34. SOPHIE
SOPHIE
His face changes when he sees me. The moment our eyes lock feels like something out of a movie. Everything around us falls away. I can’t hear anything at all. I can’t see anything but him. And I stop breathing.
Then he says something to the guard beside him without looking away from me. The guard turns, finds me in the crowd, and starts moving in my direction.
My stomach drops. Is he going to have his guards grab me? Hold me hostage? I scan for exits, but I’m surrounded by people and I don’t want to cause a scene.
Ashlyn is moving toward the front of the room, and when she turns, her gaze lands on me. She closes her eyes for a long moment. She looks scared.
I shouldn’t have come. I need to stop saying yes to Vin.
The guard reaches me and takes me by the arm, but I stand still, resisting him.
“Come this way, please,” he says.
I don’t budge. “Where are you taking me?”
“Please.” His eyes are kind, which is confusing and makes my pulse climb faster. “It is Mr. Demonio’s request.”
I glance at the exit. Then at Ashlyn who is seated now, her back to me. I look at the guard’s careful hand on my arm.
Frig. I came this far.
“All right,” I say quietly.
He walks me through the crowd toward the front of the room and everyone moves aside without being asked, staring at me curiously but pretending to mind their own business. I keep my eyes forward, my chin level. My heart is pounding out of my chest.
Vin is standing at the end of the first row of chairs. When the guard delivers me to him and steps back, Vin looks at me for one long second.
He is wearing the suit I picked for him. He looks incredible, freaking stunning as usual. It would be easier if he didn’t.
Vin gestures to Matti and says something low and brief. Matti nods and stands, then whispers to Siena, triggering a domino effect as the message passes down the row. Everyone in the row stands and moves down one seat, and Tommy brings a chair to the far end of the row and sits down.
Vin tilts his head to the now-empty seat next to his. My face flushes with heat. He moved everyone. For me.
My eyes widen as I flit my gaze around the room. Everyone is watching. Everyone is seeing this. With the Irish here, this can’t be good. What is he doing?
Blushing, I don’t know what to do but follow his direction and sit stiffly on the edge of the seat he emptied for me.
Whispers move through the room like a wave. I can feel everyone’s eyes boring into the back of my head.
After a few minutes, the hush of conversation grows louder, fighting with the sounds of the string quartet for dominance. The casket is less than 10 feet away from us; there’s a painted portrait of Aurelio on a stand at its foot.
Vin’s muscular thighs spill over his chair as do mine, though not because they’re muscular.
His hand moves between us. Before I can shift away, the back of his fingers brush against my thigh just above my knee and stay there.
I continue looking forward but every fiber of my focus is on where he’s touching me.
His fingertips dig into my thigh, and he curls his fingers, gripping the fabric of my dress in his fist. I look down at his hand, white-knuckled in the dark wool of my dress and my breath catches.
He’s struggling, and my heart cracks open for him. He’s been dreading today for over a year. I cover his hand with mine and pat it once, twice, then start to pull away.
He lets go of my dress and takes my hand.
Lacing his fingers through mine, he pulls our joined hands into his lap. I don’t pull back. It’s his father’s funeral. It’s a hard day. I’d do this for anyone.
That’s all this is.
The priest directs guests to move away from the casket and gives Vin a nod. Vin stands, pulling me up with him. I let go of his hand as he turns and moves toward the casket, falling back so he can go ahead.
He glances back at me, frowning, then reaches back and takes my wrist.
“Never walk behind me.” His voice is barely a murmur, low enough that only I can hear it. “I need to feel you next to me or see you in front of me every minute. I’m never going to be away from you again.”
I stare at his profile.
What?
Siena, Matti, Tommy, Giovanna—everyone in our line of seats is waiting for us to move, so I follow him without making a scene. But in my head, I’m freaking out.
We stand in front of Aurelio’s casket, and despite my racing thoughts, I take a moment to look at his corpse. The scar that cuts from his jaw to his nose that I gave him when I was a child. The bulge of his neck over the collar of his suit.
This man caused so much pain and suffering. And from beyond the grave, he’s still impacting his son. Vin is stiff beside me, stony faced, jaw clenched.
We’re there for less than 30 seconds before he pulls me down the row of chairs to the wall of windows and leads me to the back where a coffee bar is set up.
“Coffee. Two sugars. One tablespoon of cream.”
Vin looks down at his hand holding mine and I clear my throat, tugging out of his grasp as the barista makes his coffee.
“Vin,” I say carefully. “I’m here to support you. For today.”
“Everyday, Sophie. Every. Fucking. Day.” He takes the coffee from the barista and turns, leaning back against the counter, sliding his hand around my waist.
I blink, looking down at the space disappearing between us. “What—”
“Your life comes first. When you’re at the restaurant, I’ll be there, do my work from there.”
“Um…” I can’t even think fast enough to process what’s happening right now.
“I’m not living on the estate anymore. I’ll live above the Arsenal with you. And if I travel, you’ll come with me.” He says it matter-of-factly, like it’s a done deal.
“Vin, that is absolutely not— You cannot—” I pull in a breath and steady myself. “You need to be here. You’re the boss. You’re about to be at war with the Irish, you have the Brotherhood to run, you have—”
“I know what I have.”
“Then you know that is an insane plan—”
“Fine. I’ll stay here on the Demonio estate, but only if you stay here too.
I want you to redo all of it. Make it yours.
Gut whatever you don’t like. Keep what you do.
” I shake my head but he ignores me. “I brought women here who meant nothing, to me, Sophia. You’re not one of those women.
If you don’t want me at your place, then you’ll make this into your place.
So I can do better. So I can do this right. ”
“Vin, listen to me. I’m just here for today. Vin? Do you hear me? Just for today.”
I try to step away from him. He doesn’t let me go.