Page 13 of Gin & Trouble

“Seriously, Uncle D, take off the stupid Chewbacca mask.” Zach continued to stare at the woman.

I pulled it off and tucked the Wookiee head under my arm. The fresh air felt good on my sweat-soaked face.

“How many Dominatrix Vaders can there be?” he asked.

“No clue, but she’s a least a foot taller and Julia has bigger—” I bit back the thought. Zach was old enough to appreciate breasts, but I felt like a pervert drawing his attention to them. “Julia is curvier.”

“Curvier.Right.” He turned to me and shrugged. “Maybe she called off sick? Or is on break?”

“Come on. I have an idea.” I headed toward the merchandise booths. Julia had said she was working for a local comic book store. Hopefully, someone there would be able to point me in the right direction.

I rounded the corner and spotted her standing on a small stage, posing for photos with convention attendees. “She’s the one in the Boba Fett outfit.”

He followed my gaze. “How can you tell? She’s wearing a freaking Mandalorian helmet. I can’t even see her hair, let alone her face.”

“It’s her.” I’d spent a solid eight hours exploring every square inch of Julia’s body. I would have recognized her anywhere. “Looks like the only way I’ll be able to talk to her is to pay for a picture.”

“That line will take forever.” Zach held out his hand. “Can I borrow your phone for a minute?”

I handed it to him without thinking. Seeing Julia again had short-circuited my brain.

Zach snapped a picture of me, typed, and stared at the phone.

“Did you text her?” Part of me was mortified, but a larger part was impressed he’d potentially found a solution to my dilemma.

“Yeah. I told her you were here, but she must not have her cell—”

Julia startled, reached into her bikini top, and pulled out a phone. She stared at the screen for a second, then whipped her head around, likely searching for me.

My phone chimed.

Zach’s perpetual grin widened. “She said she’ll meet you at the food court in ten.”

Rather than continuing to stand there like some creeper, I headed toward the smells of grease and grilled meat. “Hungry?”

“Yes. I’m freakin’ starved.” Zach flashed me a grin that reminded me so much of his father, I wished I’d put the mask back on to hide my expression.

My brother, Joe, had taken me to my first gaming convention. He’d passed away before he had the chance to introduce Zach to the wild and weird world of cons, it seemed only right—and so damned wrong—that I did the honors.

It’d been almost three years since Joe and Rebecca, Zach’s parents, were murdered. The mob hit, orchestrated by a rival family, had orphaned three children and changed my life forever. Joe had been more than a brother to me. I’d looked up to him like he was a superhero.

Sooner or later, Sophia Abruzzo and her entire family will pay.

I handed Zach some cash and pointed to an empty table.

He shoved the money into his back pocket. “Thanks. I’m going to get a pizza. You want anything or are you waiting for Julia?”

“A bottle of water.”

Zach nodded and walked away.

I couldn’t figure out what had happened with Julia. I’d wanted to meet her in person for months, but had put it off. Partly because I was chickenshit, but mostly for her safety. Deep in my bones, I knew once I stared into her eyes, I’d never want to let her go. Andthatwas an impossibility until I knew for absolute certain my family had broken ties with the mafia.

Once I’d worked up the courage to ask her, it’d taken me a while to convince Julia to go out with me. The date had hands-down been the best night of my life—until she bailed the next morning.

Zach handed me a water bottle and plopped down in an empty chair. “So what’s the plan?”

“We hang out until Julia takes her lunch break, and then you scram.”

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