Kept (Conti Mafia Duet #1)

Chapter 1

Birdie

“Sienna,” I groan. “You can’t back out now.” I hold up the glittery green headband, the one with the stupid elf ears she had me pick up for her last week when I got my dress. “We’ve been planning the Island of Misfit Toys dinner forever.”

Sienna freezes mid-pack, a soft smile flickering across her face before it fades.

“I told you,” she says quietly. “When my dad calls, you go. No matter what.”

She’s said that before, but this time feels different. There’d been no warning, no countdown texts, no chance to talk her out of it. Just him calling, and her dropping everything to go back to Chicago.

“Can’t you wait until after the party?” I ask, even though I already know the answer.

She bites her bottom lip, gaze slipping to the floor, and I realize she’s already gone, at least in her head.

Then, to my surprise, she nods.

“Yeah.”

“Yeah?” I echo, not daring to hope.

A small laugh slips from her. “It’s only a few hours more. Besides, I want to spend as much time with Mikel before I leave.”

Relief floods through me. I throw my arms around her, hugging tight. “Thank you. You’re the best.”

It’s silly, maybe, but I need her tonight. The holidays always scrape something raw inside me, and Sienna’s the only one who ever seems to get it. We bonded over our dead mothers and never looked back.

She hugs me back. “Don’t thank me yet. There’s a chance my dad might send someone to get me. If he does…” She pulls back just enough to meet my eyes. “You’re coming, too.”

“Deal.” I toss the ears on her bed. “I’m going to finish decorating.”

She makes a sound of acknowledgement as I back out of her room.

I know we’re an unlikely pair. She could be a supermodel with her looks—nearly six feet tall, sun-kissed skin, high cheekbones, and sleek, dark hair that always falls perfectly into place.

Me? I’m the opposite. Curvy, five-foot-and-a-half on a good day, and blonde hair that frizzes the second I get warm.

Which, let’s be honest, is most of the time.

We met freshman year at the University of Missouri–Kansas City, thrown together as random roommates.

She was loud, confident, and so damn sure of herself, while I was the quiet one clutching a suitcase full of nerves.

Somehow, it worked. And somewhere between late-night study sessions and cafeteria coffee, we became inseparable.

But that friendship has never left campus. When the semester ends, she heads home to Chicago, and I go back to Wichita.

Or I used to.

Since my aunt died, there’s no one waiting for me there anymore.

No house that smells like hazelnut coffee and no voice calling my name when I walk through the door.

I don’t even have her house anymore. She left it to her brother and he sold it as soon as he could.

Didn’t even give me a month’s notice, which is why I’m already dreading the end of the spring semester.

I have no place to go, so I’m going to have to try to find a roommate.

Which means me and Sienna probably won’t live together next year. But, that’s a problem for another day.

That’s why I planned the dinner tonight. The Island of Misfit Toys—our little gathering for everyone who doesn’t have anywhere else to go. A meal, some laughter, and maybe a reminder that we still belong somewhere. Because I desperately want to feel like I belong.

I give the living room and kitchen one last look, taking in the chaos of twinkling lights, tinsel, and mismatched ornaments.

It looks like Christmas threw up in our tiny apartment and I freaking love it.

The scent of cinnamon candles mixes with the faint hum of the digital fireplace from the TV, wrapping everything in warmth.

As a kid, I would’ve killed for half this magic, but my aunt never saw the point in decorating.

Now, surrounded by all this glitter and glow, I finally feel like I’m making up for lost time.

Sienna calls out, “Dave and Sara just texted. They’re on their way.”

“Guess I better get dressed then.”

I’m dressing up as ‘Dolly for Sue’, complete with a pink gingham dress red ribbons for my hair. I don’t even care if the others dress up as holiday characters, but I want to do this.

In my room, I slip out of my leggings and oversized T-shirt, slipping into the dress. When I catch my reflection in the mirror, I can’t help but laugh. My large breasts make the innocent little dress look like something it was never meant to be.

Well, nothing I can do about that.

I part my hair and pull it into two pigtails, tying each one with a red ribbon. My makeup’s light—just mascara and gloss—but I dust extra pink on my cheeks, leaning into the doll look. A spritz of perfume, and I’m ready.

When I step back into the living room, Sienna’s perched on the couch, scrolling on her phone.

“You didn’t dress up,” I pout.

She smooths her tight black dress, the elf costume she bought nowhere in sight.

