Chapter 9
LORENZO
Ican’t stand the people in this room. They have an air of entitlement and a conceited existence.
I was raised to serve the Armani family, and I chose to stay because there is one thing I appreciate about the shadows we live in.
Everything is black and white. Respect is earned, business is direct, and consequences are harsh.
People here stand behind fake smiles and facades.
I know almost a quarter of the room's deepest, darkest secrets, thanks to the side deals they've made with Luca and his "unconventional" connections.
I don’t have the patience for these circles, and although I understand why Luca slithers throughout them, I don’t have to. A perk of being the monster in the dark, which far better suits my role of being the one to hand out the consequences.
“Everyone is staring at you,” Lily says under her breath. “Can you at least try to remember what a smile feels like?”
I finally look at her. It’s a habit of mine to survey for threats in the room, which I've been doing since we walked in. But unless someone is dying from an overindulgence of champagne, the only threat seems to be me. Lily clicks her tongue when I don’t adjust my expression.
Smiling and pleasantries are not something I excel at; I only use them when it's necessary.
Right now, my preference is to keep the number of people approaching us to a minimum.
“My God, who told you too soon in life that Santa Claus, the Easter Bunny, and the Tooth Fairy don’t exist?” she grumbles, frustrated.
I refrain from smiling. She’s a brat, but when she’s not holding in her thoughts, she can be a funny brat.
“They don’t?” I ask, feigning surprise. Her eyes grow wide, as if she realizes she just broke a child’s heart. The corner of my mouth twitches.
She lets out a shaky breath. “Please, don’t mess with me right now.
” She reaches for a glass of champagne as a server walks past with a tray full of them.
I’m inclined to steal it away from her because every time this sweet little vixen gets a little alcohol in her, she turns into a temptation I don’t have the strength to fight tonight.
“It’s you who’s messing with me by bringing me to this party. What’s it for again?”
“Charity,” she says as she scopes out the room. “And don’t pretend like you’re interested in what charity.”
“Didn’t expect to see your kind here,” Dmitri Volkov says, coming to a stop in front of me.
His fiancée, Elanee, pulls Lily in for a hug, but Dmitri’s attention is only on me.
We’ve worked together in the past, and his hands are no cleaner than mine.
That doesn’t make us friends, though. After all, it could be because of our part in ruining his father that we might be being attacked now.
His gaze slides to Lily, and although they’re familiar with one another, and I know he only has eyes for Elanee, I don’t like that he’s looking at her. Maybe it’s because I’m hypervigilant about keeping her away from any threat, and Dmitri himself is capable of being a threat.
“You look beautiful as always, Lily, but care to explain why you’ve arrived with Luca’s bodyguard?
It’s unlike you to bring a date,” Dmitri says, his gaze then sliding to me, most likely searching for a reaction.
Even after having a tumor dug out of his head, he seems to have kept his unpleasant humor.
“Does everyone know about this but me?” Lily whisper-shouts, and Elanee gives her a sympathetic smile before pulling her away. I go to follow them, but Dmitri purposefully blocks me.
“Want to explain why you’re in this neck of the woods?
” Dmitri asks, holding a glass of water.
He no longer drinks alcohol after having the tumor removed.
If anything, his attending events such as these might already be too soon, but despite the shaved head and glaring scar, Dmitri looks no different than before he went under the knife.
I guess some rotten things can’t entirely be cut out.
He acts as if nothing has happened, like only months ago, we weren’t allied in assisting him against the Bratva and his father.
Despite his overconfident personality and shit-stirring capabilities, he’s one of the few I might actually hold respect for, but it doesn’t make me any less pissed that he’s so deliberately stepping in the way of my mission of protecting Lily.
“Business” is all I say.
A devilish smirk pricks at his features. “I understand Luca having business here, but you… are not meant for a place like this.”
“We share the same sentiment. But business is business.”
“I can see that.” Dmitri tries not to laugh as he looks over his shoulder at Lily, which further irritates me. If I didn’t already know he was obsessed with his fiancée and willing to die for her, I’d physically remove the former playboy's gaze from Lily.
Another two women join them in light conversation, and it would appear that Lily is her usual self.
