Page 26 of Mob Star

“I have a family dinner that night. But I’m free earlier if you could do lunch or something.”

“I’ll make sure I can.”

The conversation moves on to more about our more recent past. She tells me about undergrad and med school. I tell her about majoring in finance and getting an MBA with a focus in finance. All the things adults in their early thirties discuss. Nothing especially fascinating, but so completely normal. It’s a reprieve from so many conversations I have. It’s nice to forget my role for a little while. But it comes slamming back into me as we leave the restaurant.

“Carmine, Serafina.”

Carmine Mancinelli and his wife are the last people I want to see while I’m on a date. But we own neighboring restaurants. Irony is a bitch in this life. We’ve known each other practically our entire lives. We used to play little league and peewee sports together. I actually liked Carmine more than any of his cousins until we were about eight or nine. Then things changed, and he became the douche he is now.

But for the sake of the women with us, we grin and bear it. Serafina knows more than most wives since she’s Cosa Nostra on her mother’s side and Bela de Menta on her father’s— Venetian Mafia. They both look at Thea and smile. It’s genuine from Serafina, though I have seen her shoot looks at men twice her size that have practically frozen my blood. Carmine’s is the same douchey one it usually is. He’ll be running to tattle to his uncle the moment they’re in the car.

“Hey, Maria.”

I look down at Thea before looking at the couple that just stepped out of the restaurant next to mine.

“Ally? Hey.” Maria Mancinelli is the only one in their family I can tolerate. She’s the only biological one who actually has a humane bone in her body and isn’t trying to dick everyone over. I watch as she and Thea embrace.

“Hi, Matteo.”

What the ever-loving fuck? How does she know Maria’s husband? I watch her embrace Maria and Matteo. She looks back at me, and a flash of worry crosses her face as I step forward.

“Maria, it’s nice to see you. Matteo.”

That motherfucker. He nearly killed me during a shootout not too long ago. Fucking aiming for Niko Kutsenko and nearly nailed me. His dumbarse needs more time at the range. I wasn’t anywhere near Niko. I was at least two feet away.

It’s Maria who asks what all the Mancinellis want to know and what I wish we could avoid.

“Are you here with Finn?”

“Yeah.” She’s hesitant to answer as she tries to sense what her response will mean.

I slide my arm around her waist, and I feel her relax. She’s scared I’m angry that she knows them. I give her waist a squeeze, and she leans against me.

“Finn, Maria and I went to med school together. We were in residency at the same time, but at different hospitals. We work together now. I had lunch with her yesterday.”

Isn’t that a lovely complication?

“That must be nice to work with an old friend.” What else am I supposed to say?

The six of us are standing on the sidewalk, all knowing normal people would have more to say, but none of us do. The men are judging whether we’re going to get out of this without an argument. We’d never have a physical altercation with women around. Our families would execute us— slowly and painfully. Our mothers still terrify us. Serafina and Maria are probably wondering how long the standoff is going to take and just want to leave before they get bored. And Thea is trying to figure out what the fuck is happening.

I can tell the moment it dawns on her. She must remember what I said in the bar yesterday when I mentioned the family names. She must not have connected Maria to these Mancinellis. She’s one two times over. Her husband is the son of her father and uncle’s adopted second cousin. There isn’t an easy family tree among us. A fecking forest.

Blessedly, Maria saves the day. That’s one thing I can count on. She fucking majorly saved my arse when she was in med school, and I was in grad school. We wound up at the same party, which had only happened once before. That was an even bigger disaster. Cormac and Seamus sold the hosts some fentanyl right before it started. The girl I was with took some while I went to get us drinks. Maria did everything she could to save her, but she didn’t have NARCAN with her. I know she carries it everywhere now.

“Ally, are you going to that medical conference in Chicago next month?”

That perks up my attention. We’ve been doing some business there that’s specifically fucking over the Mancinellis. Thea looks up at me before she nods. I don’t know what she’s thinking.

“I am. I’m presenting a paper I co-wrote with Dr. Vasserwine and Jordan. As you know, it’ll only be Wendy and me going.”

Maria flinches, and I know why. Carmine and Matteo immediately go on the defensive. I tighten my arm around her, ready to step in front of her if either of them even looks sideways at her. So much for saving the day.

“Maria?” Thea senses the shift because it’s practically knocking us all over.

“I had some trouble with Jordan just before he passed away. He’s not a topic my family likes to discuss.”

Neither is the bastard’s sister. They were both pieces of shite that got what they deserved. I rarely say that about women, but it’s true. They targeted Maria because of yet another twisted branch of their family tree. Neither lived to tell the tale.

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