Havoc

Chapter 23

Kenna

“How ya holdin’ up, baby girl?” Rail turned his chair around and hung his arms off the back of it as Minnie took a seat next to me. I know they were concerned about my state of mind after Leo’s murder and everything else that was going on. It didn’t help that I probably looked like shit after being up for more than half the night looking for Leal.

“I’m still here, so I’m better than some.” I closed the lid to my barely eaten pasta salad and pushed it aside. Rail snatched it up, flicked the lid back off, and dove in.

“You should really eat.” Minnie scrunched her nose up at him. “Did you eat breakfast?”

“Yeah.” I’d had a banana around five.

“I’m worried about you.” She stroked a hand down my arm.

“I’m not the one to be worried about. I just feel bad for Jim and Laurel. They must be beside themselves.”

“You see Knox today?” Rail mumbled around his fork.

“No, why?”

“Guess he pissed Grim off in a meeting this morning and was rewarded with a fist to the face.”

“What?” Minnie and I looked at one another.

He scraped the bottom of the plastic bowl so as not to miss anything. “Yeah, it’s not like he didn’t deserve it. The kid’s a punk.”

“He has his moments,” I agreed, “but what made Grim do it?”

“Don’t know.” He slurped a noodle, and Minnie snagged the bowl away from him. “Hey!”

“You sound like a damn porno,” she snapped and closed her eyes like she was trying to get her head back on track. “Okay, clearly, Grim is really on edge. Kenna, that’s your cue.”

“My cue?” I laughed sarcastically. “Oh, hell no.” I tossed my phone in my purse. “I opened myself up to that man, and he slammed the door shut in my face. Trust me, I’m the last person who can help Grim Gates.”

“He’s grieving.” Minnie tried to smooth the situation over.

“I know.” I sighed. It was hard to describe how much the conversation bothered me.

“You know,” Rail chewed on the end of the fork, “we men suck at feelings, and often lash at the ones we love because we can. You need to remember we don’t mean it. We just need time to process what’s going on inside.” Minnie and I both stared at him as his words sank in.

“That’s…” Minnie stumbled with a complex expression. “That’s actually true. Wow, Rail, that was well said.”

“I seek to please.” He leaned back to stretch like he loved the moment. “I went to a Dr. Phil seminar last week, and I’ve got three dates just from spewing that guy shit to the ladies.”

“There it is.” Minnie rolled her eyes. “Anyway,” she drew out the word, “I’ve been meaning to ask, have you had any more texts from that guy who attacked you?”

“No. It’s odd, really. I haven’t heard anything in days.” I snagged my phone from my purse and went to his last text message.

“Don’t you find that a bit strange?” Minnie tilted her head at me.

“Yeah, a bit.” It actually was a bit odd, now that I thought of it. I hadn’t gone there in my head lately because of everything else that had happened.

“Give it here.” Rail held out his hand, and I reluctantly passed my phone to him.

“No more selfies,” I warned, and he smirked. He was so naughty.

“This should get his attention.” He clicked the screen and a moment later handed me back my phone. My eyes bugged out at his message supposedly from me.

Kenna: Grim’s brother died, and I have photos from his death. Do you want them?

“Rail,” I felt like I was betraying the Gates family, “what if he says yes?”

“Then we send fakes.” He held up his phone. “I have a whole fuckin’ album dedicated to murders on here.”

“Why would you have that?”

“I get bored?” He thought. “And I like to get creative. But if that number’s still active and he’s monitoring it, he’ll take the bait.”

“And if not?” Minnie asked before I could.

“Then maybe he got caught? Or,” he wiggled his eyebrows in delight, “someone ended that little nightmare for you.”

“Jesus.” I stared at the text. It somehow felt like a betrayal to the Gates family. It burned a hole in my stomach.

Minnie suddenly sat up straight, and it put me on high alert. “Kenna, close that text.” Her voice was urgent. Just as I did, she called out, “Grim!”

I felt a hot prickle shoot up my back as he spotted us. He whispered something to Jesse before they came over. Zhar walked slightly ahead of him and sat near me as soon as they stopped.

