

Like me, Annamaria didn’t seem particularly into it either, however something told me that saying ‘no’ to her big sister wasn’t in her vocabulary.

After a visit to the salon to get our nails and hair done, Stella advised that the next thing on our to do list was to grab a light lunch for which I was thankful for, since my stomach was in too many knots to eat for enjoyment.

Then, to top the day off, Stella made a few calls and managed to close down one of the fanciest boutiques in the city for what she calledretail therapy.

No matter how many times I reminded her that I couldn’t afford anything in that store, she brushed me off and insisted it was on her as a thank-you for coming to Annamaria’s rescue the day before.

Apparently, saying no to Stella wasn’t in my vocabulary either.

So now here I am, hiding behind a rack of clothes that wouldn’t fit my frame in a million years, with a basic scarf in my hands, hoping the purchase is enough to appease the eldest Romano.

“Are you having fun?” Annamaria asks softly, stepping up beside me.

I glance at Stella across the boutique, then shake my head.

“Yeah, me either,” Anna says, exhaling dramatically. “I know Stella means well, but this,” she says, gesturing at the racks of designer clothes, “isn’t me.”

“I figured,” I smile. “Didn’t seem like your sister’s thing either, to be honest.”

“It’s not,” she admits with a small frown. “But doing what Stellareallyenjoys to blow off steam isn’t exactly my thing, either.”

“What does she like to do?”

Anna hesitates, clearly unsure how honest she should be with me. But she must find me trustworthy because ends up telling me that Stella likes her daggers.

“Daggers?” I raise an eyebrow. “Like… actual knives?”

“Pretty much,” she shrugs. “She’d rather be throwing them at moving targets than stuck here buying clothes. But she knows I hate violence, so she thought this might cheer me up.”

“Even though you don’t like shopping either.”

“Nope. But at least she’s trying,” Anna says with a soft smile. “Stella always tries to make me happy.”

“But you’re not happy, are you?” She meets my gaze, her eyes sincere, and slowly shakes her head. “Is it because of what happened yesterday?”

“Partly,” she says, chewing her lip. “But mostly… it’s because I don’t really fit in. Not here. Not anywhere.”

I stare at her, contemplating her angel face and a heart made of gold. Ifshedoesn’t feel like she belongs, then where does that leave someone like me?

“Hey! What do you think of this one?” Stella suddenly appears, holding up a delicate baby-blue summer dress.

“It’s… nice,” Anna replies.

“‘Nice’?” Stella repeats with distaste, eyes narrowing at the dress. She tosses it back onto the rack. “Nice won’t cut it. I’ll find something better.”

“Stella, I told you, I don’t need any more clothes.”

“This isn’t aboutneed,it’s aboutwant.”

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