2. Zane
Zane
W e’re back at The Tavern, seated in a round corner booth.
Cain takes one end while Viv’s dad finds himself at the other.
I’m sad when I end up between her dad and Sloane, while Nox and Cain get to sit on either side of her.
But the first thing Viv does when we’re situated is demand that we order pretzel bites and beer cheese, making her dad’s eyes widen.
Viv ignores him and turns to Nox on her other side, blinking up at him with those wide hazel eyes.
“I forgot to ask, but can you teach me how to make beer cheese? It’s so good, and I want to be able to have it whenever I want. ”
Nox smiles at her, reaching out to tuck her black wavy strands behind her ear. “Of course. It’s not that hard. If you learn how to make that, I could teach you how to make other sauces like Alfredo and Hollandaise, too.”
Her mouth makes a small ‘o’ as she thinks about that. “That sounds good,” she sighs, grinning at him before turning back to her menu.
We’re quiet while we all take time to look over our menus. When the waitress stops by to take our drink orders, we all order some sort of soda while the mafia lord next to me orders a whisky on ice. We also ask for two orders of pretzels and beer cheese for Viv.
When the waitress walks away after a long look at Sloane, which earns her a narrowed eyed glare from Viv, we all turn to Donatello Rossi expectantly.
He doesn’t disappoint, clearing his throat to speak.
“I guess introductions are in order. Since you’re all fucking my daughter, I should at least know your names. ”
Nox sputters and Viv just rolls her eyes. “They’re not all fucking me. Besides, who I let into my bed is none of your business. I’m an adult.”
His eyes narrow at her. “You’re still my daughter.”
She huffs, “Not that you deserve to know anything about my life anymore, but you already know Cain Price.”
He hums, “Yes the piccolo poliziotto? 1 .”
Cain bristles next to Viv, but I don’t really understand why since I have no idea what he said. Viv doesn’t justify that with a response though, just moves along. “This is Lennox Finch, Sloane McKenna, and Zane Monroe.”
His eyes find mine and he smiles, though it’s more of a bearing of his teeth than a pleasant expression. “The self-proclaimed fiancé. You can all call me Don.”
I smile back at him, making sure he can see way too many of my teeth too. “I will marry Viv.”
Viv clears her throat. “Don’t I get a say in this?”
“No,” I snap.
“Of course,” everyone else chimes in at the same time.
Viv smiles at me over the table. “How about we finish the list before talking about marriage?”
A soft smile spreads across my lips at that. “Okay. If that’s what you want.”
“She’s like a fucking psycho whisperer,” Sloane mutters next to me, and is rewarded with my elbow jabbing into his side.
The waitress stops the conversation as she passes out our drinks and places the two plates of pretzels on the table.
Her gaze lands on Sloane again and he frowns at her.
He glances over at Viv who’s also giving the waitress a dirty look.
“Babe, do you know what you want to eat?” he asks her, and she turns to him with a small smile.
She’s not stupid, she knows exactly what he’s doing.
He’s probably also saving the waitress from the few broken bones she’d have if she had decided to try laying her hands on him.
Viv’s eyes find mine and she grins, clearly expecting me to order for her like last time.
I return the expression. “We’d both like the Reuben with fries,” I tell the waitress, before taking a sip of my drink.
Everyone else takes turns ordering food while the waitress avoids looking at Sloane completely, even while taking his order.
The moment the waitress walks away with our menus under her arm, Viv dives into the beer cheese. “Should I be scared to go for a bite?” Nox asks, tentatively reaching toward the plate closest to them.
Viv looks up at him with two pretzels in her hands and takes a savage bite out of one.
We all laugh at her antics, even Don. Cain risks his fingers first, grabbing a pretzel and dipping it into the cheese.
“Ballsy move when you’re the only one she’s actually stabbed,” Sloane laughs, grabbing one for himself after Nox does.
Don almost chokes on the drink of whisky he just took and stares at his daughter. “Viviana. You stabbed him? The former FBI agent you truly admire?”
Viv shrugs one shoulder, swallowing the food in her mouth. “I warned him and he didn’t listen.”
I’m not sure what I really expected, but I shouldn’t have been surprised by the teary look in his eyes as he set his glass down. “I’m so proud of you,” he tells her.
Shouldn’t he be telling her not to stab former FBI agents?
Cain glares at him like he has a personal vendetta against the mobster.
That makes me pause. He probably does have some kind of vendetta against him.
Though I’m sure that Cain would have said something already if he has beef with Viv’s dad.