“I haven’t seen you since you’ve been back.” Minnie gave Grim a hug. Jesse seemed to have his total attention on his phone. Maybe he used it to avoid looking at me. “I’m so sorry to hear about Leal. How is he?”

“He’s fine,” he assured her and instantly dropped his hand to pat Zhar. My heart squeezed for him in that moment. I knew how much he loved his boys. The two of them had even grown on me.

“I’m so glad to hear that,” Minnie breathed then dropped the topic as she read his vibe. “How’s Knox’s face?” She sounded honestly sympathetic.

“Fine.” His tone was low and raspy but sharp. He obviously didn’t want to stop and talk. Something caught his eye, and he and Jesse tuned in to Jayden as he whisked by with someone I didn’t recognize.

A strange, cold vibe fell over them, and I felt goosebumps run along my arms as I watched them watch him. Grim’s shoulders were stiff, and his hand twitched at his sides. It was obvious to me he wanted to pull his gun from behind his jacket.

Suddenly, my phone buzzed on the table, and Minnie, Rail, and I all turned to stare at it. I tried to snatch it up a little too quickly and sent it flying. It landed at Grim’s feet. He leaned down to pick it up and, without a care, read the message. His expression instantly hardened, and my stomach twisted into a knot as he handed it to me and I read the text.

Damn.

Benny: How about we re-do our date? We have so much to catch up on.

I slowly relaxed; it wasn’t my unknown caller. I let out a sigh of relief. I looked at Rail and gave a little head shake to let him know it was okay, but when I looked at Grim, his jaw ticked, and his cold eyes drilled into mine as if he tried to penetrate my thoughts.

“I’m late for a meeting,” he grunted when I didn’t react. He looked at Minnie. “I’ll see you tonight.”

“Okay,” she squeezed his arm, “I’m here whenever you need me.”

I watched them leave then closed my eyes in relief as I covered my mouth with my hand.

“I think I felt my soul slide out of my ass when he read your message.” Minnie sank into her seat. “Who was it, anyway?”

“Just an old friend. We had dinner last night, but it got interrupted when the dogs went missing.”

“Shit, I can’t imagine. Poor Darcy. I really liked her.” Minnie frowned. “Who’s this guy?”

“Just a friend. I told him I was seeing someone just to put him off. He gets it.”

“I see.” She studied me for a beat. “You should bring him tonight.”

“Tonight?” Had I missed something?

“Trigger called his buddy Elio, and he and his cousins arrive tonight from Italy. We’re having drinks on the rooftop.”

“Oh.” I hadn’t heard anything about that. “I think we’ll just stick with dinner.”

“He’s game for tonight.” Rail held up my phone, and my eyes popped when I read his text message asking Benny to join us.

“Rail!” I snatched my phone back, already trying to find a way out of it. “Seriously?”

“Now you have to go or we’ll drill him ourselves.”

Minnie cursed then laughed and leaned toward me. “Just come.”

“I don’t have a choice now, do I?”

“Nope.” Rail gave me a shit-eating grin as I spotted a new hire with my to-go order. “Wear something slutty, you know, for me.” He ducked as I swatted him.

“Here you are,” she beamed at me and turned the cup around to read my name scribbled on the side, “Kenna. A double black and an extra-large cinnamon-raisin muffin.” She set my order in front of me.

I thanked her and tipped her well as Minnie eyed my order. She knew me well enough to know I wouldn’t touch a raisin if it was the last food on Earth.

She nudged the bag when I stood. “What’s with the shriveled-up balls treat?”

“It’s called progress.” I didn’t want to get into it right now. “And it takes two to make that happen, so this is that.”

“Oh,” Minnie caught on right away, but I did notice she gave a concerned looked to Rail. Odd. “See you tonight.” She smiled warmly.

I scooped up the bag, blew her a kiss, and she looked smug and clocked Rail in the head as I left.

It felt strange to come to the twentieth floor and not make a point to avoid my father’s office. It always represented the gates of hell to me yet, there I was with his favorite treat and a coffee, voluntarily dropping by for a surprise.

