Marco Mancini.
The kingpin of the underworld in the City and definitely not a guy to fuck with.
Why the hell is he here? And why the hell is he talking to Chase?
"Not now, Travis. Find me later." Chase raises his voice, dismissing Travis before pulling himself back together, nodding his head politely at Marco before he turns to walk away.
"Hey, aren’t you the girl with the phone?" I ask the pretty brunette attached to one of the most terrifying men in the country. I might not know most of the who’s who here tonight among the elites, but this guy… everyone where I’m from knows who he is.
She relaxes at my question and smiles at me.
"I am. Thank you for all your help. My name’s River, by the way. Much better than ‘girl with the phone’ I think. You’re Briar, right?"
"I am. This is Travis," I say, motioning to the tall dark storm cloud attached to me. "Sawyer St. Vincent and Cole Beckett. And who is this?"
I glance over at Marco. He’s super fucking hot, but honestly, the guys terrifies me. I’ve heard enough stories to have a large, healthy fear of him and any of his associates.
"The growly man with a tight grip on my waist is Marco." I smirk at her, because I know the growly thing all too well, as Travis pulls me into his side.
"Marco Mancini. Her husband." I nearly choke on the announcement, because well, shit. I didn’t know he was married, and I sure as shit didn’t know she was his wife when we saved her.
Travis raises an eyebrow and steps forward to shake his hand. "Travis Kensington."
"These are the guys I told you about, they found my keys and phone." River tells Marco, as if she’s trying to stop any sort of male ego showdown, and I don’t blame her. The testosterone here isstrong.
"Chase’s son?" Marco’s eyes narrow in on Travis, questioning.
"Not that I like to admit it, but yeah."
"Can’t say you got dealt the honorable dad card."
Travis smiles. "You can say that again."
Marco turns to Sawyer, a small smile on his face. "I know your mother too, I believe. St. Vincent you said?" Sawyer nods in agreement as Marco turns to Cole. "And I assume you’re the senator’s son?"
My giant golden god nods once, not even a hint of a smile on his chiseled face, and Marco visibly relaxes before turning to me. "Thank you for what you did for my wife. If you ever need a favor, here’s my card."
I take the card, too stunned to say much, when Asher sidles up behind me, slides a hand around my stomach, and whispers in my ear, "We might have another problem."
I keep the smile on my face, despite his words, keeping my focus on the couple in front of us. "Thank you, Mr. Mancini. We may take you up on that offer sooner rather than later."
Travis grips my waist a little tighter and leans down to whisper, "He’s already married and he’s not someone to fuck around with."
I roll my eyes so hard I’m sure I see my brain. "Sorry, River, we’ve got to go. Give me a call whenever though. Sometimes we girls just need a chat that doesn’t involve all the peen."
We turn and leave the couple, filtering through the crowd to find a quiet place to talk.
We find a small alcove on the ground floor, which we all tuck into.
"What’s wrong?" Sawyer asks his twin.
"Well, the police commissioner is here and was talking to my dad about Briar, so there's that," Asher says with an apologetic smile.
"Plus, my father has Briar being pimped out to every eligible billionaire in here tonight," Cole says with a clenched jaw. "Apparently, he and Chase decided this was the next plan of action when I wouldn’t marry her."
"I’m going to find my father," Travis announces and disappears before we can say any more.
"Now what?" I ask, deflating a little.