Page 85 of Trapped

Santino cut into the pancakes, stabbed a stack with his fork, and shoved them in his mouth. He devoured them with a single-minded intensity, ignoring everything around him. We’d been out to dinner before, but there was always an air of keeping up appearances. Both of us would be dressed to the nines. Santino shoveling down pancakes was almost endearing. Maybe with five other siblings, he had to learn to eat fast.

Santino frowned. “What?”

I smiled. “You really like your food.”

He continued eating, gesturing at my plate with his fork. “You should eat something more filling than that.”

I rolled my eyes but felt a warm flutter in my stomach. “Maybe watching you eat is enough for both of us.”

He grunted.

I propped my chin on my hand. “So where did you go last night?”

He hesitated. “Did you sleep well?”

“Nice dodge.” I winked at him. “Yeah, I slept fine.”

“Good.”

“I tried to stay awake until you got back, but I passed out.” I’d spent two hours staring at the phone, waiting for him. “Is everything okay?”

He nodded. “Yup.”

“Can you elaborate?”

Once again, he took forever before answering.

“My boss needed assurances, but we’re good now.”

I sipped my coffee. “So, he doesn’t want to kill me anymore?”

“If you stay with me, you’re safe.”

I sat back in the chair.

All I had to do was keep my legs open, and my face wouldn’t end up on the evening news. How nice. Dimitri was still out there, too, biding his time.

“We’re meeting my brother at his place for dinner later.”

“What should I expect?” I asked.

“Nothing fancy, just dinner.”

I sighed. “Alright.”

Santino took out his wallet. “Relax. It’ll be fine.”

Ribeyes sizzled on the grill. Santino and Kill drank beer, discussing the latest roster on his fighting ring, while Jack, Santino’s nephew, shrieked as he ran through a sprinkler. Santino caught my eye and winked.

I smiled, my stomach twisting in knots.

Violet exited the house carrying two drinks. She made a beeline for me, sliding the tall green drink into my hands. “Made you a virgin cocktail.”

“Thanks. That’s so nice of you.”

My cheeks flushed as I took it from her. Santino must’ve warned them ahead of time about me, but I appreciated that they didn’t give me a hard time.

“Thought I’d come by and check on you,” said Violet as she sank into the chair next to me. “How you holdin’ up?”

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