“Knock-knock.” I pushed the door open. “Cam—” I stopped myself. “Dad?” His office was empty. I crossed the large room that looked out over part of the Strip and set his coffee and treat on his desk. My phone rang, and I saw it was Hanna. Oh, my God! I quickly answered it, happy she called me.

“Hanna?”

“Hi.” She sounded better. “I just wanted to let you know I’m settled back in LA with my parents.”

“I’m so pleased to hear that.” I really was. “How are you dealing with everything, you know, with the whole Sasha death thing?”

“Um,” she sighed, “I’m getting there. I’ve decided to see someone for it.” My stomach sank, and she quickly filled the silence. “It’s okay. I’ve learned my lesson, Kenna.” She lightly laughed. “They’ll get a watered-down version of what happened.”

“Okay.” I instantly thought of Grim snapping his neck and knew some people could handle that side of life and others couldn’t. Though she hadn’t actually seen Sasha die, she knew he’d been killed and how. “Well, in that case, I’m glad you’re getting help. I’m sorry things went down the way they did.” Something suddenly hit me. “Hanna, can I ask you something?”

“Sure.”

“Remember Sasha’s tattoo, the one that was on the inside of his bicep?” She cleared her throat, and I could tell a little ping of jealousy still rested below the surface.

“Yeah, what about it?”

“Did he ever tell you what that was for?”

“It was just some high school football thing he got with his team.” Well, that was lie, because I had seen Sasha play football with the guys in the back yard, and that man had zero skills even in touch football. He’d sure never been on any team.

“Oh, okay.” I let the topic go.

“Why would you ask me about that?”

I sat in my father’s soft leather office chair and leaned into his desk as I quickly thought of something to say. “I just saw it on someone else recently and thought it was strange they would both have it, so I wondered if it had meaning somehow. Anyway,” I changed topics, “you’re home, you’re getting help, so when do I get to see you next?”

“Not until you come here.” Her tone softened. “I think I’ve had my fill of Vegas for a while.”

“Then the moment I can get away, I’ll come visit.”

“I’d like that.” She started talking about her new job when I swiveled in the chair and knocked my knee on the inside of the desk. Ouch! A strange clink sound caught my attention. I hit the side again, a bit softer, and I heard it again, but this time the bottom drawer popped open from the impact. I leaned down close to see it. What the hell?

“Hanna, hold on a sec.” I pulled the phone away from my head. A faint smell found my nose, and I reached down and snagged a twist of hair that stuck out from an envelope and held it up in the light to study it. Ew. Something strange passed through me, and I looked down at the drawer again. I eyed the padded envelope that lay there, then I looked around the office with a guilty feeling. I pushed past it. My nerves on edge, I carefully lifted it out and peeked inside. Two shiny cufflinks lay in the bottom. I carefully turned it over and saw it was addressed to my father but there was no return address. What was really strange was the stamp and postmark read New Orleans.

“Hanna?” I put my phone back to my ear. “I’m sorry, but I have to go.”

“Oh, okay. Hope to see you soon.”

I clicked off without another word and quickly shut the drawer, tucked the envelope in my purse, and moved around the desk.

I screwed up my face as I studied the treat I’d brought for my father. The happiness I’d felt so briefly was now replaced with confusion and uncertainty. I picked up the bag and the coffee and spun on my heel to toss both treats into the trash by his door. As I hurried down the hallway, I met Laurel coming out of the conference room.

“Mrs. Gates,” I smiled, “have you seen Jesse?”

“Good morning, dear,” she greeted me warmly, but I noticed her eyes were puffy, and her reactions were slow. She touched her head like it hurt as she thought. “I believe he’s in a meeting downstairs.”

“Downstairs?” I drew out the word trying to think where that would be. She pointed toward the elevator, and we walked together. “Mrs. Gates, when was the last time you got any sleep? You look exhausted.”

“I’m not really sure. Let’s see, when did you all leave for New Orleans?” She brushed a tear away, and my heart broke. “The world works in strange ways, doesn’t it?” She sniffed.

