42. Basilio
Basilio
“Y ou were on fire, Wynter.” Brennan’s voice was full of pride.
The entire group stood in the hallway, in front of the women’s changing room.
Wynter and her girl squad, Brennan and his supposed dead sister, the Nikolaev men, and their women.
It looked like some damn family affair and I wanted to shoot them all and steal the golden princess. Though that might be a step too far.
None of them moved or bothered with the constant commotion of girls going in and out of the changing rooms.
I noted Nico Morrelli and Cassio King left with their families as soon as Wynter and her partner secured the gold.
“That was spectacular,” he continued. “Grandpa watched the show from Ireland, cheering you on.”
Liam hugged her and my fists clenched. It finally made sense why I ran into Wynter in Liam’s home. She was his niece. All along, she had been right under my nose.
Though I’d agree with Brennan on one thing. Wynter on ice was a sight to behold. It was like she was born on it. Her elegance and speed as she skated were incomparable. She and her partner moved like lovers, living and breathing each other on that godforsaken frozen body of water.
Even Dante gaped with amazement at her jumps and her strength.
And me… It made me jealous of every frozen surface on this fucking planet.
When she skated her eyes gleamed and her face glowed like candlelight in the dark of the night.
Like she had just been thoroughly fucked.
And I was fucking jealous. I wanted to melt every goddamn piece of ice on this earth so she’d only look at me that way.
And her partner. If he came anywhere near her again, he’d be a dead man. She’d only look at me like that going forward. Motherfucker!
“Thanks, Uncle.”
Wynter took a step back, rolling back her shoulders. As if she couldn’t release the tension plaguing her. I caught her glancing towards the area I sat in with Dante and Emory, as if she could sense me there. But there was no chance she could see us. Not with the crowd surrounding us.
Priest stayed behind, monitoring everything. Until we confirmed our suspicions, we couldn’t risk him crossing paths with the Brennans. Besides, he was working on getting us a copy of hotel key cards and setting our escape plan in place. We’d need a hasty getaway once my plan was put in motion.
“You up for this?” I asked my sister under my breath. I had my pilot fly us out of Las Vegas in the middle of the night with no time to waste. My plan had been put in motion, and it had to happen today. Before she disappeared on me again.
It was the last day of the Winter Olympics. The winners have been announced. Wynter added another gold medal to her achievements.
Emory nodded. “Of course. We’re going to have a celebrity in our family.”
Two heartbeats.
“Oh my gosh,” Emory squealed, going into her full fan mode.
Dante groaned next to me, muttering, “Too much.”
Six pairs of eyes turned toward us but only one pair mattered. Recognition flickered in those light green eyes. Her mouth parted in shock and she stood frozen, as a wide range of emotions flashed in her gaze.
But the last emotion was disdain.
Not exactly the reaction I was going for. She still wore her costume with a blue windbreaker over the top of it.
“I am such a fan,” Emory continued, rushing to Wynter. “I’m Emory. I’ve watched you skate since you were a kid.”
Brennan frowned, his eyes narrowed on me. “DiLustro, what are you doing here?”
“DiLustro?” The ladies’ soft gasps sounded, a flash of surprise crossing their faces. Wynter never told her best friends who I was. Interesting .
“Same thing as you, I presume,” I retorted dryly, my eyes zeroed in on the woman that should have been my wife by now.
Brennan’s eyes shifted to Emory then returned to me. “Goodbye, DiLustro.”
Not so fast, old man.
“Aren’t you going to introduce me?” I drawled.
“No, I’m not,” Brennan replied, his voice cold. My gaze darkened. Not that I expected a different kind of response from the head of the Brennan family.
I recognized his wife, Davina. She wobbled up to her husband, her hand on her large belly as she slipped her other hand into her husband’s.
Tilting her head our way, she said to Liam, “Honey, I don’t think Wynter is up for dinner. How about we just go back to the hotel?”
“Of course,” Liam appeased his wife. The way she watched him, I was certain he offered her the sun and the moon. “Have Sasha take you to the hotel, Wynter.”
A burn traveled through my cracked knuckles. They’ve gotten more than the usual amount of use over the last nine months. The need to punch Liam was like an itch I had to scratch. With Sasha, I wouldn’t even bother with my knuckles. One bullet.
Wynter didn’t move, her gaze settled on me. It was different from before. Curiosity in her eyes was replaced by something else. Disdain. Maybe even regret. Possibly both.
There was no trace of that smile I was used to seeing on her lips.
Emory took a step forward and extended her hand. “I’m Emory,” she introduced herself. “I’m Basilio’s sister.”
