Page 185 of The Slayer
“But I can deal with the bank?” Chuito laughed. “That’s okay? Using my credit cards doesn’t bother her, but having bank cards with her name on them does? She has an account that I put money in that she never uses. She puts everything on credit cards that cost interest. My credit cards.”
“You don’t have to deal with the bank if you don’t want to. That’syourchoice, Chu.”
“So you think I can go to the grocery store and cash my UFC checks?”
Marcos gave him an annoyed look. “Am I supposed to feel sorry for you about this?”
“Can you just get the card for me?” Chuito huffed in annoyance. “Mail it back to me. I do use that one.”
“You want me to jack my tiá’s credit card?” Marcos asked with an incredulous look. “Are you crazy?”
“It’smycredit card.”
“But you just gave it to her.” Marcos gestured to the hallway. “You keep handing them to her. Now you want me to jack the card she conned out of you fair and square. That’s bad formyhealth. I’m the motherfucker who has to live with her. You try taking them back if you need them so bad. Leave me out of it.”
“Forget it. Let her keep it.” Chuito waved off his entire family and got up. “I’m going back to bed. There is not enough coffee for this.”
Chapter Forty-Seven
Chuito and Alaine got married in his mother’s backyard the next day, because most of the party guests had just crashed in the other houses Chuito owned on the street.
So it actually turned out to be a big event even though it was thrown together so fast. His mother and Katie took Alaine shopping for a dress at the same time Tino and Nova dragged Chuito and Marcos out. The Italians’ obsession with suits had to be a genetic thing, because they enjoyed shopping way too much to be normal.
After that, everything just sort of came together with little to no effort and zero expense to Chuito.
The caterers.
The flowers.
The cake.
And a whole crew of wedding designers who turned his mother’s backyard into something that looked like it belonged in a bridal magazine. Never in a thousand years would Chuito have thought he was going to have a wedding that over the top, but that was what happened when Nova took on a project with Tino to help.
The Italians were just so fucking spoiled.
Everything they did was extravagant.
Chuito suspected half the shit was gifted to them, because he didn’t see Nova signing too many credit card slips, and everyone who showed up seemed to know him.
They all appeared obligated to him in some way.
Chuito was famous, but Nova was something different. People acted like doing favors for him was a huge fucking privilege.
But more than that, they all seemed to like him.
His crew of Italians that had stuck around for the party would probably lie down and die for him if Nova asked them to, and they’d be happy as fuck to do it. Chuito was starting to realize the reason Nova’s grandfather wanted him dead wasn’t because he’d killed his father.
The old man wanted him gone because Nova inspired loyalty.
Strong, unshakable, unquestionable loyalty, and it made him powerful.
Too powerful.
Chuito got it more than he should. Nova had fucked his mother the night before, but somehow Chuito was willing to forget about it because Alaine was beside herself with excitement. Without expecting it, or even asking for it, a fairy-tale wedding had bloomed up around her.
When Alaine was happy, Chuito was happy.
“Gracias,” Chuito said to Nova as he stood under the gazebo that had been erected.