“It certainly can work in the worst ways.” I put a hand on her back and gave her a little pat. I’m so sorry, Mrs. Gates, about Leo.” Then my father’s face pushed through my thoughts, and it suddenly felt like I held a secret in my purse. I needed it out of my possession. God, I hoped there was an explanation for it. As the elevator doors parted, she stepped inside and pulled out her black and gold keycard. I carefully stepped in beside her and watched as she moved like a robot to tap the card to the keypad. Then she pressed the lobby and floor fifteen at the same time. My memory went back to when I’d seen Jesse do that after that terrible night when Grim’s car was all shot up on the way back from the desert. Interesting.

Laurel stepped out then held the doors from closing. “Leo thought very highly of you, you know.” Her eyes glossed over. “You’re a brightness in an otherwise very bleak time.”

“That’s a really nice thing to hear.” I felt a lump form in my throat. “Thank you, Mrs. Gates. He was a lovely man.”

“Laurel,” she said tenderly. “You need to start calling me Laurel. We’re closer than that.” I wanted to sob for so many reasons, but her kindness toward me at such a difficult time squeezed my heart until it hurt.

“I will,” I paused and tested out her name, “Laurel.”

“Better.” She stepped back and dropped her hand. “I have some calls to make.” She turned as the doors slid shut, and I felt some tears spill over. As I descended toward the unknown, I shifted my head back to what I needed to do.

I watched as the numbers on the screen went from the lobby to the parking lot, to the basement, then continued to drop. My heart pounded as it slowed to a stop, then I waited for a beat and peeked out, looking both ways before I stepped out onto a shiny marble floor. I expected to hear my heels echo off the walls, but everything seemed strangely muted. The hallway was long, but with a wall at one end there was only one way to go, and it was toward two massive steel doors that stood partially open.

“And what about you, Ridder?” Grim’s voice slowed my pace as I grew close.

“Sonny’s been hanging tight with Trident Melvern, Jr. at the Mac since he’s been back. Other than that, he’s been keeping a low profile. I’m still waiting on confirmation about exactly where he went that night in New Orleans.”

“Alibi or not, Sonny knows something!” Grim boomed as I stepped up to the door and peeked through.

“I agree.” A man who I assumed was Ridder nodded.

Grim sat in a black velvet chair that looked like something from his penthouse. He wore all black and sat rigid as he barked orders to the others. Suddenly, Zhar, who lay at Grim’s feet, looked right at me. Jesse seemed to catch this motion and looked down at him.

“Trigger, Talya wanted me to give you this.” He slid something across the table. “Locations and dates to pass along to your Blackstone friends.”

Trigger nodded and tucked it away. “And the retaliation on her parents?”

“I’ve got people there ready to make a move, but we’re waiting to see?—”

I jumped when Jesse’s face suddenly appeared in front of me. He slowly opened the door just enough to slip himself out into the hallway with me.

His face was white as he looked around. “How – how did you get down here? You can’t be here.”

“Yet here I am,” I whispered as I lifted my purse and pulled out the envelope. “I’m bringing this to you, not Grim, just you. Don’t let him fly off the handle until we know what it’s—” I didn’t even want to say the words out loud. “Just,” I felt panicked, “find out who these belong to.”

He waited for me to give it to him, but I hesitated. “All right, Kenna, I can do that.”

“I found this about twenty minutes ago. It was in the bottom drawer of my father’s desk. I don’t know why it was there, but,” I struggled for the right words, “here.” I handed it to him, and he glanced inside and looked puzzled.

“Okay,” he was all business, “thank you for bringing this to me. I’ll look into it.”

“No, Grim,” I eyed him, “not until we know anything. I’m nervous of what he might do.”

Jesse closed his eyes then nodded. “I don’t like the idea of holding anything back from him, but I’ll do it this one time.”

“Thank you. I need to go.” I turned and hurried back down the hall.

“Kenna?” I heard Grim’s voice behind me. “What the fuck is she doing here, Jesse?” He sounded furious, and I kept walking. I assumed Jesse slipped away. “Kenna, stop walking.”

