Page 10 of Corruption

He extends his hand, and I look to Adrian, who nods but is otherwise impossible to read. Both he and Addy are hard to read.

I give Vaughn my hand and he lifts it to his mouth and kisses it, caresses my hand without breaking eye contact with me.

“Vaughn,” he says with my hand still to his mouth. “You’re even more stunning in person than the pictures your father sent over.”

I try not to frown, but I’m not sure I’m able to stop myself. I’ve always been fairly good at reading people despite not having much of a social life growing up. And though Vaughn’s compliment is innocent and harmless enough, there’s something about it that makes me want to shiver in discomfort, especially with the way he doesn’t let go of my hand when I try to pull it away.

“Goodness, Vaughn. Let her hand go already. I think you’re frightening the pretty girl.”

I look away to find Nadia making her way over with her luscious, wavy burgundy red hair. The only way I can describe her voice is dreamy. Like she’s about to break out into song with every word.

“Nadia,” Alik says in clear warning, in a deep, smooth timbre that is the exact opposite of Nadia’s and yet the same.

“Well, he is. Honestly, just because she’s gift wrapped to be yours doesn’t mean you don’t have to woo her gently,” Nadia says with a disarming laugh that makes everyone chuckle. “Wear the sheep’s wool a little longer before revealing the wolf.”

Vaughn glares at Nadia, and Alik gives her a look that says he’s not pleased but used to his wife’s antics. Either way, I’m grateful because Vaughn does let go of my hand, and it takes everything not to snatch it back to me and try to rub away the place his lips touched my skin.

“They can get to know each other more over dinner,” Addy suggests, gracefully cutting the somewhat awkward moment.

Vaughn sits at the head of the table while Alik and Nadia sit to his left, and Adrian sits on the other side of Vaughn while I sit next to him. I’m close enough to Vaughn to talk to him, but Adrian serves as a buffer between us that I’m grateful for.

I remember the table etiquette I learned under the Fantonis as, after being served, everyone waits for Vaughn to begin eating first. Everyone except Bella, who’s already eating bread and asking her mother to butter it for her. But she’s three and no one expects her to understand the expected decorum.

Eventually, everyone begins to talk in their own pockets of conversation with the people near them while I watch and observe. Adrian and Vaughn are talking about business. Specifically, Adrian is talking about the failure of an associate that he had to send Viper, the Fantonis’ mysterious and personal enforcer, to go deal with. Addy is talking about the logistics of her shipping routes with Nadia. How she diverts her legitimate makeup and beauty products from her illegitimate drug products.

It's no secret to anyone here that this is a table full of criminals, but the openness with which they talk about their business still stuns me.

We’re halfway through the main course when Nadia suddenly says, “So, tell us about yourself, Kiya. I’m sure Vaughn is eager to learn more about his future wife.”

He doesn’t seem particularly eager to me, but I answer Nadia anyway.

“What do you want to know?”

“Where are you from? What are your hobbies? I know you didn’t live with Adrian until recently… the last year, right?”

“I…” I trail off and pretend to be shy like Addy advised me to be if I needed to think about a detail. When I’m sure I won’t mess up, I say, “I grew up in Middle Georgia. The Warner Robins and Macon area.”

“Oh,” Nadia says, perking up. “Alik and I were thinking about some land in that area since it’s so cheap and a nice change of pace from the city. I used to hate those kinds of places, but as I get older, I find myself wanting the change of pace. I’d like to get closer to nature, if you will.”

“I guess… if you like cockroaches.”

Nadia laughs and says, “I’m a bit of a horticulture enthusiast when I have the time.”

“A bit?” Alik mutters. “When spring rolls around, we won’t be able to keep you out that damn garden. Playing with your plants and drying things out for your teas and perfumes.”

Nadia pointedly ignores her husband. “Maybe you can show us around if we ever get to looking seriously.”

“Or you can hire a tour guide to see what little is down there. I have no intentions of going back to Georgia. Ever,” I say before I can think about it.

I sneak a glance at Adrian to make sure I haven’t done anything wrong, but he’s impossible to read as always.

Nadia pouts. “Not even for your sister-in-law.”

“You’re not my sister-in-law yet. And not even then.”

“Someone hates her hometown,” Alik comments, giving me his total attention instead of just the vague curiosity he was displaying when Nadia first began talking.

“Hate is too kind a word,” I mutter.

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