Page 59 of Angelo's Vengeance

It was chaos. It was insane.

It wasperfect.

I spotted Theo darting between the kitchen and the dining nook, laughing as she tried to steal a slice of spanakopita before Evgenia could slap her hand away with a wooden spoon.

My heart squeezed hard. This. Right here. Was the life I hadn’t even realized I wanted. Family. Food. Laughter.

The brownstone buzzed with noise and heat, everyone packed into the kitchen and adjoining dining nook like we were just any other big dysfunctional family. Laughter mixed with clinking glasses. Someone—probably Theo—had managed to sneak on musiclow in the background, something French and flirty that made the whole place feel like a snapshot from a life I didn’t know I wanted until recently.

Theo floated through the chaos in one of those dresses she designed herself, some flowy thing that clung to her hips and whispered around her ankles like it had secrets. She laughed at something Vaso said—probably something wildly inappropriate—and bumped her hip against Ilias, who was mock-arguing with Evgenia over a piece of pita bread.

For the first time in a long damn while, my house felt like a home.

Theo caught me staring and grinned, mischief lighting up her whole face. Her hair was pulled up messily into those Princess Leia buns that I liked. I imagined a little girl with those buns, and the thought made my heart explode.

She looked like a painting come to life.

"Don’t just stand there, Santelli!" she called. "We need someone to taste test before Evgenia poisons us all!"

Evgenia shot her a scandalized look andmuttered something that sounded suspiciously like a threat to turn Theo into stew.

I chuckled low in my chest and made my way to her. "You're trouble," I said under my breath as I passed, brushing my fingers lightly along her lower back, then down towards the cleft of her buttocks.

"Always," she said sweetly, squirming under my touch. “Angelo,” she protested, as my fingers slid cupped one cheek and squeezed.

“Hmmm.” I kissed her neck, giving it a little lick before pulling away reluctantly. The dinner had been my suggestion, but now I wanted some alone time. “Later then,” I promised.

I didn’t even pretend to resist, but let myself be pulled into the whirlwind of setting the table, pouring drinks, and stealing bites of food when the women weren't looking.

Frankie and Conall arrived next, with Remo swaggering behind them, arms full of wine bottles and a paper-wrapped package from some bakery he swore was the best in the city. He didn’t even blink when Evgenia scolded him for bringing dessert, smacking him with a spoon.

“We are having Theo’s favorite! Not some store-bought cardboard dessert from the corner.” The woman frowned at him and looked as though she might do him serious harm.

Remo held up his hands in surrender, his eyes laughing. I wasn’t sure he knew what kataifi was, but he was in for a treat. If someone pressed me to explain what it was made of, I’d struggle to say, but they resembled little crispy bird nests filled with walnuts. Almost like traditional baklava, except the phyllo dough was shredded. It was delicious at any rate. Theo looked excited about it, and that was all that mattered to me.

It wasn’t long before everyone was crammed at the dining room table, balancing plates and glasses, passing dishes over heads, arguing, laughing, and insulting each other as if it were a competitive sport.

Somewhere in the middle of it, I caught Maxim giving me a smug look over his wine glass.

I ignored him.

Mostly.

The smug fucker was probably beside himself with the knowledge that I had comeover to the dark side and given up my resentment about this blood oath arrangement. The funniest part—the sickest part of it all—was that I had. Even if the origins of the blood oath still ate at me a little, there was so much of me that was thankful I had ended up here in this place.

Later, after Evgenia had pronounced herself satisfied with our ability to feed ourselves and retreated to the kitchen with Norris, I grabbed Maxim, Ilias, and Conall for a quick sidebar in my office.

We slipped away without much fanfare, though Theo caught my eye as I passed. Her smile was easy, trusting, and I felt that same bone-deep urge toprotecther rise up like a tide.

Five minutes. Then I’d be back at her side.

Ilias paced immediately, agitated energy rolling off him. “I’ve got news."

"About Carlotta?" Maxim asked, lounging against my desk like he didn’t have a care in the world.

"Some," Ilias said. "But first—Galena."

Maxim straightened. He’d been on edge since we’d seen the board at the Cardoni property, and I knew that part of that was becausehis long-lost sister had been on it. I wasn’t sure what to make of the fact that there hadn’t been a clear shot of her.

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