Dante and I stared at him. If it wasn’t for the loud club music, I was pretty sure there would have been crickets sounding in the background to create the most awkward ambiance…ever. Lorik and Karina had been trying to get married for the last fucking year, but shit just sort of happened every goddamn time they tried to start with any kind of arrangements.
I took a large gulp of my drink, leaning back in the couch, when a waiter came up to us with shooter glasses on a tray. Before he even had the chance to offer me one, Lorik grabbed a shot from him and tossed it back.
“Jesus fucking Christ.” He pulled his face, then chased the shot of alcohol with his beer. “What the fuck was that?”
The waiter smirked. “It’s a Mexican Asshole.”
Dante snickered. “Or in your case, an Albanian Asshole.”
“Ha, ha, fucking ha,” Lorik mocked. “What the hell was in that drink? It feels like burning hellhound just took a dump in my mouth.”
The waiter straightened. “It’s tequila mixed with Tabasco sauce.”
Lorik frowned, looking dumbfounded. “Who, in the name of ever-loving Mary, would mix tequila with Tabasco?”
I laughed. “A Mexican Asshole, I guess.”
Lorik was unamused. Served him fucking right since he just grabbed a drink without even knowing what it was. That was what happened when you turned greedy and impatient. You fucked up and got burned.
Dante looked over his shoulder at the waiter. “They’ve been having a huge staff turnover ever since—”
“Yeah. I know.” I interrupted him before he could finish his sentence. The night Vadik’s minions killed the waitress in front of me and Lucio was still very much fresh in my mind. Poor girl. The only thing she did was being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Now she was buried somewhere, her face permanently placed on a missing person’s ad. Her family would never know the truth. Never have closure regarding her “disappearance.”
Unease settled in the pit of my stomach, and I turned my attention to Karina and Doe who stood by the barrier overlooking the club.
Doe’s dark purple dress fit her body like a glove, and her legs seemed like they went on for miles with the shoes she wore. A mental note was made to make sure she kept those on once we got home. Dress off. Sharp, high heels on…at all times.
“So, what’s the plan, brother?”
I focused my attention back on Dante. “I assume you’re referring to Vadik?”
He nodded.
“I’m sure the fucker will make an entrance soon enough.”
“Are we ready for him once he does?”
I placed my glass down on the side table. “I’m working on it.”
“What does that mean?’
I shrugged. “It means I’m working on it.”
Lorik and Dante looked at each other, their confused expressions annoying the fuck out of me. I shifted in my seat. “We’ve been trying to get a lead on him, but the man’s like a goddamn ghost. Truth is, I don’t even know if he will come for Doe.” Liar. I knew. I knew all too fucking well. He was coming for her. For her and that goddamn chip lodged under her skin.
Dante’s eyebrows slanted inward, studying me. “You don’t have a plan, do you?”
“I said I’m working on it.”
“Okay, then.” My brother got up and walked to the bar.
Lorik swallowed the last of his drink. “Trust the Valenti brothers to always piss on the party.” He joined Dante at the bar, and I turned my attention back to Karina and Doe still talking by the barrier. Doe laughed at something my sister said, and she looked absolutely stunning. It felt so fucking good to see her laugh. To see her smile. To see her just be a normal human being.
“She looks good.” Lucio sat down across from me.
“If you weren’t my cousin, I would have cut out your tongue for saying that about my woman.”
Lucio snorted. “It still feels fucking weird seeing you act all possessive and shit.” Then his face turned serious. “Why don’t you tell them? You know, about the chip?”