Vick glared at her. “We will never be back.”
Brey sighed and hooked her arm into Jax’s as we left the store.
Walking down the busy avenue suddenly felt different. People moved out of my way like they knew I carried a dangerous weapon. They leaned in to each other and whispered when they saw us. But it wasn’t the Stonewood men attracting the attention this time. It wasn’t the Stonewoods a girl turned and snapped a photo of.
It was me.
“Does everyone know something I don’t?”
“The shop assistant probably alerted social media that the Stonewoods were out. And that we were too.”
“No one knows who I am…”
“They’re starting to, Katalina. Chicago’s starting to realize you’re their queen. You’re about to feel their fear, their love, and their respect for you all at the same time. This city is intelligent, and it’s alive with the determination to amount to something more. They’ll kneel for you as long as you feed that determination.”
I rubbed my hand over my belly, a habit I was quickly adopting. “I have to do that for them and for who I’m growing inside me.”
“And you’ll do it like a ruler should. Remember, you’re Cleopatra, huh?” His finger brushed at the side chain of my necklace.
I took a deep breath in. “You believe in me more than I believe in myself. More than the bratva and more than the Armanelli Family. You might want to take that as a sign that you’re not thinking straight.”
“I take it as a sign that I’m still the best at my job. I know what people are about to do before they even do it. It’s what keeps us safe.”
I stopped on the sidewalk and let the Stonewoods keep walking on ahead of us. I turned Rome to face me, and people fanned out around us as they passed. Looking into his dark eyes, I saw a love deep enough to kill sound and movement around me. The world melted away, faded into the darkness, was muted out by the man in front of me. He didn’t expect me to be in fancy clothes or hold me in the light where he thought I belonged. He just accepted that I would rule the darkness and do it well. He didn’t question whether I could handle being a mother and a leader; he assumed I would because his trust in me was more than I had in myself.
Would he know what I was about to do in this moment?
Would he be able to keep himself safe before I acted?
I stepped forward and wrapped my arms around his neck. He frowned, but before he could stop me, my lips were on his. I was wrapping my legs around his torso and he was gripping my ass to get me even closer.
I kissed him in broad daylight for the bratva and the Stonewoods and the Armanellis to see.
I kissed him like I had the confidence to, the right to, the power to.
Because I did.
20
Katie
“Ivan, I’m not going to apologize.” I lay on the couch, phone to my ear, legs up, contemplating how many holes in socks were too many. The holes were only on the calves, none really in the bottom, and I still liked that the tops read “Fuck” on one and on the other “You.”
The lecture from my grandfather continued. He’d heard about me kissing Rome in front of all of Chicago. Everyone had, really. My security, the Armanelli’s security, and the Stonewood’s security had eyes on us.
I’m sure a few cameras went off. The people we were with were infamous enough and now maybe I was too.
I didn’t care. The statement had been made; the news was out. “Ivan, you retired to your bedroom during the last meeting. Do you recall?”
My question was met with silence. I heard a rustling on the phone, as if he was getting up to leave whomever he was with for a more private setting.
“Little girl, you still have a lot to learn. Don’t wash your hands of me so quickly.”
“The last time I saw you, you left after holding a gun to your great grandbaby’s head. I can’t figure out why that is. You’ve known all along that we were going to be bound to the Armanellis in some way. So what if Rome and I have this child?”
“Ack.” He dismissed my idea with just a sound. “You don’t trust the one who gave you power.”
“Power isn’t given, Ivan,” I replied and stuck a finger in one of my sock holes. It was probably time for a new pair. “You actually taught me that. Quite frankly, it only took a bullet to the thigh for Konstantin to give me the power. And I’m taking the rest in my own way.”