“I’m going to put on the ears. Promise.” She smirks. “I just don’t want Mikel to think I’m a total nerd for dressing up.”

She doesn’t mean it to hurt but it still stings.

It’s a reminder of all the ways I’ll never be Sienna.

Never that effortlessly cool with that sharp and stylish vibe with just the right amount of aloofness.

And maybe that’s okay. Maybe I’m not supposed to be like her.

Still, it’s a hard truth to swallow, knowing I’ll always be a little softer around the edges and a little less seen. Less in general, really.

But then again, for someone who walks through life like she’s walking a Paris runway, Sienna sure seems to love my little parties. She always stays, even when she could go to a more popular party on campus. Funny how someone so polished keeps coming back to something so… me.

“Yeah. Sure. I get it.” I smile anyway, because that’s what dolls do.

I move to the kitchen and pull a six-pack of beer from the fridge, setting them on the counter.

“Did your dad say why he wanted you to come home?”

Sienna grabs a can, popping it open with a sharp hiss. “No, but I’m sure it’s because I wasn’t there for Thanksgiving. He’s always been big on holidays, especially since Mom died.”

Sienna’s mom passed away from cancer when she was six. She doesn’t remember much about her, just how heavy her dad’s grief was after and how it filled every room they lived in. I understand grief—too well, probably. I’ve carried more of it than most people my age ever should.

“Of course,” she adds, taking a sip, “it could also have something to do with his job.”

“Oh?” I grab the bowl of Chex Mix and carry it to the table. “What did you say he did again?”

As always, she gives the same vague answer. “He’s the CEO of his company.”

I hum under my breath, reaching for the veggie tray. “Right. The mysterious CEO.”

I have thoughts about what Mr. Conti does for a living. Too many, probably. Every vague answer feeds the fire in my head.

Escaped convict.

Arms dealer.

Mafia boss.

The list grows more dramatic and unhinged every time I let my mind wander. If Sienna could hear half the scenarios I’ve come up with, she’d stage an intervention.

But maybe the truth is far simpler. Maybe he really is just a CEO—one of those ruthlessly efficient, old-money types who’s used to the whole world jumping when he snaps his fingers. That possibility should comfort me but it doesn’t because that would make him an entitled jerk.

What stings the most is that Sienna won’t tell me.

She knows I’m spiraling. She knows my imagination turns shadows into monsters, and she still won’t trust me with the truth.

And I keep thinking… She knows what my dad did before he died.

She knows I’ve seen darkness up close. She knows I can handle ugly truth better than pretty lies.

So why won’t she tell me what Mr. Conti really is? And why does it feel like she’s trying to protect me… or hide me from something I should already be afraid of?

“It’s not like that,” she says with a laugh, dismissing my spiraling theories with a flick of her hand. “He’s just private. Anyway, do you think Rachel’s going to come tonight?”

She pivots so fast it almost gives me whiplash.

And because I’m the kind of friend who doesn’t push—who lets people keep their secrets even when they burn holes in the space between us—I let her change the subject. Even if the uneasy knot in my stomach whispers that nothing about Mr. Conti is ever that simple.

I swallow down the hundred questions rising in my throat, force a smile, and say, “Why would Mikel’s ex show up to a party where his new girlfriend’s going to be? No, I don’t think she’ll be there.”

“I hope not.” Her grin turns sly. “Oh! Did I tell you I asked him to bring a friend for you?” She wiggles her eyebrows. “We’ll get you laid before New Year’s yet.”

I groan, dropping my head back with a laugh. “Not this again.”

Sienna is on a mission to find me a new boyfriend before the new year.

She’s treating it like a personal challenge, a side quest she’s determined to complete.

And sure… it would be nice to date someone again.

But I’m not in any rush, especially after the yahoos I’ve dated.

The bar is so low it’s practically underground, and I’m not eager to crawl back into that mess just because Sienna thinks a warm body will fix my life. It won’t.

If anything, it’ll just give me another idiot to dodge on campus.

“You haven’t dated anyone since what’s-his-face,” Sienna says, grinning as she takes another sip of beer. “You need to get out there before your vagina closes up shop forever.”

I open my mouth to argue, but a knock at the door saves me.

Sienna darts over and yanks it open without even checking who it is.

“Baby!”

Sienna barely gets the word out before Mikel’s got her wrapped up in his arms, kissing her like a man who’s been lost at sea. Their reunion makes me snort because they literally saw each other in our last class of the day, which was like three hours ago.