It’s probably all just based on his reputation.
With his past in the FBI, Cain knows a lot about criminal organizations.
And while we’re all criminals, including him, he has a hard time accepting anyone else doing something illegal.
I’m pretty sure that’s why it took him so long to accept Viv in the first place.
Viv distracts me from my musings by finding my eyes over the table.
God, she’s perfect. I was looking forward to Cain and Nox explaining our jobs to her later, but I guess that will have to wait now.
The mother of my future children hasn’t even gotten to sleep in her new room, and things have already gone off the rails.
Maybe if I find a sex trafficking ring or something, we could go on a spree.
It would be so hot to actually get to see her in action.
Getting a boner while sitting next to your girl’s dad the first time you meet him probably doesn’t leave the best impression. I doubt he’ll notice though. What kind of guy checks out his daughter’s future husband’s junk?
When Viv breaks eye contact, I’m sure she doesn’t even realize what I’m thinking about, because there would be that distinct pink tint on her cheeks that she swears isn’t a blush if she did.
When she gasps in outrage, I turn expecting to see that the flirty waitress has returned, but all I find is Viv staring forlornly at the empty appetizer plates.
That’s when the waitress reappears. I really should know her name. She’s usually the one who serves us when we come here and she tells us every time we come in, but I can never remember. She passes out our food before reaching for the empty plates. “Are you guys done with these?”
“Wait!” Viv shouts, leaning forward to grab the two ramekins half-full of beer cheese.
The waitress just stares at her for a moment before collecting the now empty plates.
When she hurries away, I smirk at Viv as she dips a French fry into one of the cups of beer cheese while Don shakes his head like he has no idea how Viv turned out this way.
“So, how’s everyone back home?” she asks with her mouth full.
Don sighs, “Don’t talk with your mouth full, Viviana. Everyone left is fine. I’ve got some files for you to check over though. I need to figure out who to promote. Figured that could be your job since you killed all the people I need to replace.”
Viv narrows her eyes at him, but swallows her mouthful before speaking again, “You’re the one who sent those men to their deaths. Why should I be the one responsible for it?”
Cain leans back in the booth. “Because in three years you take over anyway, and those people will still be in the ranks when you take over. Now is your chance to build the family how you want to.”
She turns to him with her lips slightly pursed. “Fine. I’ll take care of it. How do you think Enzo would feel about moving up? If I want anyone as underboss, it would be him.”
Don scratches under his chin. “I don’t know. You know how he is. He likes being the enforcer.”
Viv shrugs. “True,” she huffs, staring down at her plate for a moment. “What about Kian? He’s pretty smart. I think it would be a good fit for him. He’s done good in the family, plus he’s a good guy.”
Cain huffs, “He’s a mobster.”
Viv raises one brow. “Seriously, that again? That coming from the guy who has taken care of…” She pauses to count on her fingers. “Five bodies for me. You can judge all you want, but we both know you’re just as criminal as we are,” she hisses under her breath at him.
Don waves Cain off with an easy flap of his hand. “I think Kian is a great choice.”
Viv hums. “I’d like to see those files before I make any more decisions.”
Her dad smiles at her. “Of course. Now why don’t you tell me what’s been going on between the murder and mayhem?”
Viv grumbles under her breath, but relents.
She tells him all about her classes and Sandy, her eyes lighting up as she recounts some of the lessons Cain taught.
She tells him about sociology class and how she’d already known most of it because of the tutors he hired.
It’s good to see her so animated as she talks to her dad.
I know she doesn’t talk about him much, but I also know that even if she’s pissed at him, she’s missed him too.
When we finish eating, Don pays the bill and we head back to the house.
Though he doesn’t come back in with us. Instead, he brings a black briefcase to Viv at the entryway and presses a soft kiss to her cheek.
“I’ve got to get back. I can’t be gone for long, especially now that I’ve got no under-boss.
The family is bound to fall apart if I leave Enzo in charge for too long. ”
Viv gives him a soft smile, and I just know that she’s close to forgiving him. “Don’t forget to call,” she tells him with narrowed eyes.
He rolls his eyes. “I’ll be sure to get your new number from Enzo when I get back. I’m not stupid. I know he helped you get here.”
Viv’s cheeks flush. “I’ll answer if you call,” she says, kicking the floor beneath her.
Don smiles at that. “I love you, Bambolotta? 2 .”
“I love you too…” She waits for him to walk out to continue, “Even though you're named after a teenage mutant ninja turtle.” Then she closes the door in his face when he turns back to say something.