21
Rome
She wore the dress.
It was like the devil himself wanted a damn show and had wrapped her up, helped her get ready, and served her to all of us that night. He was laughing in hell right now. I could almost hear his cackle.
She strutted in on Bastian’s arm. Regal, fuckable, mesmerizing. That dress was a waterfall over her legs, but every curve of them was visible. The beads shimmered under the crystal chandelier light, and her dark stiletto heels elongated her stride down the carpet.
I tensed as she looked up at Bastian and smiled adoringly. It may have been a show, it may not have been.
Either way, it didn’t matter.
The back of her bound up by that black-as-ink ribbon and the way her ass flared out from her waist, I heard some of the men visibly moan.
Fucking breathtakingly beautiful.
Feathers and beads and black strings had been wrapped around the most dangerous woman here. The mob and the government were watching. Everyone wanted her for different reasons, but we’d all take her for one.
Georgie’s suit strained over his gut as he leaned back farther to keep his eye on her while she strode down the steps of the ballroom with Bastian. Her nails dug into his arm, the only sign they were together. Other than that, Katie stood tall in her red-bottomed six-inch stilettos and stared off into the crowd as if she wasn’t too concerned with any one individual. Her eyes didn’t scan the area; she didn’t turn her head to clock anyone’s whereabouts.
She was above everyone, and no one could bother her for a glance.
Instead, every man’s eyes scoured her and her body. The devil wanted a show, and I knew for a fact he was going to get one.
“Enthralling, nyet?” He let his Russian accent twist the English I knew he spoke perfectly.
“You here as a part of the bratva tonight?”
He lifted his eyebrows as if to say, So what if I am? “You think she’s worth the fuss?”
That man had always been a rogue Russian, dabbling where he shouldn’t. The string quartet started to play a low, lonesome melody, and one man glared at another as Katie walked by. I saw one shake his head at the other, and they lost their expressions just as quickly. Katie and Bastian walked right past me to meet Mario at a table.
I lurked in the shadows, watching others watch.
We’d had eyes on Georgie for the last hour. He’d mingled with every big name there. He’d disguised himself much better than we expected, and for some reason that bothered me most. I’d let Katie walk into a lion’s den without being aware.
I was supposed to be aware of everything.
“You’re going to shatter the tumbler you’re holding.” Jax nodded at me while we stared toward the doorway of the club. The crystal in my hand was strong enough to withstand a tough grip. We were in the most elite club of Chicago. Still, I set it down much harder than necessary.
Brey glanced at the glass and then at me. “She’s not committed to anyone right now, you know that, right?”
“I’m not interested in her commitments,” I shot back and then pinched the bridge of my nose when I saw Jax pull Brey closer to his side. “Sorry, it’s been a long day.”
“It’s going to be a long year if you plan to stick with the story of not being interested.” Jax lifted an eyebrow at me.
He and I never really got along. I’d met him just as I’d stopped sleeping with his wife. We never saw eye-to-eye, and yet we saw everything the same. We had an understanding that the women in our lives were much more important than any disagreement we could have had. Brey had needed us back then, and now, it seemed Katie might need something from us.
“Give me a break. I’m protecting her and everyone else in this family tonight.”
Brey smirked, and her green eyes seemed to mock me. “Protecting her? Katie’s never needed protection from anyone. She needs someone to show her life is more than a series of events, that she doesn’t have to keep moving forward every time something bad happens to her. She needs someone to take her in while she learns to feel again.”
“Maybe Bastian will give that to her,” I muttered.
She scoffed. “It’s not my place, but I’ll say it once anyway.” She glanced at her husband. “Cover your ears.”
“Oh Jesus.” Jax kissed her cheek and walked away as if he knew what she was about to say had something to do with our past relations.