Stella and Snowflake scamper out of the kitchen, their loud barks announcing that my men are home.
“Where are you, shorty?” Xander calls.
“In here.” I tug off my apron and toss it aside before leaning against the counter, self-consciously rubbing my hands over my bare stomach and hips. Is greeting them wearing only a tiny pair of pink panties too much?
“We have a surprise, baby doll,” Zeke calls out.
So do I. I press my lips together to stifle a giggle. Zeke walks into the room first, and upon seeing me, his mouth drops open, but then his face turns gray. He stops in his tracks so abruptly that Xander bumps into him, and now his eyes are greedily raking over my almost naked body.
“Motherfucking fuck,” Zeke groans.
“Abort! Abort!” Xander shouts, spinning on his heel and herding West out of the doorway.
Meanwhile, Zeke runs over to me and pulls off his jacket, then drapes it across my shoulders.
Well, this sure didn’t go as planned. “I’m sorry,” I whisper. “I thought it would be sexy, or at least a little funny.”
Zeke catches my eye, and his are twinkling with amusement. He fastens me into his jacket and wraps his arms around my waist, resting his hands on my ass. “Coming home to you wearing nothing but your panties is sexy as fuck, baby doll. But tonight we have guests.”
Gasping, I swat him on the chest. “Oh my god. Did they see? Why didn’t you warn me?”
He purses his lips and lowers his head, his shoulders shaking.
“Are you …” I suppress a growl. “Are you laughing at me, Ezekiel?”
He snorts. My grumpy Zeke snorts with laughter. I gape at him, all my irritation gone at the sight and sound of his uncharacteristic mirth. Soon we’re both doubled over, giggling and holding onto each other to keep from collapsing on the kitchen floor, and I have to squeeze my thighs together so I won’t pee myself.
“What the fuck, you two?” West’s voice carries across the room, and I look up through tear-filled eyes to see him standing in the doorway, grinning at the pair of us. “You need to put some clothes on, princess.”
I wipe the tears from my eyes and glance at Zeke, who’s still bent over, one hand gripping the kitchen counter for dear life. West ushers me out of the room with a warning to Zeke to pull himself together.
“Why didn’t you tell me we had guests?” I ask when we reach the safety of my bedroom.
“Because it was supposed to be a surprise. And fuck me, but it was.” He unfastens Zeke’s jacket, and his eyes roam the contours of my body. “Promise me this is how you’ll greet us every night from now on.”
I fold my arms across my chest and scoff. “I think not. I just almost gave a group of strangers a peep show!”
West’s eyes drop to my boobs, which are now squeezed together beneath my arms, and licks his lips. “Are you trying to fucking kill me?”
“Shouldn’t I get dressed?” I whisper. “I don’t want to keep your guests waiting.”
His eyes crinkle at the corners as he offers me a warm smile and runs his fingertips down my arm, making me shiver. “They’re your guests too, princess. And they’re definitely not strangers.” Then he gives me a hard swat on my ass and tells me to get dressed.
Zeke is waiting for us in the hallway, and the look of amusement on his face elicits another giggle.
West glances between the two of us, his lips twitching. “Are you two done?”
Zeke snorts one more laugh, then closes his eyes. When he reopens them, his usual serious demeanor is perfectly in place, and he nods. Rolling my eyes, I nod too.
Waiting for West to go ahead, I lace my fingers through Zeke’s and whisper, “I’ve never ever seen you laugh like that.”
“It’s been a long time, baby doll.” He gives me a peck on the cheek. “Thank you.”
My chest swells with pride that I was able to bring out that rare side of him. “So who are these guests who aren’t strangers?”
Waiting for us at the end of the hall, West gestures toward the den. “You’re about to find out. And when you do, you’ll understand why Zeke almost pissed his pants at the sight of you in nothing but those sexy little panties.”
I enter the room, and my heart almost stops beating when he stands. “Hey, Lily Pad.”
“Nico!” Dashing toward him, I throw my arms around his neck. He embraces me, and tears drip down my cheeks. When we finally pull apart, I just stand and stare at him, unable to believe that he’s really here. That Xander, West, and Zeke brought him to their apartment. “This is the best surprise ever.”
“Don’t I get a hug too?” Another voice pipes up from behind me, and I spin around.
“What?” I shriek, launching myself at Dean. I’m sobbing while he rubs my back and tells me how good it is to see me again.
I don’t know how long it takes me to get over my shock at their presence, but as soon as I do, I bombard all five of my favorite men with questions—what, how, why are they here?
“Sit down and breathe before you pass out.” West guides me to the couch and goes to pour drinks.
Zeke takes a seat beside me and grips my hand tightly as Dean and Nico sit on the couch across from us. I hope they know they don’t have to hide who they really are from anyone in this room. After handing everyone their Scotch, West perches on the arm of the chair next to Xander and runs a loving hand over his hair. With that one simple touch, he manages to make my brother and his lover visibly more comfortable, and I love him even more for it.
