Page 117 of Till Death Do Us Part

“Fun,” his wife said, nodding toward the dance floor. “Everyone’s starting to dance now that we’ve left shore.”

Felice stood, holding his hand out to me. “Shall we?” When I took it, he excused us, and Tommaso nodded.

He moved us around the floor. “Your mouth is a loaded gun, Dino.”

I pushed back a little to gauge his face. “I didn’t mean to say it. I was nervous earlier, before we left, and on the ride, but it just slipped out.” My heart started pounding and I felt loopy with nerves again. “Is he going to be pissed you told me?”

He shrugged. “Depends on if he cares enough.”

“You don’t want a man like him caring enough about something you’ve done, I’m guessing.”

He nodded. “You don’t want a man like him to know you’re alive.”

“You’re close to him.”

“I’m only close to you.”

I could bring him to his knees in bed, but he could bring me to mine with his brutal honesty. The conviction behind his words stole my breath, but a small smile played on my lips. I felt like a love-drunk teenager.

He grinned and spun me out when a fast song started to play. We danced, ate, and Felice introduced me to some of the guests. Most of them were probably directly connected, like Cassio, Celso, Fredo, and Frankie, but some of them owned successful businesses in the city. Felice introduced them as “associates” of his.

Tommaso called Felice over. Not wanting to be close to him again, I decided to wait at the bar. Chicago passed by outside the windows, the yacht gliding over Lake Michigan with ease.

I turned toward a voice in my ear. Cassio. He was singing the song playing. He grinned at me when our eyes met.

“Want to show me what you got?” He nodded toward the dance floor.

“Why not?”

He could dance. He knew some fancy steps. I told him so.

“My Ma used to teach dance in the city,” he said. “You can’t be the son of a dance teacher and not know how to dance.”

“I’m sure there’s a law about that,” I said. “Some kind of penalty if it doesn’t happen.”

He laughed. “In her book of laws, yeah.”

He showed me a few steps, and before long, I had the dance down.

“Are you teaching Adelasia?” I asked.

“She doesn’t like me enough. She’d bite my hand and run away.”

“Elsa seems to bring out her happy.” I knew Elsa watched her sometimes. She never mentioned it, but I was sure Cassio paid her to do it. She needed the extra money.

“She more than likes Elsa,” he said. “She’s obsessed with her.”

I’d noticed it too. Sometimes I wondered if Adelasia’s mamma looked like Elsa. Maybe because of the similarities, Adelasia felt safe. Or close to her. It broke my heart. I knew how it felt to lose my mother, and I was older and understood what had happened. It seemed like Adelasia didn’t, and she was looking for something to fill the void.

“Stubborn.”

“What?” I wasn’t paying attention and had missed what he’d said.

“Elsa is fucking stubborn. A real pain in my ass.”

“A real pain, huh?”

He released me and stared at my face. “What are you trying to say?”

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