Chapter 19
Angelina
T he next day, my phone buzzed with a group text while I was trying to work through Castellano & Co. emails at the kitchen table. Dez had offered his office, but the sun was brighter in here.
THE GIRLIES
Charmaine: Girl, are you still in Greece? Tell us you're living your best life right now
Karla: She's definitely bent up like a pretzel somewhere. Dez does NOT look like he holds back
Lisa: KARLA
Imani: She's not wrong though
Had to end the honeymoon early. Work emergency. Back in Seattle.
Charmaine: WHAT? Everything okay?
Karla: Is it your uncle? I will fight him myself
Lisa: We all will
Imani: Say the word and we’ll take care of him
The loyalty made my chest tight. These women had barely been back in my life for a week and they were already ready to go to war for me.
Uncle situation is handled. For now. But Dez had to go deal with some family business today and I'm bored out of my mind.
Charmaine: Lunch. Today. No arguments.
Lisa: I'm in Seattle for a conference anyway. Perfect timing.
Karla: I can move my afternoon appointments.
Imani: Already looking at flights. I can be there by one.
Angelina: You guys don't have to do that
Charmaine: LUNCH. TODAY. Send us the address of a good spot and we'll meet you there.
I smiled, warmth spreading through my chest.
Okay. Okay. There's a great Italian place in Capitol Hill. Salvatores. 1 PM?
Imani: See you there
Charmaine: Can’t wait
Karla: See you soon
Lisa: SYS
Then I texted Dez.
My Man, My Man, My Man
Going to lunch with the girls. Charmaine, Lisa, Imani, and Karla. Salvatore's at 1.
Taking security with you
Dez, I'm just having lunch
Non-negotiable. Matvey will drive you and stay close. Vincent is still out there and I'm not taking chances.
I sighed but didn't argue. After yesterday's bombs, I couldn't exactly blame him for being overprotective.
Fine. Love you.
Love you too. Be safe.
There was a knock at the door and when I peeped out, Matvey was standing there.
“I’m out here when you’re ready to do.” He said through the door.
I sighed in defeat. Then, relief filled me.
He loves me.
Because if he didn’t, he wouldn’t be so damn overprotective. And secretly, I loved how much he fussed over me, even when it annoyed me.
“I’ll be ready in twenty.” I shouted out to him.
“I’ll be here.”
Salvatore's was packed when I arrived at 12:55, but we had a reservation—a corner booth with a view of the street and enough privacy for conversation.
Matvey positioned himself at the bar with clear sightlines to our table.
He was doing that thing where he looked relaxed but I could see the constant scanning, the awareness of every person who entered.
It’s not like he was far away either. It should have made me feel suffocated. Instead, it made me feel safe.
Charmaine arrived first, stunning in a rust-colored suit that complemented her dark skin beautifully. She wrapped me in a hug that smelled like expensive perfume and fierce affection.
"Tell me everything," she demanded, sliding into the booth.
"There's a lot."
"Then start talking."
Lisa arrived next, then Imani, then Karla. All of them looked professional and gorgeous and so perfectly themselves that I felt my throat tighten with emotion.
"Okay," Charmaine said once we'd ordered drinks and appetizers. "First question: how was the honeymoon before you had to come back?"
"Magical," I admitted. "Santorini is beautiful. The villa was perfect. And Dez—" I felt myself blush, "—was very attentive."
"I knew it!" Karla crowed. "Called it. Bent like a pretzel."
"Oh my god, stop," I laughed.
"So what happened?" Lisa asked, more serious. "What was the emergency?"
I filled them in on Vincent's attempt to frame me, the board meeting, the bombs. Their expressions went from concerned to furious.
"That motherfucker," Imani said flatly. "Tell me Dez is handling it."
"He is."
"Good." She took a long drink of her wine. "Because if he doesn't, we will."
"You guys can't fight my battles for me."
"Watch us," Charmaine said. "You're our sister, Angie. Your battles are our battles. And it was tough to be away the first time. Knowing the truth, getting rid of us won’t be so easy this time."
