Page 83 of Wrathful King
“To watch over her,” she rasped, her gaze distant. “To protect her.”
It pissed me off that our parents hung their sins and crosses on us.
“You hit Dante for calling your sister inadequate. You almost spent your eighteenth birthday in a jail cell because of some asshole being grabby with your sister.” A sardonic breath left me. “You’ve been protecting her, Reina, and you’ve done a good job. But now it’s time to take care of yourself. Trust me when I say Phoenix will be fine.”
She took her bottom lip between her teeth, chewing on it while considering my words.
“I can’t let anything happen to her,” she whispered, the fight leaving her.
“Nothing will.” Maybe I had no right making that promise, but fuck it, Phoenix should have at least told her sister her plans and that she was okay, knowing how close they were. I looked around at the people still staring at us. My eyes landed on Lykos Costello, who slid his hands into the pockets of his Italian suit and started to make his way to us. “I’ll send a note to my men and have them scout the area. Just in case it was her. Okay?”
“Thank you.”
Lykos stopped right behind Reina, and I promptly pulled her into my side.
“Hello, Amon,” he greeted me, his eyes on my wife. “I didn’t expect to see you here.”
“Lykos,” I returned the greeting, my voice tight. “We’re on our honeymoon.”
His expression remained a firm mask, untelling whether he’d heard what happened. The Greek mobster liked to keep to himself. It was probably what helped his operation and subsequent business dealings run problem-free. With the Omertà’s families and the Yakuza, there was always some sort of diplomacy going on with other alliances.
“Yes, I heard you got married. Kidnapped your bride.” He offered Reina a sly smile, which only made me want to paw it off his face. He had no right addressing her, and if he thought I’d stand by and let him disrespect me, he had another thing coming. “I can understand why, now that I’ve seen her.”
Reina’s cheeks flushed, and for a second, I forgot to breathe. If we lived two hundred years, she’d still take my breath away. She was truly my yang, my oxygen, my life.
“Sorry I snapped at you earlier,” she muttered, extending her hand. “I’m Reina.”
Lykos’s lips curved into a grin. “Ah, that’s right. Reina Romero. I’ve heard about you.” He took her hand into his. “Pleasure to meet you.”
Then the fucker dared to bring her hand to his lips, bending his head like some medieval fucking knight. Reina stiffened, and before he could make contact, I yanked her hand out of his grip.Kiss your own hand, motherfucker.
Judging by the light dancing in his eyes, Lykos knew precisely what he was doing. He let out an amused breath.
“I see your husband’s possessiveness has followed him across the seas,” he remarked wryly.
“I give him a run for his money, so you’d better not kiss his hand either.” She kept her tone light and her expression even lighter, but there was a seriousness in her tone. My fierce queen.
A deep laugh tore from his throat. “You found yourself a match, Amon Takahashi Romero.”
His eyes returned to my face, and with Reina no longer the focus of his attention, I found myself relaxing.
“I see news travels fast,” I said, tightening my hold on Reina, who leaned further into me, keeping her eyes on Lykos.
“It does, but this is news I’m quite satisfied by.” My brows shot up in surprise. “It’s the best of both worlds. You being head of the Romero family and the Yakuza. Your cousin was a dumbass.” I had to agree with that, which was why my cousin was no more. “And no offense, but Romero wasn’t exactly the best businessman.”
“Hey,” Reina protested. “You do realize he’s our papà, right?” Her brows furrowed, then she smiled sheepishly. “That sounds wrong, doesn’t it? He’s actually Amon’s biological father, but he raised me. For all intents and purposes, he’s mine as well.” She shot me a look tainted with guilt. “Sorry.”
I let out a chuckle. “It’s okay.”
“I don’t want him to think we’re siblings.”
“That’s reassuring,” Lykos drawled. It was probably the last thing Lykos cared about. “By the way, very curious that I’m seeing you here considering I saw Dante earlier today.”
I feigned surprise. “Get out. Really?” He shot me a suspicious look while Reina tensed next to me. “I thought he was back in Italy.”
There was one long-standing rule that everyone in the underworld abided by.Give the courtesy of a heads-up to the head of the mafia in whichever country you’re visiting. Anything less might be perceived as a direct attack on them, a threat on their territory.
“Hmmm.” Yeah, he totally wasn’t buying it.
