Page 37 of Scandalous Kingpin
“But—”
“We’ll get married in forty-eight hours. I’ll handle everything.”
Then he turned around and disappeared, leaving me alone in his home. I thought he’d be back, but as the hours passed, it was clear that he wasn’t returning until the wedding.
“Maybe he’s old-fashioned and doesn’t want to see the bride before the wedding day,” I muttered to Cobra, who lifted her head from where she was curled up next to me. I sighed. “Yeah, the theory is far-fetched, but that’s all I got.”
Cobra laid her head back down, nuzzling her nose against me, and I sighed, going back tonotthinking about the fact that I’d be marrying Priest DiLustro in less than two days.
Throwing the book to the side, I reached for my phone and opened my Pinterest page, studying it sadly. The wedding board held all the hopes for my dream wedding. Down to the type of flowers and brand of scented candles. But it was the wedding dress and jewelry—my mother’s—that was the centerpiece.
Being born into the mafia world, I knew finding love with a man and creating a family with him was unlikely. My future was written the day I was born. But still, I dreamed and hoped that one day I’d fall in love and have a wedding fit for a princess.
Just like Athair used to call me.
A knock on the door stopped my train of thought. Cobra barked and I startled.
I jumped to my feet, Cobra right at my heel. My room was wrapped in darkness aside from the low light of the reading lamp. I flicked the rest on and padded out of the bedroom and through the empty penthouse.
I checked the peephole on the door, then let out a little squeal when I saw my girlfriends standing outside holding a bottle of wine and a plastic bag with Chinese.
“Cobra, our friends are here,” I said, beaming. And as if she understood me, she instantly sat down obediently and watched the door as I opened it.
I welcomed my friends into my arms, not caring that I was jostling the containers and probably sending sweet and sour sauce leaking onto the floor.
Juliette, Davina, and Wynter laughed, all of us a tangle of limbs as everyone spoke at the same time.
“Holy shit, you have a dog,” Davina remarked.
“Cobra is our newest gang member.” I glanced at my faithful companion and grinned, seeing her tail waggle excitedly. “Cobra, give kisses to our friends.”
Woof. Woof.In the next second, she was all over us, giving us unconditional love. The kind only dogs were capable of.
I pulled back to smile at my girls. “How did you know where I’d be?”
“Christian phoned me,” Wynter said, gently pushing me back into the penthouse behind the other two and kicking the door shut.
“He told you?” I asked, taking the bag of Chinese as Juliette took the bottle of wine, Davina rubbing a kink out of her back as she wobbled behind us.
Cobra’s attention zeroed in on the Chinese in my hand, running circles around me. The little rascal probably wanted to trip me so food would spill all over the floor and she’d have her second dinner.
Juliette and Wynter led us toward the kitchen and it occurred to me they’d been here before, which would make sense—Priest was Juliette’s brother-in-law and Wynter’s half brother after all.
Wynter winced slightly but recovered just as quickly. “Yeah, he told us about the wedding.” She took my hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. “Now we’re all family.”
“Who would’ve thought when we started our studies that we’d not only be best friends but also family?” Davina remarked.
“Life works in mysterious ways,” I mumbled, glancing at my companion. “Right, Cobra?”
She barked once, twice. I took it as her confirmation, but it was probably just her asking for some Chinese.
“We’re family, through thick and thin, and nothing will change that,” Juliette said, eyeing me meaningfully as she uncorked a bottle. “Okay?”
“Okay,” I confirmed, images of Christian torturing Vittoria flashing through my mind. Would Wynter be freaked out by his actions? She had been trying to rekindle the relationship between her mother and her brother, but I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d stop that if she knew what he had endured because her—their—mother abandoned him.
“What’s that?” Davina asked as we started pulling glasses and plates out for dinner.
“What?”
