Page 24 of Vengeance

When I wake up the next morning, he’s gone—back to being Pray’s Viper—and I have to go back to being his enemy, Addy Bianchi.

10

Dele

“W

hen this is all over,” Bella begins as she helps me pin up my hair for tonight. I didn’t want to bother with a bunch of people and stylists as an event like this should have dictated.

She repeats in a more wistful tone, “When this is all over and after you’ve have the baby, I’m going to take you all to Italy to see our ancestral and family home. Meet the rest of our extended family back in Italy. Go to the beach. The salty water and air and all the fresh food will be good for you. Allow you to relax. Especially after you have the baby.”

“I really can’t see that far into the future right now, Bella,” I say honestly, allowing myself to run a hand over my stomach as it tightens with the false contractions I’ve been having for weeks now.

“I can’t believe I’m agreeing with Adrian Blake on something, but he’s right. Everything’s going to be fine. If you can’t trust him, you can trust me. Women in our family have always had easy, uncomplicated childbirths.”

“You forget I’m not related to you, don’t you?”

“Now who ever came up with such an unsubstantiated rumor?” Bella asks and continues before I can possibly argue with her. “You’ll be fine. And I’ll be right there with you being such an overbearing older cousin when everything happens and advocating for you every step of the way that your doctor is going to try to throw me out.”

I laugh and say, “I suppose.”

“Now come on. Last big thing before you can rest for the rest of the month until the baby gets here.”

I stand from my vanity and head downstairs to greet the children before I’m off to the grand launch of my new luxury makeup brand at my salon. The last big event and party that I’ll show my face at before “taking a break” to give birth and before hopefully there’s enough in place for Viper to make a move against Pray without being instantly killed by the guards and mercenaries that Pray keeps around him.

“Behave for the nanny,” I say to my eight-year-old twins.

Next to them, Bella’s daughter, Velia, huffs and says, “I still don’t see why I can’t go.”

“When you’re older,” I assure. “It’s not a party for children.”

“What do people do at adult parties that’s different from children parties?” Lady asks.

“The things only adults can do,” I reply much to Lady’s chagrin. “Besides, they’re not all you think they are. I rather be here with you guys tonight.”

“Then why are you going?” Leon asks.

“Because just like you don’t want to go to school, sometimes adults have to do things they don’t want,” I reply. I bend over and kiss them both on the forehead. “I’ll see you later tonight.” Then, because these are my children, I add, “Behave.”

They both give me innocent smiles that I know better than to trust, but I have no time to reinforce my rules as I’m ushered out to the ride that will take us to the salon for the makeup launch.

Most people who are supposed to be at the launch are already there and no sooner than I step out the car am I ushered into the building where I’m immediately crowded by people wanting to talk to, congratulate, and possibly network with me. I graciously go with it anticipating having the excuse of being away from the public eye while waiting to give birth and a little afterward. Though, as far as the public is going to be concerned, I’m just taking a little rest and recuperation after working so hard all these months and years while never taking a break.

Eileen is never far from me the entire night, constantly making sure that I keep a glass of alcohol in my hand the entire night. Periodically, I toss it in a plant or trash and switch out when another server comes by to keep up appearances. All the while I keep the servers bringing around hors d'oeuvres in sight because I’m constantly famished nowadays.

Bella is making rounds to the people I’ll inevitably be unable to get to the rest of the night.

“Is it almost midnight?” I ask Eileen.

“Two more hours,” she says.

I sigh, about to say something before feeling the buzz of my phone in my pocket. I take it out to see Nadia Vorobev is calling me.

It’s no mystery how she got my phone number. A woman with her connections could get it if she wanted to. And though I had no intention of ever contacting her, I put her number in my phone for prudency’s sake. Having access to the sister-in-law of the current Russian mafia boss could come in handy. But I had never expected her to call me. Not this soon. Maybe not ever.

It’s the abnormality of it that makes me pick up the phone.

“Addy,”Nadia says as soon as I pick up the phone.“You need to get out of there now. He’s there. In the city. Vaughn made a deal. Alik tried to stop him but—”

---