Freaky as hell.
Savages.
Phoenix walked by then with Cruz Martinez, I tried not to gape, but the guy didn’t visit often which in my drunken state did not cause warm fuzzies to erupt. If anything, it meant there was trouble, and where there was trouble, there was Phoenix Nicolasi.
He held a black folder in his right hand.
Cruz snatched it away and opened it just as one of the Sinacore made men sauntered over; the guy had slayed half the bridal party—sexually, not actually killed them.
My lips twitched. Damn Sicilians, they knew how to score, I’d give them that much. All blue eyes, dark skin, and slicked-back hair, but this one? He was about our age; he had nothing but easy smiles and winks for the ladies, but now? Now, he looked lethal as he grabbed the folder and paled.
“Spying?” Junior whispered.
I sighed. “Let me spy in peace.”
“You’re slurring, and you don’t even know it.”
I shoved him away and stumbled to an empty chair that looked out onto the Puget Sound, laying my head back against the wood.
It didn’t take long for me to start spying again out of pure anguish, drunkenness, and boredom.
A guy I’d never seen before was currently making out with one of the cousins from the Alfero side, he was making her laugh, and it pissed me off that everything he did looked so fucking easy.
Every small caress of his fingertips.
Every lick of his lips as he leaned down and whispered something in her ear.
“He’s hot.” Izzy plopped down next to me. “Like so hot that I felt the need to point it out to every single girl in residence, where the hell did he come from?”
“No.” I jabbed a finger at her. “Just. No.”
“But—”
“—No,” I barked, earning the attention of a few people around us, including the mystery dude my little sister was currently checking out. He whispered one last thing to the girl he was flirting with; her smile fell, and then he turned his lethal eyes toward Izzy.
Oh, hell no, he was dying today.
He didn’t walk—he sauntered toward us, and I swear to all that’s holy it was like Izzy was watching him in slow motion as her jaw hung open.
The minute he was in front of us, I shot to my feet. “She’s taken.”
He held up his hands. “Wasn’t offering.”
My eyes narrowed. “Do I know you?”
His smile was slow, calculated. “Romeo Sinacore.”
Izzy let out a small gasp next to me.
Yeah, I knew of him, like the fucking black widow of the Sicilian mafia, he had just as many kills under his belt as I did, possibly more, but rumor had it they only sent him in to either go undercover or when he needed to flirt with some guy’s wife in order to gain intel.
Most made men shot first asked questions later.
Not Romeo Sinacore—no, he was rumored to use his body like a weapon, and his victims? They begged for death if only he kissed them, touched them, fucked them, one more time.
“You’re Ash, right? Ash Abandonato?” He crossed his arms in amusement like he didn’t literally have what looked like blood splatters on his hands; what the hell?
I plopped back on my seat, my eyebrow arching as I jerked my head toward his hands. With a curse, he shoved them in his pockets. Amused, I plopped back in my seat. He’d fit in just fine around here. “Yup, that’s me—look take your Casanova ways and point them in any direction away from my baby sister—feel me?”
“Unfortunate—” He winked down at her. “I’ve heard Abandonato women are great in be—”
I jumped back to my feet, ready to swing at him.
He jerked back, hands up, and burst out laughing. “I’m kidding, and that’s fine; I’m not here for pleasure anyway…” He eyed Izzy up and down one last time before whispering out, “Pity.”
And then he was gone.
Izzy had gone still as a statue next to me.
I wasn’t sure how long we stayed like that, but soon we were surrounded by my friends, my cousins, all of them trying to cheer me up as we swapped stories about growing up.
“Remember the time Ash stole all that beer from his dad?” Maksim laughed. “I came home so drunk, my dad refused to speak to me for a full week. I think it was worse than getting shot at.”
“Bro, you’re just pissed because he took away your calculator.” Junior laughed, and everyone quickly joined in.
“True.” Maksim nodded. “I was working on a love potion, sue me.”
“Is that the same one that gave you hives?” Serena asked.
“Yup.” Maksim nodded and took a swig of beer. “On my ass.”
“And his dick.” Valerian came over and sat. “Oh wait, was that a secret?”
“Duuuuude!” King burst out laughing. Even he was happy after being pissed off at the world for a week. “Did you scar?”