“Has she met him before?” Lake felt sick thinking about a man like Lucca sneaking up on a girl like Chloe.
“Yes,” he answered matter-of-factly.
She turned her head to look at him in shock at his answer. She has?
As Lake turned her head back to Chloe, she caught Amo staring out the window in the corner of the living room. His eyes were black as night, but she could still see the look in his eye. She might not have caught it if he hadn’t just been checking her out but at that instant, his black depths had a different look altogether.
Fully turning back to Chloe, she watched Lucca walk over to her and put his hand out, making her breathing cease. Turning back to Amo, she saw his face twist.
She continued to look back and forth between the two scenes. Holy shit. “Holy shit.” Looking back at Nero, she saw it written on his face.
“So Lucca and Chloe … and Amo and … Chloe?” As she said each name, she looked between them. “How is that supposed to work out?”
“It’s not.” He said it as if he was certain, like he could see it playing out before his eyes.
She had to agree it was a train wreck waiting to happen.
There was no doubt Lucca was a demon, although he was chillingly handsome. Most of all, he didn’t try to hide his true nature like the rest did; instead, he reveled in it.
Amo, on the other hand, was only slightly less terrifying. He was huge for his age and didn’t speak much, making it worse. His eyes were as dark as his personality, and something told her she didn’t want to meet his real personality.
“That girl does not belong with either of them”—so the question was, who was worse?—“but especially him,” she said, looking at the terrifying as hell Lucca.
Nero smiled. “That’s what Elle says.”
“And what do you think?”
“You mean, choose between my brother and my best friend?”
Lake nodded, waiting for his answer.
“It doesn’t matter what any of us think. She is the one to decide.”
Like they are going to let her decide. She knew one was going to win by beating the other one out. Chloe was never going to get a choice in her own fate.
Looking back, she watched Lucca stand over Chloe like she was his prey. “You can’t possibly think he should be with her.”
“What you don’t know is she likes the flippy thingy.”
Lake’s eyes widened. He heard. “I’m sorry, I didn’t —”
Nero stopped her. “It’s okay.”
Oh, thank God. She was relieved, knowing he really meant it.
“Besides, I wouldn’t worry about her. You need to worry about yourself. I wouldn’t fight him if I were you.”
Lake looked into his bright green eyes. Who? Vincent?
His voice turned cold, sending chills up her spine. “We. Are. All. Insane.”
Yep, it’s really time to go, she thought as she watched Nero walk away. Lake went off to find Adalyn, and of course she hadn’t moved from the couch, still talking away. The worst part was Vincent, Nero, and Amo had all made it back there, too.
She really wished they all didn’t stop their conversations when she spoke quietly.
“Adalyn, um, I need to get back home.”
Adalyn tried to pull the pity card. “Come on, Lake. You’re leaving me, remember?”
“Where are you going?” Maria asked.
Lake really didn’t want them to know where she was going to college. The less the mafia knew about her, the better.
She tried to laugh it off. “I’m not leaving he—”
“Yes, you are, too, leaving me. You’re going to college two hours away.”
Shit, Adalyn! She wanted to cover Adalyn’s mouth over the last part. Unable to help glancing at Vincent, she saw no hint of any feelings in his baby-blues. She didn’t know why, but that upset her in a way.
Maria looked at Nero, folding her arms. “How come she gets to leave for college? That’s not fair.”
Because I’m not mafia royalty.
Lake gave Adalyn the it-really-is-time-to-leave look.
“Fine,” Adalyn sighed, getting up from the ottoman.
“Y-you’re leaving?” Chloe asked, coming up behind her.
“Yeah, I have to get home, but it was really nice meeting you.” She smiled at her.
Chloe swept her hair behind her ear, smiling, as well. “You, too.”
“We should all hang out sometime before you leave,” Elle interrupted.
“Yeah, that would be fun,” Lake replied, unsure as to why Elle was smiling so big. Her face looked like kids do when Christmas morning comes. Everyone’s face actually did, all except for hers and Adalyn’s.
“We could go shopping!” Maria interjected happily.
“Lake hates shopping,” Adalyn remarked, giving her the I-hate-that-you-don’t-like-to-go-shopping face.
Maria’s face became confused. “Hmm, I wouldn’t have thought that in a million years.”