The food came and conversation shifted to lighter topics. I learned that Lisa was dealing with a difficult divorce. Her husband had cheated with a colleague and was trying to claim he deserved half her architecture firm.
"Hell no," she said, stabbing her salad. "I built that company from nothing. He contributed exactly zero. His lawyer can cry about it."
Imani was newly divorced herself and clearly thriving. She'd just closed her biggest consulting contract ever and was considering expanding to the East Coast.
Karla was single and loving it, dating casually but focused on her medical practice and volunteer work.
And Charmaine?—
"I'm seeing someone," she admitted quietly. "It's new. But it's good. Really good."
"The woman from the wedding?" I asked, remembering how she'd smiled at someone in the crowd.
"Yeah. Diana. She's a professor at UW. Smart, funny, gorgeous. We're taking it slow but..." She grinned. "I really like her."
"That's amazing," I said, squeezing her hand. "I'm so happy for you."
"What about you?" Karla asked. "Besides the uncle drama and attempted murder. How's married life?"
"Perfect," I said without hesitation. "Complicated, obviously. But perfect."
"He treats you well?" Lisa asked, her instincts showing.
"He treats me like I'm precious. Like I'm the most important thing in his world." I smiled. "I never thought I'd have this. Someone who sees all of me—the messy parts, the broken parts, the parts I try to hide—and loves me anyway."
"That's beautiful," Charmaine said softly.
"Although," Imani grinned, "I have to say, I'm pretty sure Nikolai Moretti thinks I'm precious too."
We all turned to stare at her.
"Excuse me?" Lisa demanded. "Nikolai? Dez's brother? The one you danced with at the wedding?"
"We may have exchanged numbers." Imani tried to look casual and failed completely. "And he may have texted me every day since."
"WHAT," Karla shrieked. "Why didn't you lead with this?!"
"Because it's not a big deal?—"
"It is absolutely a big deal," Charmaine said. "Spill. Everything."
Imani's normally controlled expression softened. "He's... not what I expected. I thought he'd be another smooth-talking player. But he's smart. Really smart. We've been having these deep conversations about business and philosophy and he actually listens. Really listens."
"And?" I prompted.
"And he wants to take me to dinner next week."
We all squealed. Even cool, composed Imani couldn't hide her smile.
The rest of lunch was filled with laughter and wine and the easy conversation of women who'd known each other forever. By the time we finished dessert, my cheeks hurt from smiling.
"We should do this more often," Lisa said as we gathered our things. "I forgot how much I missed this."
"Monthly brunches, weekly dinners," Karla declared. "Or as often as we can manage. I'm not losing you guys again."
"Agreed," Charmaine said, and we all nodded.
We walked out together, still laughing, into the bright afternoon sunshine. I was into the moment with them that I never saw trouble coming. The black cruiser that came screaming around the corner, windows down, the glint of metal before shots fired.
"DOWN!" Matvey's voice, urgent and commanding.
Something slammed into me from the side—Matvey, tackling all of us to the ground as gunfire erupted.
The sound was deafening. Glass shattering.
People screaming. The acrid smell of gunpowder.
I hit the concrete hard, my head smacking against the pavement with a sickening sound.
Pain exploded through my skull. Someone was screaming. Maybe me. Maybe one of the others.
More gunshots. Closer now. Or farther? I couldn't tell. Everything was spinning.
"Angelina!" Charmaine's voice, panicked. "Angelina, stay with me!"
I tried to respond but my mouth wouldn't work. My vision was going dark at the edges.
"She's bleeding?—"
"Call 911!"
"Karla's hit, she's hit?—"
"Put pressure on it!"
Voices overlapping, chaos, and through it all, a high-pitched ringing in my ears that wouldn't stop. I tried to stay conscious. Tried to focus on Matvey's face above me, his mouth moving but I couldn't hear the words. Tried to stay present. But the darkness was pulling me under, warm and inviting.
The last thing I heard was sirens and I felt someone's hands holding mine.
And then—nothing.