“This is the best surprise ever,” I repeat, my smile threatening to split my face in two.
“Well, we’re hoping that it can happen more often, shorty.”
Just like that, the reality of the situation sinks in. As incredible as it is to have all the people I love most in one room, it isn’t safe. And not a single one of them understands why. “That would be great, but it can’t happen. It’s too dangerous, no matter how careful we are.”
Zeke squeezes my hand, and West shakes his head. “It can, princess. Soon we won’t need to be careful. Your time of living in fear of your father finding you is almost over.”
I blink at him. “But if he finds out what we did …” I look to Nico now. “You know what he’ll do.”
“Not if we do it first, Lily Pad.”
It takes my brain a few beats to register what he just said. Is that why they’re here? Are they conspiring to— “No.” I shake my head. “It’s too dangerous, Nico. You know it is.”
“It’s been a long time coming. We both know that one of us should have put a bullet in his head years ago.”
“B-but—” I suck in a deep breath to calm my racing heart, but it doesn’t work. “Can’t you just wait him out a few more years? Maybe he’ll step down. Wouldn’t that be safer, easier than killing him? I mean he’s not just anyone. He’s Carmine Constantine. He has an entire army and God knows who else at his disposal.”
Nico scowls at me. “You think that I, of all people, don’t know that?”
Dean chimes in. “He’s sending me away, Lil.”
That gets my attention. “To where?”
“Italy.” He shrugs. “Your father still has use for me, he just doesn’t want me here.”
There must be another way. “Then just don’t go. Nico, tell him you need Dean as your second. Tell him—”
“I’ve tried. I think Pop knows about Dean and me. At least he suspects.”
“If he knew for sure, I’d already be dead.” Dean says that so nonchalantly; like it isn’t preposterous for a man to be killed simply for loving another man. But then, in my father’s world, it isn’t outrageous—it’s normal.
“So, you’re going to kill him. Both of you?”
Nico’s eyes dart around the room. “Zeke and West are going to help.”
“No.” I shake my head. “No.” I look at Zeke sitting beside me. “You don’t know this world. You can’t just go to Vegas and kill Carmine Constantine and walk out again.”
Zeke lifts my hand to his lips and kisses my knuckles. “We know what we’re doing, buttercup.”
“Trust us, princess,” West adds.
My heart feels like it’s being crushed in a vise. Carmine Constantine is a powerful, violent, cruel man. They have no idea what he’s capable of. “When is this happening?”
“Soon,” West answers.
“Soon?” I wail. “How long is soon?”
“A week or two at most,” Nico replies.
No. I need more time to convince them how crazy this is.
Zeke rubs a hand over my back. “Nico will let us know when the time’s right, and we’ll go to Vegas. We’ll be on the jet and back home with you, Fitch, and the dogs within a day, baby doll. I promise.”
I wrench my hand from his. “You can’t make that kind of promise, Zeke. Nobody can.” What I wouldn’t give to rewind my life one hour and be back in the kitchen with him laughing so hard he couldn’t breathe.
“We know what we’re doing, princess,” West says, his eyes dark as they burn into mine.
“No.” I shake my head. “You really don’t. None of you do.” I stare at Xander, sure that he’ll see sense. “You must see how crazy this is.”
He leans forward with his hands clasped between his spread thighs. “It’ll be fine, shorty.”
I turn my pleas to my brother. Of all the people in this room, he knows what Carmine Constantine is capable of. “Please don’t do this.”
“I have to, Lily Pad. I can’t go on living like this. My whole life is a fucking lie. The only thing that keeps me sane is Dean.” He places his hand on Dean’s thigh. “And now Pop’s sending him away because he knows it will break me. We can end this for good, sis. With West and Zeke’s help, I know we can.”
I can’t breathe. They’re crazy. But how do I deny my brother the chance at a life like the one I’ve found, one I’m only allowed to live because of the sacrifices he made for me?
My head is spinning. I know that Carmine must die. It’s the only way. Because if he knows about Nico and Dean, there’s every chance he’s having them followed. And that means the likelihood of him finding out that I’m alive grows stronger with each passing day.
“Did I smell your incredible fried chicken when we came in earlier?” Xander asks, changing the subject and effortlessly relieving the tension in the way that only he can.
I take a deep breath and accept what I need to do next. Then I let it all go and focus on enjoying a meal with my five favorite people on the planet. “You did.”
“So let’s go fucking eat.”
Saying goodbye to Nico and Dean was heartbreaking. They stayed for hours after dinner, and we talked about everything except Carmine and their crazy-ass scheme to kill him. It would have been sad to say goodbye anyway, but knowing the danger of their plans for the near future makes me feel like I can’t breathe.
