“Now, that I can agree with. Just not sure if I’ll be able to follow through on the damn request you aren’t even making. Draw a line, Rome. And make it as clean as you slitting a throat. A request for an untouchable should always be that way.”
He made sense. Bastian always made sense. He was the immaculate, controlled head of the new mob. New in that they wielded their power with reason, built allies instead of enemies, and ran a flawless business. It was a new reign, and for the first time I saw the appeal. A smart man cloaked his request with a compliment and befriended the man he knew could leave him open to be murdered.
I wanted to gut him for it. I wanted to hug the fucker too.
“She does all this shit on purpose, I swear,” I grumbled and ran a hand through my hair. “If I didn’t know better, I’d say she was pulling all our strings. What the hell are we doing here picking out a damn dress?”
Cade chose that moment to amble back over. He didn’t glance away from the phone in his hand as he typed, but he did manage to add, “I sent her a list of designers she could choose from. She said she had to try everything on and refused to have it all delivered because it was a waste of money.”
Mario and the saleslady had also returned, both laughing at something Mario had told the woman. His Italian accent, his gray hair and bright smile, and his strong posture always charmed women, even if they were half his age. “What are you talking about, Cade? Waste of money? Don’t be ridiculous.”
“Katie said it. Not me,” Cade replied almost robotically.
“Said what?” The woman of the hour popped her head out from behind the dressing room’s sleek black door. “I need help with my dress.”
Bastian searched her face, like he was reading whether or not she wanted him to be the one to offer.
“Oh, yes! It has a very intricate back.” The saleswoman jumped at the chance to play mother hen. I tried not to smirk.
Katie looked like a deer caught in the headlights. “Well, actually . . .” She cleared her throat and then wide-eyed all of us.
Bastian folded, bastard that he was. He cracked his neck and waved the lady off before he grumbled to me, “Draw the line, Rome, or you’ll end up lying in a pool of your own regret.”
I stared at that door like I stared at victims I was about to put a bullet through. I contemplated the repercussions of banging it down and telling them both to stop fucking around with my emotions.
But Bastian was right. I hadn’t claimed her as an untouchable, and that was something that never changed within the family. We didn’t have many ties to the outside world. Our men were supposed to be loners. Family was family, and that was it. Except for the women we loved. Except for the kids we had.
Untouchables.
It was a list that wasn’t taken lightly. Mario had swiftly ended men’s lives when they harmed or got into bed with another man’s untouchable. It made for trust between us, and it made for a hard line too.
But Katie was something different, a part of all of us already.
As if to solidify my thoughts, our watchman texted and said the area was still clear, that he was stopping in. Two seconds later, the boutique’s bell jingled to signal Dante walking in. My eyes had stayed on that door long enough to know we weren’t in any danger, but the bell still put me on high alert.
“Where’s our Cinderella? I haven’t seen that girl in a minute.” Dante’s white smile popped as his bright greenish eyes searched the store. He regularly made trips in and out of town and had only been gone about a week this last time. I knew they worked out together, though.
I didn’t ask a lot of questions, because I was sure the answers were a lot like the ones I gave when I was interrogated.
“Dressing room,” Cade grumbled with a wave over his shoulder.
“Bastian?” Dante asked, eyes going wide.
“Dressing room,” Cade answered in the same monotone voice.
Dante’s gaze cut to me.
“What the fuck are you looking at like that?” I shot at him.
“You.” He smiled, and I considered punching him.
“What for?” I crossed my arms over my chest. I didn’t know why I was asking. It seemed everyone was privy to the fact that Katie and I had issues.
He just shook his head. “She an untouchable yet?”
“Fuck off,” I grumbled.
“Jesus.” Cade sighed. “You need a drink, man. I need a drink just being near you.”