I didn’t, at least not until I reached the elevator and stabbed the button several times. It finally opened, and I flew inside. The thing wouldn’t budge. Damn.

“Really, Gavin?”

I glared at the camera and heard him say, “Sorry, boss’s order.”

“I told you to stop,” Grim boomed. His voice bounced around the inside of the steel box. I crossed my arms ready for a fight. “What the fuck are you doing down here?”

“I needed to see Jesse.”

“What? Why?”

“I had a number he asked for.” I lied, then jabbed the button to close the door. I knew it wouldn’t shut, but it would piss him off that I’d done it.

“How do you know about this place?” He glared. “Did you follow me?”

“Wow,” I laughed, “do you really think I’d bother to follow you? You really have a God complex, don’t you?” I held his gaze, and he broke eye contact. “If you must know, your mother actually helped me, Grim, and she told me where to find Jesse.”

“She would never.” He shook his head.

I pressed my lips together. “She did.”

He squinted in confusion then straightened his back. “I see.”

“I’m glad you see.” I gave him a defiant look. “So, can I go now?”

“Gavin,” he said into his phone, and the buttons immediately lit up. I didn’t waste a second as I hit the button for the tenth floor.

“You need to be very careful, sweetheart.” His voice was cold. “You’ve overstepped where you don’t belong. You might overhear things down here that aren’t meant for you.”

“And if I did?” I challenged. “What are you going to do? Hurt me? Snap my neck? Toss me in the desert?” I was like stone, and that was how I needed to be. Grim and I had obviously lost whatever we had in New Orleans, and as much as that hurt, I couldn’t let him see it. “I’m not afraid of you, Grim.”

He stepped forward and backed me up to the wall then towered over me the way I loved. I swallowed hard.

“It means you don’t belong in my world.” His hand slid up my body, over my breast, and stopped at my throat. His thumb stroked my collarbone. He studied me as if he were in a trance. I hated that I breathed deeply to draw his scent into my head. I missed him, and I hated that I did. “If you heard the wrong thing,” he brushed his lips over my jaw gently, as if savoring the moment himself, “I can’t be responsible for any of my actions anymore.”

“So, you’d hurt me.” The pain that coursed down my throat straight to my heart was far worse than anything I’d ever felt from a man. I needed to be careful. I accepted his warning, not sure exactly why, but I knew I had to accept the writing on the wall. We weren’t meant to be.

His hand quickly retracted as though the heat burned his fingers. The honey gaze he had in his eyes dissolved, and a stone-cold expression replaced it. He pulled back as though to rein himself in. He turned his back as the doors closed.

“Christ.” I leaned my heated body back against the cool wall as I shot upward toward the living. I felt like I just had a moment with the Reaper.

Later that day,I had a request from an old client. He was in town and had a few hours free and wanted me to join him at the poker table. After only an hour, he met some friends, and I was only too happy when they decided to join him. A happy client always made the job easier, and it also meant it gave me more time to prepare for the evening ahead. I wanted to look my best. I knew there’d be some new faces at the rooftop bar, and if I didn’t look my best, Minnie would be all over me, concerned as to why I didn’t. I was so tired of everyone asking me if I was all right. The Gates family should have been everyone’s focus. Not me.

I arrived on the top floor and was hit with a wave of heat. I checked myself once more as I went by a mirror. My light pink dress was like a second skin, but the temperature made it feel even tighter. The girls were front and center, and my dress hit high on my thighs. Minnie knew I always felt confident in this color, so I made sure to rock it with a metallic heel. My dark hair was long and wavy, and my makeup light.

I suddenly wondered if my stalker was going to be there. I looked around quickly and bit my bottom lip. I reassured myself with the fact that he hadn’t taken Rail’s bait on that text message. I couldn’t figure out why he had gone silent. Maybe he’d given up on the texts and just watched me in person. I squeezed my eyes shut and pushed the thought away. I stopped and sprayed on a little perfume, took a deep breath, and headed toward the others.

