Page 127 of Devious Kingpin
His fingers wrapped around my wrist and brought my hand to his chest. Hard muscle. Warmth. A steady, strong heartbeat.
“It wasn’t a fucking lie,” he rasped. “None of it was a lie. Not for me.”
CHAPTER50
Dante
“Why in the fuck are you here?” I snapped at my cousin.
Basilio didn’t miss a beat. He shrugged, glancing over toward the table where his wife sat with Juliette. The two of us had taken a spot at the bar and kept watch over them.
“My wife wanted to see her cousin. I like to make her happy.”
My goddamn cousins and brother had an annoying way of getting in my business. Did I nag Basilio when he was killing everyone in search of Wynter? No, I let him do his thing. Why, then, for fuck’s sake, could he not let me do mine in peace?
It had been twenty-four hours since Juliette overheard our conversation. Of course, Basilio told Wynter and the latter insisted on coming to ensure my wife was okay. My. Wife. So here they were. They should all let me handle this shit and fuck off.
Soft laughter traveled through the air and my gaze pulled back to my wife. She had her mask on, her happy smile and relaxed posture. Like she had not a care in the world. Before Vegas, I wouldn’t have been able to spot the signs, but now, I could see them.
The way she shook her head. Or the way she gripped her drink. And she was antsy. Her eyes kept darting around the room, but she purposely ignored the bar section where Basilio and I were seated.
We were back at The Library at Gilt Bar.
A part of me was pissed off that she decided to bring her cousin here. This wasourfucking place. Our first lunch. Our first date.
Fucking Basilio. “I really wish you hadn’t come,” I gritted, reaching for my glass of scotch.
He chuckled. “My heart warms at how much you care.” I flipped him off, but he didn’t seem deterred from seeking answers. “Okay, so how pissed off is she?” he asked, flicking a glance toward my wife. “What did she damage?”
“She banged up the Rover but it was an accident.” Basilio’s lips twitched and the look in his eyes clearly said he didn’t believe me. It didn’t matter. Juliette said it was an accident and I believed her. She never bothered concealing the destruction of my property before.
“She’s too reckless. Impulsive, too,” Basilio stated for the hundredth time. It pissed me off every fucking time. “Those attributes mixed with our genes are a recipe for disaster. I just wonder if maybe you shouldn’t just let her be.”
I shot him a glare. “Like you let Wynter be?” My cousin searched for Wynter day and night—relentless and crazed.
“What do you see in her?” he questioned, further agitating me.
“Frankly, I didn’t know what you saw in your wife,” I hissed. “Did you hear me questioning you on it? Fuck no. So please, for the love of God, just accept her. Because Juliette isn’t going anywhere.” At least, I hoped.
In typical Basilio fashion, he didn’t let my outburst bother him. If I’d said something like this while he was searching high and low for Wynter, he’d have probably put a gun to my head. But as it was, Wynter calmed his crazy.
“Are you sure about that?” Basilio asked. “She just doesn’t seem like a woman that would stay put just because you told her to.”
I gritted my teeth. “She’ll stay.”
“And why is that?” When I narrowed my eyes on him, he added, “Just humor me,” when he knew I wasn’t going to answer him.
“I threatened war against her father.” Okay, it wasn’t my proudest moment, but family was one of the rare things that Juliette would protect. So I made it work for me. For us.
Both of us glanced back to the table where the girls were sitting.
“Jesus, you’re really aiming for an early death,” he muttered.
As if Juliette heard him, her eyes flitted our way only to glare at us, flip us off, then return her attention to Wynter.
My cousin let out a heavy sigh. “I have nothing against her, but I think maybe you should tell her what you like about her. What you love—” He gave me a pointed look. “Yes, we all know you love her. Trust me, a crazy DiLustro is usually an in-love DiLustro.”
And with that, he changed the subject, leaving me pondering on it.