Stepping up behind me, Xander wraps his arms around my waist and rests his head on my shoulder. “I’m worried about them too, but Zeke and West are the smartest men I know. They’ll be just fine.”
I lean back against his hard chest, wanting to believe him.
He tugs at the waistband of my jeans and nuzzles my neck. “You still wearing those sexy-as-fuck panties under here?”
“Yeah.”
“I almost passed out when I saw you standing there like that. For a second I forgot your brother and his friend were coming in right behind us.”
“Yeah, I don’t think I’ll be doing that again.”
“Oh, no, shorty.” He tugs open the button of my jeans. “We’ll never bring guests home again. Ever. You can walk around this apartment in your underwear whenever the hell you want.”
I let my head drop back against his shoulder, and he slides his hand into my panties.
“Are you two coming to bed?” West’s voice cuts through the quiet of the kitchen.
I sigh. I’m so mad at him and Zeke, but I don’t want to fight with them. Especially if … A sob wells in my throat.
“They’ll be fine,” Xander whispers. “We’ll be there in a minute,” he calls over his shoulder.
The guys are already under the covers by the time I’m done in the bathroom and ready to crawl into bed.
Xander pats the space between him and West. “Saved your spot, shorty.”
I climb over West, and he shuffles back, giving me space to slip under the covers.
Zeke props himself up on one elbow and peers at me over Xander’s shoulder. “Did you enjoy your surprise?”
“The part where my brother and Dean came to visit? Yes. The part where you and West have agreed to get yourselves killed? Not so much.”
Growling, West wraps his arm around me and pulls me close. The heat from his skin warms my core. “We’re doing this for you.”
“But I don’t want you to do it for me. I want you both to stay here, with me and Xander and our dogs, where we’re all safe.”
Xander laces his fingers through mine.
“And what if he finds out you’re still alive? How safe would we all be then?” West snaps.
I close my eyes as guilt rolls in the pit of my stomach. “I’m sorry for putting you all in danger.”
“No. You don’t get to do that, baby doll. We should have taken our revenge on your father a long time ago. We won’t walk away this time. You are not responsible for him being the man he is, but there’s not a chance in hell that we’ll let you spend another day of your life living in fear because of him.” He reaches over Xander and cups my chin. “Do you understand me?”
I nod.
His scowl tells me he doesn’t quite buy my compliance, but then his face softens. “Good.” He lies back down and scoots forward, pushing Xander closer to me. His leg drapes over the two of us, and Xander wraps an arm around my waist, just below West’s bicep. West burrows his face into my neck, and we lie in the darkness, a sea of bodies and limbs all fused together like one.
West is right—if Carmine finds out I’m alive, none of us will be safe. He’ll assume that their importance in my life means they know the whole truth too, and that puts them in more danger than they realize. I’m the one responsible for this mess. I need to be the one to fix it.
I wake early the next morning to the sound of Snowflake’s soft snores. He and Stella are supposed to sleep in the den, but he sneaks in here in the middle of the night and curls up next to the laundry hamper, and occasionally in it.
“You need to go out, boy?” The reliable little pup lets out an excited bark.
“It’s too early, Snowy,” Xander grumbles.
“You sleep. I’ll take him outside.” I jump out of bed before any giant arms can haul me back in and offer to take him instead.
“Hurry back, princess,” West says with a sleepy growl.
Snowflake rubs himself against my bare legs as I pull on one of the guys’ sweaters and my sneakers. “We’ll be right back, won’t we, boy?”
He lets out a little woof and wags his tail, and I grab my coat from the hook in the hallway. Stella hears us passing by the den and ambles out to join us.
I give her a scratch behind her ear, taking comfort in her steady presence. “Morning, girl.”
Opening the reinforced steel door that leads to the rooftop gardens, I’m hit by a blast of cold air. Undeterred by the chill, the dogs run out ahead while I pull my coat tighter and take my phone from the pocket. It’s only 2:30 a.m. in Vegas, but that’s not an issue. The person I’m calling rarely sleeps, or so I’m told. I dial the number I memorized six long years ago, and despite my confidence that one of them would have let me know if it had changed, my heart stops beating until I hear her voice—soft and sweet and reassuring. Nothing like the ruthless queen with ice in her veins that she’s purported to be. Vicious and calculated, Ludovica Santangelo. The first and only female head of the Vegas Mafia. Niece of Giovanni Santangelo.
“It’s me.”
“Liliana?” My name comes out almost like a plea.
“Hey Mom.”
“Mia dolce figlia.” I can’t help but smile. She’s the only person who’s ever called me their sweet daughter. “Are you okay? Are you safe?”
“I’m safe,” I assure her. “For now, anyway.”
“What do you need, Liliana?”
“I think it’s time to show the world who I am.”