“Sei molto bella. You must be Kenna.” A man, who was obviously Italian with that gorgeous accent, stepped in front of me as I approached the others. He grinned then playfully kissed my hand. “But if not, may I buy you a drink?”

“Oh, no, brother,” another Italian I knew as Vinni interrupted. “This is Kenna.” He draped an arm around the other man’s shoulders.

“Hello, Vinni.” I smiled to show I remembered him. I chuckled as I thought of him here with Trigger and his guys. He always avoided Trigger at all costs. It was no secret he was terrified of him.

“Scusa, I figured it was too good to be true.” He winked and offered a hand. “I’m Niccola, Vinni’s brother.”

Ah, yes, the famous Capri brothers and cousins to Elio Capri, the Mafia Don of Italy.

“Older brother,” Vinni corrected him.

“Older, yes, but also wiser and much more experienced.” They playfully bantered while he held my hand as though it was a delicate treasure.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Niccola.” I smiled when he kissed my hand. You had to hand it to the Italians, they knew how to charm a lady—unless you were on their hit list, of course. I chuckled to myself.

“Trust me, Kenna, the pleasure is all mine.” He flashed another big, white smile while he threw a glance at the others.

“Is it working?” Niccola asked as Vinni looked over at the others.

“Yes.”

“Is what working?” I was curious to know what he meant.

Niccola offered an arm, and I took it. “We’re just testing out the waters to ascertain how far our dark but dear friend has gone.”

“Which dear friend? Because, no offense, but there are a lot of people here.” I ran through my mind all those I knew who would be there for drinks. All the main members of the Devil’s Reach, and their significant others. Grim and Jesse, of course, and I knew Elio would be there. I assumed he was the tall, handsome one with his back to me. I wasn’t sure how many of his Mafia syndicate traveled with him besides these two, his cousins.

“The one who is watching you with such intensity.” Vinnie laughed. “I do think he would put a bullet into anyone who looks at you the wrong way. It could be fun.”

“You’ve got it all wrong.” I smiled at him and enjoyed his spunk. “We may have had something once, but not anymore.”

“Really?” Vinni raised a brow. “Because we have all evening to be proven wrong.”

Kill me now, an Italian Rail.

Vinni conveniently made sure I sat right next to Grim, then he wedged his way between Minnie and Rail so I had to shimmy even closer to Grim. Rail eyed me thoughtfully, and I waited for him to say something. For once, he only cocked an eyebrow and grinned at me.

I was so pleased to be their source of entertainment.

Niccola introduced his cousin. “Kenna, this is Elio Capri.”

He sat across from me in a gorgeous Italian suit. His dark eyes found mine as a smile broke out behind his finger that rubbed across his lips.

“Nice to meet you.” His sexy accent gave me goosebumps, or maybe it was because Grim’s hand moved to his thigh, and it brushed by my bare skin.

“You as well.” I smiled politely. He carried a level of dominance that almost made me shiver. He wore a large black ring, and it flashed in the lights that hung above us as he ran a hand through his thick black hair. Elio was an attractive man but, much like Trigger, he didn’t seem to pay attention to the other women around us.

“I see you wore pink.” Minnie admired my dress. “And your heels are fab.” She studied my face. “Nice try, though.” She drew out the words thoughtfully, and I knew she saw right through me.

I was trying to be okay, I wanted to be okay, but truth was I wasn’t. I’d been through a lot and now, with Grim shutting down on me, I felt vulnerable. I wished I’d never let him in.

“However,” she eased up, “I do approve of your girls being out.” She pointed to my cleavage with a laugh. “I’ll always approve of that.”

“Thanks,” I nodded at her and noticed Rail’s face suddenly morph into an evil smile.

He rubbed his hands together. “It’s showtime!”

Oh, shit.

“Hey, Kenna,” Benny held up a beer, “I found you.”

I swore my entire body broke out in a sweat. “Hey, you did.” I pushed to my feet and stepped forward to give him a hug. “Sorry about the other night,” I whispered as I pulled away. “Things had gotten a little crazy.”

“Sounds like it, and no problem. I’m just pleased I get to spend more time with you.” He looked around at the others. “Hi, I’m Ben, or Benny to some.” He winked at me.