Another flicker in Wynter’s eyes. She slowly lowered her gaze, eyeing Emory’s outstretched hand, then hesitantly took it into hers. Bringing Emory was a good move.
“I’m such a fan,” Emory gushed. “And today’s performance was amazing.”
“Thank you.” Wynter took her hand back and let it fall down her body.
“This is my brother, Basilio,” Emory continued with a big smile on her face. She played her part too perfectly. I’d have to buy her a whole damn city for her persistence. “And my cousin, Dante.”
Wynter tipped her head, looking up at me. She never even glanced Dante’s way, her light colliding with my darkness. My grip tightened, the need to touch her burning my skin.
I watched her swallow, the delicate bob of her neck. A polite, fake smile came to her lips. It was the kind she reserved for strangers.
“Nice to meet you,” she acknowledged finally, her voice quiet.
I don’t think so, principessa , I drawled.
“Actually, we already met,” I drawled, pissed off she’d pretend she didn’t even know me.
The three women shook their heads frantically. As if that would stop me. She was mine now and forever. “Remember, Wynter Sta r?”
“Ever heard snitches get stitches?” Juliette, the woman that Dante claimed, hissed. Then she glared at Dante while her cheeks flamed. It would seem Juliette remembered Dante all too well.
“But instead of ending up in ditches, you’ll end up in my bed, sweetheart,” Dante answered. Juliette flipped him the bird.
For all I cared, Juliette and her unhinged ass could go and get crazy with Dante. I adjusted my cuffs, my eyes focused on Wynter. Her eyes glanced at my hands, and for a fleeting moment her eyes flickered with the old fire. That same desire and lust.
Fine, I’d settle for lust. For now. I’d use it against her.
“Star who’s this?” The woman with a face that resembled her daughter approached us, her steps tentative. Her mother’s eyes darted between Dante and I, like she was seeing a ghost.
Wynter’s fingers wrapped around her right wrist, spinning her bracelet. Again and again. I zeroed in on it. It was the kingpin necklace that I had gifted her, turned into a makeshift bracelet. Her thumb kept brushing the charm, as if it soothed her.
“Nobody, Mom.”
Nice! I was nobody to her and she was everything to me.
The crowd around us was too big; otherwise, I’d put my plan in motion right now. Then I’d show her exactly who I was.
Clearly, Aisling Brennan didn’t believe her daughter, because she turned to her brother, her eyes fleeting back to Dante and I. “Liam?”
“I’ll have it handled,” he assured her, his eyes narrowing on us. “Wynter, let’s go.”
Sasha Nikolaev came up behind Wynter, his pale blue eyes narrowed on the three of us. The way he towered over her and with his fucking stocky MMA build, she looked like a kid in comparison.
“Ready to hit the sheets?” Sasha purred, a darkly entertained expression on his face. My jaw clenched and my fists tightened, fighting the urge to kill the motherfucker. He wanted us to attack. Craved it, in fact. He’d get his wish soon enough.
“Nice to meet you, Emory,” Wynter said softly to my sister before turning to leave.
She walked away from me without a backward glance.
Would every fucking woman I cared for in my life walk away from me without a backward glance?
* * *
“You ready?” Dante asked, grinning with excitement.
Adrenaline sizzled under my skin but for a different reason. Dante hoped for a full-blown fight, while my goal was to kidnap the woman and have her out of this city before anyone even realized she was gone.
And if I was really lucky, I’d have my ring on her finger and knocked up before her family found us. Not exactly a dream wedding, but this called for extreme measures. Though I knew with certainty it wouldn’t take her family months to find her. More like days.
I checked my gun and shoved it back into my holster.
“You plan on knocking her up?” Dante asked, reading my mind. “So you can hold the little babies over her head to keep her with you.”
“Jesus, tell me that’s not your plan, Basilio,” Emory groaned.
“Let’s focus on getting Wynter out of their clutches,” I said as my mouth pulled into a dark smile.
“Brother, I love you,” Emory shook her head, “but you’re a crazy fucker.”
“Thanks.”
Unbeknownst to the Brennans and the Nikolaevs, and any other fucking gang, we stayed at the same hotel as Wynter. In fact, on the same floor. It cost me a small fortune, but it’d be worth it. And if fucking Sasha Nikolaev was in her room, I’d shoot him. End him for good.
“Has Priest given you the key cards?” I asked tightly.
Two confirmation nods. “The pilot is ready too,” Emory added.
I checked the surveillance of our floor; it was empty. At nearly midnight, most of the hotel was deep in sleep.