Page 56 of His Game (His Obsession 1)

There was an uproar of greetings as we entered the space, and I immediately spotted the birthday boy sitting at the head of a long table with a cigar in his mouth and a crown on his head. And not like a paper crown that you buy at a party store, but one that appeared to be pure gold with different colored stones at the tip of each peak.

If I were a betting girl, I would put my money on that thing being actual real gold and gemstones.

The man wearing it had skin like leather and a sunken mouth, but when he spotted Luca, he smiled wide, revealing a lack of teeth. It transformed his face, his cloudy eyes sparkling as he tried to get up without upsetting his crown. "Come here, boy!" he yelled in a strong Italian accent.

Taking my hand, Luca made his way through the crowd of people to greet his uncle. "Ciao, zio. How are you?" Still holding my hand, he kissed him on both cheeks.

"I might actually make it to my birthday," the man exclaimed. Then his watery eyes landed on me. "And who is this bella ragazza?"

"This pretty girl," Luca translated for me with a wink, "is Nicole.” The name slid naturally from his lips. "Amore, meet my favorite uncle."

The elderly man took both of my hands in his and kissed my knuckles. "Ah, it's so nice to meet you, Nicole," he told me. "I'm Aldo."

"Thank you for letting me crash your party," I told him.

"Did you bring me a gift?" he asked.

I pressed my lips together and shook my head. "No. Sorry." And I really was. "Luca didn't give me a chance to go shopping."

He waved his hand toward his nephew with a "Pfft. Of course he didn't. If he's smart, he won't let you out of his sight."

Oh, if you only knew.

"You come sit here by me," he told me. "I'm the most interesting person at this party anyway."

"Now that I believe," I told him sincerely.

As I took my chair, Luca leaned down and told me, "I'm going to leave you in my uncle's trusted hands for a moment. I'll be right back." Then, putting his mouth right against my ear, he said, "Remember where you are. These are not the people who will save you."

Icy fingers trailed down my spine as Luca walked away. I watched him touch the sleeve of another man—quite a bit shorter than Luca and with darker hair—then lean in to say something. The man nodded and excused himself from the lady—and I mean that loosely—he was with. The other women there were giving her just as much side-eye as I was. I guess even mobsters had some standards. With a last glance in my direction, Luca followed the other man and the two of them went out a side door.

I felt Luca's uncle pat my hand. "Don't you worry, Luca has some business to discuss with my other nephew, and then he'll be right back. Until then, you're safe here with me. We'll order some drinks, and you can tell me all about yourself." He waved to the waiter who'd just appeared at the table and was taking more drink orders.

"I'd much rather hear about you," I told him. And I meant it. Looking like my sister was one thing. I'd dealt with that my entire life. Pretending to be anything more...I wasn't sure I could do it without bursting into tears. For her. And for me.

He ordered us some wine, and then with a wink, he said, "I'll tell you about my boyhood growing up in Italy."

"I would really love that," I said in all honesty. And I settled in to hear his stories.

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