It’s almost terrifying how easily her mask slips on in a setting like this.
I could never understand how someone genuinely finds joy in a superficial life like this.
Don’t get me wrong, I like nice things, but these circles are toxic.
“Does this have something to do with the incident in Italy?” Dmitri quietly asks. My lethal gaze sweeps back to him, and he chuckles as he takes a sip of water.
“I thought we were friends. And don’t be so surprised that I know; I have my sources.”
“We aren’t the type to do friends,” I remind him. “And I’m here as Lily Taylor's date.”
Dmitri chokes on his water, and I step back from him, brushing over my sleeve. A nearby couple stares at him, indignant.
“Her date? Not for real, though, surely?” he asks incredulously.
I don’t respond. “Listen, I don’t know what you and Luca are up to, but tread carefully around her father.
It’s well known that he coddles his daughter.
He might be someone who plays by the rules, but he can get messy when he becomes focused on taking somebody out. ”
“You think I’m scared of her father?” I could almost laugh.
“No, I’m just warning if you’re trying to go under the radar, then dating Lily Taylor is the brightest fucking sunbeam you could be standing in.”
“I suggest you don’t look into my business unless you want me involved in yours,” I warn Dmitri, and the asshole has the audacity to chuckle and shrug as if to say, Don’t say I didn’t warn you.
When I look back at Lily, I realize we’re being surveyed by the group of women.
“Oh boy, looks like you’ve officially made it into the gossip circle.” He places his hand on my shoulder. “Welcome to high society, my friend. Good luck.”
My jaw tics because I shouldn’t have to be the one to remind him that I deal with far worse than these chimpanzees.
I brush his hand off my shoulder and then make my way toward Lily, uncomfortable by the distance between us.
With Luca, at least I know he can look after himself in the event of an assault or ambush, at least until I can get to him.
Lily is as vulnerable as they come, which causes an unnerving need to be by her side at all times.
“Wow, never thought you’d be daring enough to introduce someone to your father, especially at a party,” I overhear one of the women say. I don’t look at her, only focusing on Lily, who still hasn’t looked back at me.
She lets out a small laugh, eloquently brushing off the underhanded dig.
“Well, you know how he’s been pressuring me to date more seriously lately,” she says lightheartedly, and I’m surprised when she pulls me in by the lapel of my suit jacket. “I suppose everything comes down to timing. Right, dear?”
My entire body locks up with the foreign endearment and the way she so desperately uses me as a decoy.
I’m used to being used as a shield against bullets, not bitchy comments.
She might consider them friends, but she so clearly wants to be anywhere but here.
I force my body to soften as I pull her in by the waist and slam her back to my chest possessively, my hand resting on her hip.
“I don’t care too much for the timing of things, but if it led me to my Lily, then I have someone to give my thanks to,” I say as I loom behind her, peering down at the women who would so openly mock her.
The two women’s mouths open. I can feel Lily stiffen under my touch, but I hold her in place. I don’t give a shit if she reprimands me later for my tone or intimidation tactics. These women are nothing.
In my periphery, I notice Elanee trying to hide a smile. I don’t know what exactly Lily told her, but I doubt it’s the truth. Even then, it's less of a hindrance that she’s not one I have to pretend around, since we’ve had dealings before.
“Wow, we’ve never seen you attend any of these events. Are you new to the area?” the blonde woman asks flirtatiously, suddenly recovered.
“I’d like to know the same thing.” The voice carries over their shoulders, and they immediately part to give a direct view of Lily’s father, Henrith Taylor, dressed in an expensive tailored suit.
Meeting his gaze, I see where Lily gets her bright blue eyes from.
But where she is soft and kind, he’s cynical and cold.
And not in the way I like. I know men like him aren’t forthcoming in their business affairs.
He’s as slimy as they come. And I always stand by my first impressions because my instincts have never failed me.
“Father. It’s good to see you,” Lily greets, stepping out of my hold, basically shoving my hands off of her, like I’ve scorched her skin.
She leans in to kiss her father’s cheek.
She then does the same to her mother, Isabella, who stands beside him, a frailer-looking version of Lily.
Her mother’s gaze falls to my shoes and trails all the way up, curiously.
Her father, however, looks at me with complete disdain.
