Vincent took a moment to pluck the keys from the Smart car, apparently just for shits and giggles, and we all piled back into the limo as Pete slid behind the wheel. Meanwhile, Dante’s army was standing down, but just barely. They all glared at Greco as he turned and went limping off into the night.
Dante told Pete to take us back to the hotel, and Ollie popped a bottle of champagne. Meanwhile, I straddled Adriano’s lap and kissed him passionately before saying, “Marry me.”
He grinned and repeated something I’d said earlier. “Ask me again when you’re not hopped up on adrenaline.”
I nodded and told him, “I will.”
23
Adriano
Jack kissed me again while I ran my hands up his back. Then he curled up with his head on my shoulder, and I wrapped my arms around him.
Meanwhile, Charlie snuggled up with his husband and asked, “Do you really think it’s over?”
“I think we sent a pretty clear message tonight,” Dante said. “Unless Greco has a death wish, he’ll back off. Just to be on the safe side, I’ll leave my team here for the next few weeks. And of course, Vincent and I can be back on short notice, any time we’re needed.”
“I really don’t think he’ll keep coming for me,” I said. “He thought he had me hopelessly outnumbered and could push me around. Tonight, he found out I’m not alone.” I looked around at my family and added, “Thank you, each and every one of you, for having my back. That meant a lot to me.”
“There’s no need to thank us. That’s just what family does,” Nana said. Then she asked, “Do you think we can still make our dinner reservation? I’m fucking starving!”
“Probably not, but you wouldn’t have liked it anyway,” Dante told her. “The portions would have been tiny, and everything would have been way too pretentious. How about going back to the suite and ordering the entire room service menu with extra dessert?”
Nana’s face lit up, and she said, “Now, there’s a peach of an idea!”
“Sounds great,” I said. “We just need to make one stop along the way.” I called to Pete and gave him an address.
A few minutes later, we pulled up in front of Romy’s apartment building. His light was on, and of course he was home—just like every other night, because the kid was a total homebody.
Jack came with me, and we went up to the second floor landing and knocked on the door. When Romy answered, dressed in gray sweat pants and an oversized UNLV sweatshirt, I tried my best to look serious and told him, “You need to come with us. Grab your shoes, and let’s go.”
My brother instantly went into paramedic mode. He stuck his feet into a pair of sneakers, then grabbed his keys and first aid kit as he asked, “Is someone hurt? Do we need to call 911?”
“No. It’s a different kind of emergency,” Jack said. He was maintaining an excellent poker face.
Romy stepped out onto the landing and locked the door behind him. Then he turned around and spotted the pink limo, and he asked, “What the hell is that?”
“Our sweet, sweet ride,” I said, with a big grin. “Just a heads up, it’s stuffed full of Dombrusos.”
Romy took a step back and said, “Oh. Um, I’ll pass.”
“Like hell you will. We just faced off against Greco, and it was a huge victory. Now I want to celebrate with my family, and that includes you. I would include Mom too, obviously, if she wasn’t still in L.A.”
“Yeah, but—”
“But nothing. I love you, Romy, and no celebration is complete without you. Also, just in case you need to hear this, the Dombrusos aren’t going to replace you. My heart’s big enough for five brothers, a shitload of relatives, and a boyfriend.” I glanced at Jack and grinned, and he flashed me a gorgeous smile.
Because he was as stubborn as the rest of the family, Romy still tried to resist. “I know, but I wasn’t really planning to go out tonight.”
“So, change your plans,” I said. “Remember Pete, your friend from high school? He’s our limo driver, and he’s going to be partying with us. So’s Zan Tillane.”
“The pop star?” When I nodded, Romy raised a skeptical brow and asked, “Are you on drugs?”
Jack leaned over the railing and yelled, “Hey, Zan!” When the singer poked his head out of the sunroof, he called, “Tell Adriano’s brother Romy to come with us!”
“Come along, mate,” the man called, with a friendly smile. “The more the merrier.”
Romy muttered, “This is fucking surreal,” but he headed for the stairs.