Page 81 of Devious Kingpin
“It's a good thing you warned me,” Tatiana answered, her hand at her hip, “I was about to drop my clothes and parade around naked for dinner.”
Illias chuckled, then pulled her into a hug. “Then I’d have to dig DiLustro’s eyeballs out.”
“Truthfully, he doesn’t need them,” his wife claimed mischievously as she pecked him on the cheek. “Nice to see you, Dante DiLustro. Heard you snagged yourself a wife recently. In Vegas, nonetheless.”
“You know what they say,” Konstantin remarked. “What happens in Vegas, stays in Vegas.”
I couldn’t help rolling my eyes, but my insides twisted watching them interact so affectionately. Would my wife and I ever be like this? If only they knew what actually happened in Vegas, they wouldn’t exactly joke about it.
Tatiana didn’t cook dinner, but she did set the table. She ordered a five-course Italian meal in my honor. Very thoughtful. But for some reason I couldn’t comprehend, she insisted on proper plate settings and utensils. Way too many utensils.
She even drew a diagram, then ensured both her husband and I understood it. I wanted food, not a fucking lesson on place settings.
“Why are you doing this again?” I asked, my temples throbbing harder.
“Well, I’m going to have royalty coming into the world soon,” she announced. My eyebrows popped in surprise. I didn’t realize Tatiana knew royalty. “They have to learn those things from an early age.”
I blinked, staring at her dumbly. Slowly, I dragged my eyes to her belly, then back to her face. From all I heard, pregnancy made women hormonal and cranky, not crazy. Right?
I opened my mouth to say something when I caught sight of Konstantin’s expression. Subtly, he shook his head and I closed my mouth. The oddest fucking thing ever. Was the Pakhan appeasing his wife?
Tatiana chatted through the entire goddamn dinner and the topics were all over the place. From the latest fashion show in Paris and Nico Morrelli’s twins breaking into their father’s safe, to something happening in Europe that she was desperate to attend. The abrupt changes of topic gave me whiplash until I finally stopped listening.
Instead, I tuned her out and planned my next move on finding the fuckers who’d hurt Juliette. Tomorrow, I’d kill them.
Then I’d go back home to my wife.
Tatiana wiped her mouth with a napkin, her eyes darting to the clock before she stood.
“Yikes, I’ve got to call Isla,” she announced, standing up. She gave Konstantin a pointed look. “Don’t eavesdrop. Understood?”
“Would I ever?”
She shook her head. “In a heartbeat.”
As she passed me, Tatiana offered a smile. “Nice seeing you.”
When I turned back to Konstantin, his eyes were still on his wife. “Some might call you whipped,” I remarked dryly.
He didn’t seem offended at all, his smile widening. “I’d put all my money on the fact you’re familiar with the feeling.” My annoyance ratcheted up at his observation. “Don’t worry. I’m in too good of a mood to give you a hard time about it.”
“Thanks,” I said.
His phone buzzed and he picked it up. “Aha, right on time.”
I gave him a curious look. “What is?”
He flicked a gaze my way, typing on his phone. “I got you information on the two names.”
Surprise washed over me. “Why would you care?”
A sardonic breath left him. “Believe it or not, I don’t tolerate men that touch women, girls—anyone—without their consent. The previous senator found an early death because of it. It’s disappointing that his son didn’t learn his lesson.”
I slid my phone open, my eyes skimming over the information. “Dead?” I muttered.
“Within the last year,” Konstantin remarked casually. “Peculiar timing, huh?”
Indeed.
