Page 14 of Devious Kingpin
My eyes widened. Ivy never—fucking ever—held back. It had to be something bad. The memories of the one secret I’d never shared flickered in my mind and dread pooled in the pit of my stomach.
“Ivy, did he hurt you?”
Her eyes flew my way, an undignified look in them. “No! As if I’d ever let him.”
The knot in my stomach loosened and I let out a relieved breath. If he’d hurt her, I’d have to murder him. “You’ll tell me if you need help?” She didn’t turn to look at me, so I shifted slightly to lock eyes with her. “Ivy, repeat after me.Juliette, I will tell you if I need your help.”
“Yes, yes. Of course,” she grumbled exasperatedly.
We sat in thick silence, tense yet comfortable as we watched the guests socializing, laughing, and basically making us feel like we might actually be missing out. Some danced. Like Autumn and Alessio. The two couldn’t keep their hands off each other.
My gaze darted to my brother who stood with his fiancée, Branka Russo. I frowned. I really liked Branka, but I couldn’t seem to picture my brother and her for the rest of their lives. They just seemed too stiff around each other. I wondered what Alessio thought of his sister marrying Killian.
My brother said something and Branka turned toward him. The smile on her face was forced. Almost painful. Maybe I should help Killian.
“I’ll be right back,” I told Ivy and headed in their direction. Branka’s hair was styled in a fancy updo and her makeup was immaculate. She looked breathtaking. Closing the distance with the two of them, I smiled.
“Nice hair,” I said. “Will you wear it that way for your wedding?”
She met my eyes and something in their depths reminded me of that exact feeling I got every time I thought about a man on top of me: chest squeezed tight. Panic swelled. My ears buzzed.
My gaze shot to my brother. Could he see it? He didn’t see it in me and something told me he didn’t see it in Branka.
“Not sure.” Branka murmured her answer. Killian excused himself and left us to our conversation. It was clear he didn’t have much interest in the wedding either.
“What are we not sure about?” Autumn said as she joined our group. She looked beautiful in her wedding dress, but it was her face that stole the show. She fucking glowed.
“Wedding hair,” Branka replied, forcing another smile.
“Ah.” Autumn smiled in understanding and reached over to give her best friend’s hand a squeeze. “We have a little time to decide.”
I kept my expression blank. Killian and Branka’s wedding was fast approaching and we were down to weeks, but I didn’t point it out.
Instead, I just said, “Congratulations. It seems as though it’s the season of weddings. Davina, Wynter, Autumn, next is Killian. I don’t know if I can take much more of it.”
Wynter and Ivy joined in.
“You’ll take more of it and like it,” Ivy said wryly. My eyes shot her way. Didn’t she just complain about the weddings herself? Talk about whiplash. “Stop being a wedding grinch.”
My eyebrows jumped up to my hairline.
“I’m not a wedding grinch,” I insisted. “But you have to admit. It’s all a bunch of fuss for nothing.”
Wynter being Wynter had an answer for that. “It’s not for nothing. Two human beings pledge their love and devotion to one another for the rest of their lives.”
I rolled my eyes. “And when life is cut short? For either husband or wife. How do you move on?”
“Well, you continue with the knowledge that he or she would want you to be happy.”
What a bunch of bollocks. She didn’t actually believe her husband would want her to carry on without him. Did she? All you had to do was look at Basilio to know that fucker would come back to life just to chase any man away from Wynter.
“I wouldn’t.” Branka’s voice cut my train of thought and my attention shifted to her.
“What do you mean?” Ivy asked what we were all thinking.
“I wouldn’t want him to move on. Fuck that shit.” God, I loved it when she cursed. “I’d demand he get in the fucking casket with me. Together forever, life or death.”
I didn’t know whether to be worried for my brother or laugh. The images of a dead person ordering anyone to get in their casket had me bursting into laughter.
