Chapter 17
Chapter Seventeen
IVY
C obra’s soft snores echoed all around me as I read—correction, tried to read.
It had been twenty-four hours since Vittoria DiLustro was shot, her body buried in an unmarked grave. Soon after, Christian brought me and Cobra to his penthouse in the heart of Philadelphia.
The moment we passed the threshold of the luxury penthouse, he’d said, “There’s food in the fridge. Stay here. Cobra will protect you.”
“But—”
“We’ll get married in forty-eight hours. I’ll handle everything.”
Then he turned around and disappeared, leaving me alone in his home. I thought he’d be back, but as the hours passed, it was clear that he wasn’t returning until the wedding.
“Maybe he’s old-fashioned and doesn’t want to see the bride before the wedding day,” I muttered to Cobra, who lifted her head from where she was curled up next to me. I sighed. “Yeah, the theory is far-fetched, but that’s all I got.”
Cobra laid her head back down, nuzzling her nose against me, and I sighed, going back to not thinking about the fact that I’d be marrying Priest DiLustro in less than two days.
Throwing the book to the side, I reached for my phone and opened my Pinterest page, studying it sadly. The wedding board held all the hopes for my dream wedding. Down to the type of flowers and brand of scented candles. But it was the wedding dress and jewelry—my mother’s—that was the centerpiece.
Being born into the mafia world, I knew finding love with a man and creating a family with him was unlikely. My future was written the day I was born. But still, I dreamed and hoped that one day I’d fall in love and have a wedding fit for a princess.
Just like Athair used to call me.
A knock on the door stopped my train of thought. Cobra barked and I startled.
I jumped to my feet, Cobra right at my heel. My room was wrapped in darkness aside from the low light of the reading lamp. I flicked the rest on and padded out of the bedroom and through the empty penthouse.
I checked the peephole on the door, then let out a little squeal when I saw my girlfriends standing outside holding a bottle of wine and a plastic bag with Chinese.
“Cobra, our friends are here,” I said, beaming. And as if she understood me, she instantly sat down obediently and watched the door as I opened it.
I welcomed my friends into my arms, not caring that I was jostling the containers and probably sending sweet and sour sauce leaking onto the floor.
Juliette, Davina, and Wynter laughed, all of us a tangle of limbs as everyone spoke at the same time.
“Holy shit, you have a dog,” Davina remarked.
“Cobra is our newest gang member.” I glanced at my faithful companion and grinned, seeing her tail waggle excitedly. “Cobra, give kisses to our friends.”
Woof. Woof. In the next second, she was all over us, giving us unconditional love. The kind only dogs were capable of.
I pulled back to smile at my girls. “How did you know where I’d be?”
“Christian phoned me,” Wynter said, gently pushing me back into the penthouse behind the other two and kicking the door shut.
“He told you?” I asked, taking the bag of Chinese as Juliette took the bottle of wine, Davina rubbing a kink out of her back as she wobbled behind us.
Cobra’s attention zeroed in on the Chinese in my hand, running circles around me. The little rascal probably wanted to trip me so food would spill all over the floor and she’d have her second dinner.
Juliette and Wynter led us toward the kitchen and it occurred to me they’d been here before, which would make sense—Priest was Juliette’s brother-in-law and Wynter’s half brother after all.
Wynter winced slightly but recovered just as quickly. “Yeah, he told us about the wedding.” She took my hand in hers, giving it a squeeze. “Now we’re all family.”
“Who would’ve thought when we started our studies that we’d not only be best friends but also family?” Davina remarked.
“Life works in mysterious ways,” I mumbled, glancing at my companion. “Right, Cobra?”
She barked once, twice. I took it as her confirmation, but it was probably just her asking for some Chinese.
“We’re family, through thick and thin, and nothing will change that,” Juliette said, eyeing me meaningfully as she uncorked a bottle. “Okay?”
“Okay,” I confirmed, images of Christian torturing Vittoria flashing through my mind. Would Wynter be freaked out by his actions? She had been trying to rekindle the relationship between her mother and her brother, but I couldn’t help but wonder if she’d stop that if she knew what he had endured because her—their—mother abandoned him.
“What’s that?” Davina asked as we started pulling glasses and plates out for dinner.
“What?”
“That look on your face,” she said with a jerk of her chin.
