Page 189 of The Slayer
Nova laughed. “Too much. No Feds. It feels so good to just let my guard down here, and your mother—”
Chuito shook his head. “No.”
“Is easily the hottest woman at this party,” Nova went on as if Chuito hadn’t said anything, but then he leaned forward and gave Alaine the same wide, devious smile. “With the exception of the bride, of course. You know I think you’re gorgeous.” Nova’s gaze dipped to the low cut of her neckline. “That dress—”
“Go dance with my mother,” Chuito said dismissively. “One dance.”
“One,” Nova agreed as he leaped up, for once seeming more like Tino than a man who had the weight of the world on his shoulders. “Maybe two.”
“Nova—”
“Just two,” Nova promised as he walked away.
Alaine giggled next to him. “Your mother is very beautiful. Stunningly so.”
“Ay Dios mio, don’t tell her that.” Chuito groaned. “’Cause she knows it. Italians everywhere and she had to find the one who was in charge. Typical.”
“I like your mother,” Alaine said softly next to him. “Very much.”
“Yeah, I like her too,” Chuito said with a smile. “Even if she’s a magnet for trouble. Must be genetic.”
“Must be.” Alaine laughed as she leaned into him and whispered, “Dance with me.”
“Absolutely, Mrs. Garcia.” Chuito stood and held out his hand to her. “Let’s lose the bag.”
“I’m terrified to set it down,” Alaine said as Chuito pulled her to her feet. “There are a lot of envelopes in here.”
“We’ll get someone to hold it.”
They found Tino on the dance floor, and Chuito cut into the dance he was sharing with Junior’s sister to ask, “Will you hold the bag for Alaine?”
“Sure.” Tino stepped away from his dancing partner, pulling Chuito to the side as he lost some of the ready humor that came to him so easily when he needed it to. “You’re enjoying it, right? The wedding.”
“Yeah.” Chuito grinned. “Best day of my life.”
“Good,” Tino whispered as he looked down for a moment, his smile genuine. “That’s good. That makes me happy, Chu.”
Chuito squeezed his shoulder before he went back to Alaine, because Tino was still struggling with the guilt.
He pretended not to notice Tino slipping an envelope in the bag when he thought Chuito wasn’t paying attention. Then Chuito forgot about it completely when Alaine wrapped her arms around his neck and said, “I love dancing with you.”
Because he loved dancing with her too.
Chapter Forty-Eight
Alaine ditched her shoes early on in the dancing, because heels and lawn didn’t play well together. It felt so good to dance barefoot in the Florida sunshine with Chuito.
It made her feel wild and free, like for the moment nothing could touch them. She more than anyone knew that wasn’t true; two days ago her love story had nearly turned into a tragedy.
Now it felt more like a fairy tale, a loud and boisterous fairy tale where all the princes were packing heat, even at a wedding, or maybe especially because of the wedding. Even Chuito had a gun. She felt it under his tuxedo jacket, but she didn’t dwell on it.
Not when Chuito looked like he did, that expensive, tailored black tux making his chest look so broad and imposing. Alaine was almost ready to skip past the wedding party and get to the honeymoon, because dancing with him always made her hot.
It reminded her of years of teasing, and even though they had an audience, they danced like they were alone in their Garnet prison. She was soft in his arms, letting him lead and moving to the music that felt so much more appropriate here in Miami…like the final piece to the puzzle.
As strange as it was, Alaine felt like she’d found home.
The place she had been searching for when she’d packed up her stuff and moved into the little apartment above Jules’s office. At best, life was unpredictable right now. At worst it was terrifying, but she still felt like it was where she was supposed to be.