Rail, of course, took the lead and did some quick introductions, but when he got to Grim, I noticed he made sure to mention that he was my boss and one of the owners of the hotel.

“I’m looking forward to giving your new hotel a try when it opens.” Benny was good at being polite, but I could tell the guys made him nervous. After all, biker guys and well-dressed men who reeked of mafia weren’t exactly inviting company.

“Come sit.” Tess politely stood, being the sweetheart she was, and moved to sit next to Morgan so Benny could sit. The vacated seat was next to Trigger. Benny looked sick as he took in the size of and look of him.

“Your seat’s still open.” Rail gave me a gentle push back toward Grim, and I eased back into my spot. Grim didn’t move as I sat. I smiled warmly at Benny, trying to ease his concern for the present company.

“So, Benny,” to my surprise, Brick piped up, “how long have you known Kenna?”

“Let’s see, now.” He rubbed his chin and looked at me as he thought. “Since junior year of high school. Right?”

“Yes,” I nodded, “you’d just made the baseball team, and I was on my way to volleyball practice.”

“Good memory.” He beamed, clearly pleased that event had stayed with me.

Brick peeled the label on the side of his beer. “You ever dated?” I shot Minnie a look for help, but she pretended to sip her drink. Thanks, Min.

“Lord knows, I tried to get her attention.” Benny laughed. “She was a force to be reckoned with.”

Rail snorted. “Nothing’s changed.”

“Well, in all fairness, she was always surrounded by boys at school, and at home.” He looked at me and tilted his head. The conversation we’d had the other night came screaming back to me. I started to panic. “And I see nothing has changed and that piece of trash is still hanging around.”

Oh, no.

“What piece of trash?” Grim grunted, and I felt my head go light. I swung my gaze to Jesse with a look of pure terror. I hadn’t shared those particular details with them yet.

“Sonny Conti, that rich guy from Chicago.” Benny missed my expression that begged him to shut the hell up. “Not that he spent much time there.”

“Wait,” Grim looked at me, and I felt a blush creep up my throat, “Sonny Conti used to hang around Kenna?”

“Hang around, no.” Benny took a swig of his beer. “But he was tight with her father.”

Grim’s gaze burned a hole in the side of my face. “Well, that’s news to me.”

“As it was to me,” I chipped back, “when Benny told me.”

“I saw him last night, when we were having dinner.” Benny kept going. “Still hovering in the background. Seems not much has changed.”

Trigger leaned forward and stared at me than at Benny. “Cameron’s known Sonny since you two were in high school?”

“Maybe longer, I’m not sure, but since high school for sure.”

“Elaborate.” Trigger gave a quick look at Grim.

Benny finally tuned in to the vibe and chugged most of his beer, buying a moment. I, on the other hand, felt sick and wished I could dissolve into thin air.

“One night, I was at a work dinner with my father, and I saw Cameron was there too with someone else. I was building up the courage to ask Kenna to the winter ball and thought it would be nice to ask her father’s permission.” He looked a bit sheepish. “I mean they were a rather intimidating crowd.” He looked at me, but it was a bit late to warn him off now. “Anyway, I approached him, and it seemed to go smoothly, but then Cameron took a call and left me without a clear answer.” I could practically hear Trigger’s frustration with all the useless details Benny shared. Between that and Grim’s scowl, my nerves were shot. “I had come that far, you know, so I wasn’t going to give up. The guy with him made me loosen my tie. If you know what I mean. He looked to be around my age.” Benny swallowed and looked at me but got nothing. “He was a little rough around the edges.” He looked around and seemed to realize who he was with and quickly looked down at his hands and blurted the rest. “Turned out his name was Sonny Conti. He flexed his muscle, and by that, I mean a handgun and shared some colorful words about me staying away from Kenna.”

“Where was this dinner?” Grim asked.

“Ah, some bourbon club in Venice.”

“Go on.” Trigger stroked his chin.

“Senior year, I ran into him again.” Benny’s expression begged me to help. “Remember when we met at the park for pictures for homecoming, and there was a coffee shop across the street?”

