Page 527 of Sinfully Savage Mafia

We stare at each other for a long minute until I bite the bullet and give her a shred of the truth shethinksshe’s so desperate to hear.

I let out a deep sigh. “Look, you really wanna know my story? I’m out here in Vegas because I did some bad stuff as a favor to someone. And if that bad stuff is traced back to me, it can do a lot of damage to my family.” A dry laugh escapes my lips. “And to me, if I’m found. So I’m working security and laying low until things blow over.” I leave out the part where the favor was for her father because it won’t be me who drags her into the life she’s so desperate to separate herself from.

“So you and Kazimir?—"

“Let’s just call it my initiation into a club.”

Her brow furrows. “Club?”

“Yeah. What do you know about it?”

“The Severinovs are close with my family.” She twists her hair around a finger. “And my brother and father are coming out here soon to talk about joining some group, a group the Severinovs recommended them for.” Lily cocks her head to the side. “My brother told me about another family who was being considered.”

I narrow my eyes. “Considered, huh?”

She furrows her brow. “That’s what he said. He wasn’t sure if he wanted to be part of that group.”

“Fucking bullshit,” I mutter. “After everything I did.”

“What are you talking about?” she asks.

“It’smyfamily being considered. The Severinovs told us it’d be a sure thing if I…”

“If you what?”

I clench my fists. “The bad stuff I did? It was for your father. Because he needed to feel like he could trust us before working with us.”

“That makes sense. He doesn’t know you at all.”

“Yeah, well, after that night we met a few weeks ago, I was told to stay the hell away from you.”

“Excuse me?”

“Your friend Kat attacked me the morning after. Evidently they have surveillance on every square inch of that hotel, including the VIP room at the nightclub.”

She gasps. “So you mean…?”

“They saw everything, and pretty much told me I’d be mutilated if I lay a finger on you ever again.” A dry laugh escapes my lips. “Your dad would bepissedif he knew what I just did to his little princess, huh?”

Her eyes flash, nostrils flaring. “I’m not a princess!” She wraps the comforter tighter and sticks her finger into the center of my chest. “Let me tell you something, Zeno. I came out here because I didn’t want any part of that life. And I wanted a life, one that I live on my own terms. I didn’t want to be the victim, the weak pathetic damsel who needs a savior. I’m my own savior. I have claws, dammit!

A snort of laughter escapes my lips. “Uh, yeah, I know. I felt them digging into my back a few minutes ago.”

She narrows her eyes. “This isn’t a game.”

“If it is, it’s more like Russian roulette than Monopoly, I’ll tell ya that.”

Lily rolls her eyes. “Is that all you can do? Just make jokes? For the record, I decide who I screw around with, not my family, and certainly not the Severinovs. And the other, more pressing, thing is…someone obviously wants one — or both — of us dead.”

“And like I told you before, that’s my normal,” I say with a shrug. “So excuse me for using humor as a defense mechanism.” I can’t help but chuckle at the furious expression on her face. And then I remember what she did to the guy at the club and think maybe I should quit while I’m ahead.

“This isn’t just a coincidence, Zeno. Think about it. Our families are coming together here in Vegas. In one place! Do you realize how impossible it is to keep news like that quiet? Everyone has a price and there are plenty of people inside our family organizations who would pay a ton for that information. There are always enemies watching and waiting for their chance to steal the crown. I know they’re here. I always knew they’d be back.”

“Okay, okay,” I say, holding up my hands. “So I told you my story. What’s yours? Who wants you dead and why? Is it because of who your father is?”

Lily presses her hands to her temples. “My brother warned me that something was going to happen, to be careful and keep my eyes open. I thought I escaped it a few months ago. I figured I’d be safe out here. But deep down, I always knew they’d find me and do just what they promised.”

“What was that?” I ask, my mouth drier than the Mojave at this point. She’s talking in code, but somehow I know exactly what she’d saying.

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