The Gala
Chapter 17
The Gala
Lorenzo Vitale had attended hundreds of galas.
Fundraisers.
Charity events.
Political dinners.
Corporate functions.
The wealthy loved finding excuses to gather in expensive rooms and congratulate each other.
It was exhausting.
Usually.
Tonight was different.
Dangerously different.
Because Amara Queen was standing beside him.
And apparently half of Chicago had forgotten how to breathe.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
The ballroom glittered beneath crystal chandeliers.
Politicians mingled with business executives.
Judges shared drinks with investors.
Old money mixed with new money.
Power recognized power.
?
And every single person in the room noticed them.
?
Immediately.
?
The betrayal.
The public-attention betrayal.
Undefeated.
?
Amara hated it.
?
Naturally.
?
The surgeon stood beside him in her emerald dress looking like royalty.
Actual royalty.
?
Dark skin glowing beneath the ballroom lights.
Afro perfectly shaped.
Gold jewelry catching the light.
?
Beautiful.
?
Dangerously beautiful.
?
The realization was becoming a problem.
A serious problem.
?
"Stop staring."
?
Silence.
Immediate silence.
?
Lorenzo smiled.
?
Immediately.
?
The traitor.
The complete traitor.
?
"You look beautiful."
?
"You already said that."
?
"I'm saying it again."
?
The audacity.
The complete audacity.
?
Amara rolled her eyes.
?
Which only made him smile more.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
A mayor approached first.
?
Then a state senator.
?
Then a hospital executive.
?
The line never seemed to end.
?
Everyone wanted something.
?
Money.
Connections.
Influence.
Access.
?
The usual.
?
Amara endured the conversations with surprising grace.
?
Professional.
Polite.
Controlled.
?
The same woman who terrified mafia captains somehow transformed into the perfect public figure.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
Lorenzo watched.
Fascinated.
?
Because she adapted effortlessly.
?
One minute discussing healthcare funding.
?
The next discussing medical research.
?
Then philanthropy.
?
Then business expansion.
?
The woman could talk to anyone.
?
And somehow make them feel like they were the most important person in the room.
?
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
?
A familiar voice interrupted his thoughts.
?
"Well."
?
Silence.
Immediate silence.
?
Lorenzo turned.
?
Viktor Romano.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
The older mafia boss approached with a smile that never reached his eyes.
?
Expensive suit.
Gray hair.
Fake charm.
?
The usual.
?
Amara immediately recognized him.
?
Of course she did.
?
The man with heart disease.
?
The man who'd ordered the shooting.
?
The man who'd damaged her clinic.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
Viktor extended his hand.
?
"Dr. Queen."
?
Amara looked at it.
?
Then at him.
?
Then back at the hand.
?
The pause lasted exactly long enough to become awkward.
?
Interesting.
?
Finally she shook it.
?
Briefly.
?
Professionally.
?
Viktor smiled.
?
Lorenzo didn't.
?
Not even a little.
?
The atmosphere shifted.
Immediately.
?
Danger.
Danger.
Danger.
?
The older man looked between them.
?
Amused.
?
"I've heard wonderful things."
?
The lie was obvious.
?
Painfully obvious.
?
Amara smiled.
?
The wrong smile.
?
The terrifying smile.
?
The smile that belonged on warning labels.
?
"I've heard concerning things."
?
Silence.
Absolute silence.
?
A nearby politician choked on champagne.
?
Immediately.
?
Lorenzo looked away.
?
Because if he didn't...
He was going to laugh.
?
The traitor.
?
The complete traitor.
?
Viktor's smile tightened.
?
Just slightly.
?
Enough to matter.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
The older man recovered quickly.
?
Of course he did.
?
"You have quite a reputation."
?
Amara tilted her head.
?
"So do you."
?
Silence.
?
The conversation had become a knife fight.
?
A polite knife fight.
?
But a knife fight nonetheless.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
Viktor looked toward Lorenzo.
?
Then back at Amara.
?
A dangerous glint appearing in his eyes.
?
"I hope you're being careful."
?
Silence.
Immediate silence.
?
The warning wasn't subtle.
?
Not remotely.
?
The threat sat beneath the words.
?
Visible.
?
Obvious.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
Lorenzo took a step forward.
?
The room temperature dropped.
?
Instantly.
?
Because everyone knew what that movement meant.
?
Violence.
?
Potentially expensive violence.
?
Amara touched his arm.
?
Just briefly.
?
The smallest touch imaginable.
?
Silence.
Absolute silence.
?
Lorenzo froze.
?
Immediately.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
The contact lasted less than a second.
?
Yet somehow...
It changed everything.
?
The tension eased.
?
Not completely.
?
But enough.
?
Viktor noticed.
?
Of course he did.
?
The realization irritated him.
?
Immediately.
?
Good.
?
Excellent.
?
Outstanding.
?
The older man eventually left.
?
Retreating.
?
Regrouping.
?
Plotting.
?
The usual.
?
Amara watched him go.
?
Thoughtfully.
?
Carefully.
?
Then quietly said:
?
"His medication isn't working."
?
Silence.
Immediate silence.
?
Lorenzo blinked.
?
Once.
?
Slowly.
?
"What?"
?
Amara sipped champagne.
?
Completely unbothered.
?
"The swelling is worse."
?
A pause.
?
"The fatigue too."
?
Another.
?
"He probably has six months before complications start."
?
Silence.
Absolute silence.
?
The surgeon sounded like she was discussing weather.
?
The realization should've been alarming.
?
Instead...
Lorenzo found it fascinating.
?
Dangerous.
Very dangerous.
?
The rest of the gala passed surprisingly smoothly.
?
No shootings.
No explosions.
No arrests.
?
A successful evening by their standards.
?
Eventually the ballroom began emptying.
?
Guests departed.
Music softened.
The night wound down.
?
Lorenzo found himself standing with Amara on a private balcony overlooking the Chicago skyline.
?
The city sparkled beneath them.
?
Beautiful.
?
Alive.
?
Theirs.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
For a while neither spoke.
?
Just watched.
?
Enjoyed.
?
Existed.
?
Then Lorenzo looked at her.
?
Really looked at her.
?
The emerald dress.
The gold jewelry.
The dark eyes.
?
Everything.
?
And suddenly...
The realization hit.
?
Hard.
?
Dangerously hard.
?
He was in trouble.
?
Real trouble.
?
The kind bullets couldn't solve.
?
The kind wars couldn't solve.
?
The kind that started with a woman.
?
Interesting.
Very interesting.
?
Amara noticed him staring.
?
Naturally.
?
"What?"
?
Silence.
?
Lorenzo smiled.
?
Slowly.
?
Warmly.
?
The kind of smile he rarely showed anyone.
?
Then he said the truth.
?
For once.
?
Without strategy.
Without calculation.
Without defense.
?
Just truth.
?
"I'm really glad you came tonight."
?
Silence.
Absolute silence.
?
The words settled between them.
?
Soft.
Warm.
Dangerous.
?
And for the first time that evening...
Amara smiled back.
Not the terrifying smile.
Not the professional smile.
Not the sarcastic smile.
?
Just Amara.
?
And somehow...
That was the most beautiful thing Lorenzo had seen all night.
End Chapter 17