Page 71 of Precious Legacy

Haven: Girl’s night. You, me, Gracie, and a whole lot of tequila.

A smile graces my lips at the same time I exhale my relief. I could probably do with a night out with just the girls, though I have no doubt the guys will come crashing it at some point. Gracie has been so busy with her tattoo shop that she hasn’t been spending much time with us recently, so I’m excited to be able to spend some time with her. She’s like the big sister I never had.

“Oh, girl’s night?!” Savannah squeals over my shoulder, making me wince. “Can I come? Please?” She peers back at me, soft brown eyes rounding. I can’t even be mad at her for looking over my shoulder when she appears so sweet and innocent.

I want to say no, but that’d raise suspicion, and I can’t find it in my heart to reject her. “I don’t know,” I murmur. “I’m not sure I’m in the mood.”

“Girl, those are the best nights!” She shoves me playfully. “Besides, you owe me.”

My brows furrow as I try to work out what she means. Half the time what Savannah says is a jumbled up mess of thoughts I have to sift through because she likes to start conversations in her head and finish them aloud. “How d’ya work that out?”

“Because you haven’t told me who gave you that massive love bite on your neck.”

Fuck.Have I been walking around with this all day?

I mindlessly reach for my throat, unsure where her focus is because she has a shit-eating grin on her face that tells me I have no choice. It’s not that I don’t want her to come out and meet my friends. There’s just a big risk with her finding out who I’m related to and what my family does. It could spell trouble if I’m not careful.

Judging from the look she gives me, she’s not about to back down or accept any type of excuse, so I nod and smile, praying that Haven can find us a club where we won’t be bothered by the guys.

Me: Sure, but maybe we can go some place different?

Since most of the clubs in the city are owned by her brother—or Gambino Enterprises—and the rest are questionable to say the least, we’re hard pressed on places to go where the guys won’t track us down.

Luckily, Savannah mentions there’s a newly refurbished place on the East Side that does epic cocktails, and suddenly, my day is finally starting to look up.

Since it’s Friday and they’ll all be busy with Roman’s fight night, it’s probably our only option where we can get a few dances in before they make an appearance. All I need to do is make sure that Savannah and the guys don’t collide.

I’ve given Haven and Gracie the heads-up on the situation, which they’re more than on board with. I didn’t even need to explain because they know as well as I do that letting anyone inside our friendship group is a huge risk.

Savannah and I make our way into the city, where I reluctantly agree to go shopping with her. We have time to kill before we head out tonight, and she wants to get something that’ll make her ‘stand out’. As much as I want to tell her that standing out is exactly what I don’t want, she’s got a giddy, girly expression on her face that I don’t want to ruin, so I let her tug me into various stores until she finds ‘the perfect dress’.

From the way she rambles on, I get the sense that Savannah doesn’t do this much, and if she does, it probably isn’t as fun on her own. She doesn’t talk about other friends. In fact, I don’t recall her ever mentioning other people in her life aside from her family. She’s close with her dad, I know that much. It’s sweet that she dotes on the man who raised her and forged her into the person she is today; I just wish I could have a relationship like that with my own.

After two hours of browsing outfits and finally settling on a blue number, we’re ambling down the sidewalk, heading towards a coffee shop she recommended, when I suddenly get a weird feeling. It’s not the sensation of someone following me, but rather that I should be following someone.

Savannah is too busy talking about some guy in our class to notice me stopping in the middle of the sidewalk.

My gaze is locked on a restaurant across the road from us with large windows and an obnoxious sign. I narrow my gaze and something in the pit of my stomach twists.

“Is that… the chief?” Savannah interjects, shock suspending us both as she follows my gaze. “He looks so different out of uniform,” she jokes.

I swallow back the lump of nerves building in my throat, because I’m not only gaping at the Chief, but at the man he’s shaking hands with like long-lost friends.

“Oohhh… who’s that? He’s hot!”

My heart stutters in my chest because I can’t be certain of what I’m looking at. Whatever it is, it doesn’t bode well for my brother, surely. I don’t know much about Alvaro’s situation, but from what Roman has told me, Milo is someone I need to steer clear of. Whether he knows Milo is in contact with not just the police, but Chief Madden, is another thing entirely.

“I wonder if he’s single?” Savannah questions excitedly.

I reach for my phone in my bag, huffing when I can’t find it in the first pocket. “Pretty sure he’s too dangerous to be wondering that,” I comment as I search the next pocket.

“How can you tell?” Savannah asks with a disappointed frown.

Finally, I locate my phone and a wave of relief washes over me. When I look back at her, she’s wearing an accusatory look.

I shrug, because I’m so close to exposing so many secrets. Secrets shecan’tknow. “Just a gut feeling.”

Amadeus is a club that definitely lives up to its reputation for the best cocktails. It even puts Club Palma to shame, and I’m not the biggest fan of cocktails to begin with. The atmosphere is light, the songs are bouncing, and there’s just an overall fun theme surrounding us.

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