“Care to introduce yourself, or will you hide behind my daughter the entirety of tonight?” Henrith asks haughtily.
As expected, a patronizing elitist.
“I’m not the type to hide,” I reply as I hold out my hand. “Lorenzo Moretti.”
He looks down at my hand for a beat, as if it’s covered in dirt, but slowly places his hand in mine as others watch on. I squeeze a fraction too tightly.
“Quite the firm handshake,” he comments as he quickly pulls back.
“My father always told me that a firm handshake is the start of good business,” I tell him. I give the man credit; even when I’m playing nice, most men would have averted their gaze by now.
“Yes, and who precisely is your father?”
“Dad, can we talk about this later?” Lily quickly interrupts, making a point to glance to her left, where two men are shamelessly eavesdropping on us.
He turns his attention back to me, giving me the once-over, and makes no attempt to hide the fact that he thinks I’m less than gum on the bottom of his shoe.
“This conversation isn’t over. It seems I’ve allowed you to have too much fun if you’re bringing peculiar types of guests to these events,” he says dismissively.
Lily turns two shades paler, and as she goes to speak, her father pins her with a narrow-eyed gaze, causing her to snap her mouth shut without saying a word.
“Peculiar?” Dmitri says, inviting himself into the group.
“I’ve done plenty of business with Lorenzo.
He's a little brazen and rough around the edges, if you ask me, but he’s not a businessman who should be looked down upon.
” He throws an arm over my shoulder. “I always considered you an opportunist, Henrith.”
Henrith scowls, an awkward tension rippling through the circle.
This fucker is actually inserting himself just so he can piss me off again, but I have the good sense not to brush off his arm just yet.
But I grab Lily’s hand and tug her closer to me to make a point. She seems taken aback, but I don’t give her the chance to pull away again. Her size makes it easy to tuck her against me, as if physically shielding her from her own father while spitefully making my claim.
Her father’s gaze snaps back to mine. Vivid images of all the ways I could easily end his life right now flash through my mind.
“Henrith, we should say hello to the others,” Lily’s mother says as she offers us a tight smile. “It was a pleasure meeting you, Lorenzo. My, how the youth are thriving today. Isn’t that so, Henrith?” she says, practically pulling him away.
“So it seems,” Henrith grumbles, glaring at his daughter once more before adjusting his jacket and walking between the two young women who are obviously uncomfortable in his presence.
“Oh, we should say hello to Maria. We’ll talk soon, Lily,” the blonde says, and is quick to scuttle away, dragging the other women behind her.
“It’s harder to keep the fangs retracted here, isn’t it?” Dmitri says as he lowers his arm from my shoulder with an arrogant smile.
“Not at all.” It goes without saying, I didn’t need his help in the first place. I might not be a charismatic playboy like most of the men here, but silence is something respected and feared, no matter the company you're in.
“A word of advice—you might want to learn how to soften around the edges for whatever this ‘business’ is. Or your girl isn’t going to make it through.” Dmitri side-eyes Lily, who stares after her father, and I notice the slight tremble of the hand holding her drink. She’s terrified of him.
It's all the more reason why he should be removed. Permanently.
“It doesn’t start with killing your girl's father either,” Dmitri says quietly, with a shit-eating grin.
Lily overhears the last comment and looks up at me, horrified.
“You can’t”—she tightens her jaw, as if suddenly coming back into the room—“kill my father.”
I say nothing because I don’t make promises I can’t keep. If I want Henrith Taylor dead, it’s only a matter of time until it can be done.
She scowls just as someone new approaches us, but she recovers quickly.
“Good luck, friend,” Dmitri says as he clasps his hand with Elanee and pulls her away.
I’d really like to kill him right now.
“Just don’t speak. That’s what you’re good at, right?” Lily bites out, then turns and smiles as another woman comes to hug her. And just like the other two who approached Lily, her gaze immediately drifts to me, curious and judgmental.
I’ve done a lot of bloody deeds. And I would choose to do each of them again rather than stand in this room like a spectacle for these people.
I’ll definitely be asking for a bonus after this ridiculous mission.
The sooner we’re done here, the better, because I’m struggling to rein it in after only one event.