“What’s wrong?” he mouthed. I pulled his gaze with mine over to his aunt and my mother, who were now glaring at one another fifteen feet apart.
He was across the room before I could even blink. He leaned over the bar with his back to them.
“What do you know?”
“I’m not really sure.” I was still frozen in place.
“Where’s Vinni?”
“I-I don’t know.” I stumbled over his question.
“Look around,” he ordered as he calmly sipped his drink.
I closed my eyes and tried to focus on what he wanted me to do, then opened them and searched the crowd until I spotted him rocking out with a friend.
“On the dance floor.”
“Good, now keep your eyes on him and only him.”
“Why?”
“Because I said so.” I let out a frustrated breath but did as I was told because Elio only got bossy when something was going on.
“Wait, what doyouknow?”
“I understand enough that you shouldn’t have seen what you just did, so keep your eyes on Vinni until whatever you saw is finished.”
“Why?” I leaned back and studied Elio’s stony expression, frustrated that he had stopped sharing.
“You want to be a part of this life, right?” I nodded as he spoke through gritted teeth. “Then you need to know how to deal with situations like these when they happen. I see what you’re seeing, but like you, I know nothing,” he explained. “Elenora arriving is like a spider spinning a web. It’s catching lots of attention, and flies are getting tangled up in it. So, for now, we sit back and watch and gather as much information as possible, because moving too fast will only scare away the truth.”
“Was that so hard?” I couldn’t help the hurt in my tone.
He lowered his drink and finally looked at me now that Elenora walked away.
“You also need to know how to take orders.” His gaze skimmed my cleavage as his tongue darted out to catch a drop from his bottom lip. Everything inside me coiled tight as the memory of him inside me made my skin heat. “I’ve spent a lifetime keeping this part of my life away from you. It’s not ingrained in me to share it easily.”
“But look at how much I listen when you do.” I held my dirty expression for another beat then pushed off the bar. I stopped short when my mother suddenly appeared in front of me.
Jesus.
“I was hoping we could spend a little more time together.”
“I’m willing.”
She looked at Elio then back to me. “As long as I’m not interrupting anything.”
“Not at all.” Elio smiled warmly then left us alone.
“Do you mind if we step outside?”
“Sounds good.” I followed her outside and along a small path that led us away from the music and constant chatter. Crickets chirped happily, and tiny fireflies flickered through the sunflower fields. As dark as the mafia life might be, there were many aspects of living here that were absolutely stunning.
“I love these.” She brushed her finger along the petal of a six-foot flower that stared up at the night sky. “These and white roses are my favorite.”
“Me too, but I like red roses.”
“My mother always had a dozen red roses on the dining room table.” She lowered her head. “She died a few years after we left.”