I waved my hand, dismissing her concerns.
“ Oh ,” Juliette teased, waggling her brows at me as she uncorked the bottle. “It’s definitely something. Spill it or we’re about to have a pillow fight in this immaculate penthouse.”
This was one of the reasons I loved Juliette. She had a sixth sense when something troubled me and knew how to defuse the tension. But this bit of information about Christian wasn’t something I would share with anyone. It was his secret… our secret.
And I’d never betray his trust.
“I guess pillow fight it is,” I said as I snatched a full glass from her, drank it down, and then gave her a feral look.
She threw her head back and laughed, and God, it felt good to have my friends here with me. I hadn’t realized how lonely I was without them over the past few months.
I blinked and was transported back to the old days in our dorm rooms. The girls abandoned the fragrant boxes of food and took off running in different directions, their sock-clad feet making them clumsily bump into furniture. Or it could have been Cobra nipping at their toes too. The two of us chased them around Priest’s home, all of us squealing like wild teenagers. We stopped every so often to take a bite of Chinese or down more wine, our cheeks aching from smiling.
“Best bachelorette party ever,” Davina sighed, rubbing her belly and sipping on her sparkling mineral water. “I think the little guy agrees, Cobra too.”
“He should be a girl.” Juliette laughed. “Little traitor.”
“But I bet your dad is thrilled it’s a boy,” I pointed out. Liam Brennan adopted Juliette and her brother when they were children, and he considered them his own, but Grandpa Brennan insisted it be Liam’s blood relative who eventually took over the Brennan mafia empire.
“He is,” Juliette agreed. “Killian, as well.”
“Where is he anyhow?” Davina asked. “I haven’t seen him around much.”
Something passed Juliette’s expression but she quickly masked it. “I don’t know.”
My brows rose nearly into my hairline. “You don’t know where your brother is?”
“Nope.”
I knew her tells well enough to know when she was lying. Interesting .
It looked like we were all keeping some secrets from each other.
“So how does it feel marrying one of the sexiest men to ever breathe air?” Juliette expertly changed the subject.
“Are you talking about your own husband?” Davina surmised. “Or Ivy’s soon-to-be one?”
I shook my head at them, but my lips twitched despite myself. “He’s okay.”
Wynter turned me to face her, keeping both hands on my shoulders, her face serious. “Ivy, do you not want to marry him?”
“I said yes, didn’t I?”
“He didn’t force you, did he?” Juliette asked. “After all, these DiLustro men have an affinity for acting first and asking for our acceptance later.” She rolled her eyes.
I burst out laughing and nodded toward the living room. “Well, Christian must be an exception, then. He asked, and we’ve come to an agreement.”
“Now isn’t he a gentleman,” Juliette said, refilling our glasses as we collapsed onto overstuffed linen cushions scattered tastefully on the polished hardwood. Davina chose the loveseat and immediately propped her swollen feet up on the coffee table, looking like she was in heaven.
“Well, he is my brother,” Wynter said with a laugh, teasing. “It’s to be expected. I’m so glad he fell in love with you, Ivy.”
A twinge of hurt accompanied her words, but I didn’t let anyone see it, not wanting to ruin the mood. Christian hadn’t exactly spoken about love. And me… could I be in love? With a man I hardly knew?
I didn’t have a straight answer.
I just knew it was dangerous how often I thought of him. How little it bothered me to learn of Christian’s dark tendencies.
Did I really care that he tortured Vittoria for years? Or that he’d finally killed her?
No, I didn’t. We’d already established that. What bothered me was the force of what I felt. All my life, I promised myself I would never fall in love with a man from our world. It was my only protection against having my heart shatter into a thousand tiny pieces.
And here I was, about to marry one. Having… feelings for one.
Except, my friends found love in their marriages, didn’t they? They made it look… well, not easy , but definitely exciting. I wanted that.
As if sensing the direction my thoughts had taken, Davina shuffled over and rubbed my arm affectionately. I shook away my worries and smiled warmly at her, hoping it wasn’t wobbly.
Juliette gestured to the food with her chopsticks. “Are you going to have the last bite?”
“You go ahead.” I glanced over to Wynter. “Do you know where Christian went?”
She flashed me a smile, not batting an eyelash. “I do, but I’ve been sworn to secrecy.”