“Yes,” I couldn’t help but answer. I was on the edge of my seat. I remembered that day well. “But Sonny never once showed his face there, Benny. I’m sure I would have remembered. I think I would have.”

“He was there. He was with some guys, and they were talking to your father.”

“Oh, my God,” something hit me, “I remember Dad took off, saying something about needing to find a computer.” I searched my brain to pull more of the memory forward. “And he was meeting Sonny?”

“Yeah, the creep saw me with you and thought we were going together. He got all up in my face and threatened me that he knew where I lived and that he’d fuck with my sister if I continued to go out with you.”

“Why?” My words failed me. “Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

“Kenna,” his voice softened, “your father was enough for you to deal with on a good day. The last thing you needed was to be upset during homecoming.”

“Well, it was kind of you, but I’m so sorry you had to carry that.”

He shrugged. “I survived. I’m only sorry I wasn’t strong enough to ignore him. I was young.” He shrugged. “But I’m glad we were able to keep in touch anyway.” He smiled. “We’ve had a couple of fun times since. I hope I haven’t said anything wrong here.” He looked around at Grim and Trigger. Neither of them said anything. “Well,” he turned to me, “I’m happy to see you again, looking,” his eyes widened, “unbelievable. I’m sorry that Sonny Conti’s still hanging around.”

“There’s a lot that doesn’t make sense right now,” I admitted, and Minnie leaned into me to give me some quiet love.

“I know you said you’re not exactly on the market, but I’m here with you now, and the night’s still young.” He smiled and took a sip of his beer.

Vinni and Rail both leaned forward and gave me shit-eating grins. I rolled my eyes and reached over and took a long drink of Minnie’s martini.

“So, what do you all do?” Benny asked the group once the silence got to be too much.

Rail stood, pulling up his pants. “Come on, Benny, let’s get you another drink.”

“Rail,” I warned.

“Um, sure.” Benny downed the rest of his beer then got up and began to walk toward the bar. I jumped up and grabbed Rail’s arm.

“Rail, if you mess with him, I swear I’ll burn your body and hide the ashes where even God himself can’t find them.”

“Darlin’, I sold them to the Devil years ago.” His face lit up with a happy grin. “Now, let me get to know our new friend.”

“Be nice,” Tess stuck a finger out, “and don’t start trouble.”

“I’m just welcoming Kenna’s man-friend to the group.” He clapped his hands. “You all should take notes from me.”

“We sure are learning a lot tonight,” Grim grunted as he swirled the ice around his glass.

I drained the rest of Minnie’s drink, and Tess slid hers over in my direction. I mouthed a thank you.

“And just when were you going to all share this with me?”

I used my lips to slide the olive off the toothpick as I glared at Grim. “Right around the time you stop acting like an asshole.”

Elio cleared his throat and laughed as he glanced at Niccola.

“Now do you understand why we love Sienna?” Niccola said with a grin at Elio. I was too fired up to care much about what he meant, or who Sienna was.

“Grim, I only found out from Benny right before I heard about Leal.” I tried to control my temper. I hated that I felt the need to explain myself to him. The thought that he’d ever think I’d hold something like that back from him was insulting.

“Was your phone broken?” he snapped.

“Was yours?” I couldn’t believe him. “I barely had time to register it myself when I had to leave my date at the table,” I used all the wrong words, but I wanted him to be as pissed as I was, “to look for your dog. You’re welcome, by the way.”

“Oh, my friend,” Elio shook his head and he studied Grim, “I’m so glad I came, if only to see you get a taste of such fire.” Elio twisted his wedding band, clearly unfazed by our fighting. “Reminds me of my beautiful wife. Also,” he glanced over at Tess, “reminds me of someone else I know.” Tess glanced at Trigger and shoved his shoulder playfully.

“Yeah.” Tess chuckled as Grim and I glared at one another. “Grim’s met his match as well.”

“That he has.” I stood and snagged my purse off the table. “Please excuse me, everyone, but I need something stronger.” I left before I said something I couldn’t take back.