Page 61 of Angelo's Vengeance

Maxim nodded. "For now. But she’s smart. She’ll vanish if we don’t move fast."

I glanced between them, reading the unspoken weight in their faces. We all had a stake in finding Carlotta now that we’d seen the board that had been up. She had it out for our women, which was odd. I hadn’t been sure what to make of it yet. Had she been planning hits? Or kidnappings for ransom?

"Exactly." Ilias grinned, all teeth and menace. "And we have the trail now. It’s just a matter of following it."

"She's running scared," Maxim added. "For the first time."

I wasn’t sure that Maxim was correct, but it was good news that we had a lead. I couldn’t shake the feeling that cornering Carlotta would be like trapping a wounded animal. Blood was coming.

I just hoped it wasn’t ours.

By the time we rejoined the others, Theo had somehow convinced everyone to play a Greek trivia game she invented on the spot.

(There were no rules. Only yelling.)

I slipped into a chair at the edge of the group, content to watch for a moment.

Theo perched cross-legged on the couch, barefoot, animatedly explaining why souvlaki was superior to gyro. Frankie argued passionately. Conall seemed to be questioning every life choice that had led him to this point. Remo was gleefully stirring the pot. Maxim went straight to his wife to snatch up baby Vasily, who had been passed around more times than I could count but seemed to be content anyway. I loved seeing Theosnuggling the baby, burying her nose in his neck where that sweet baby smell lingered. Most of all, I could picture her with our own baby in her arms.

Theo caught my eye and smiled, slow, sweet, and a little shy, like she still couldn’t quite believe we were allowed to have this.

Neither could I.

Later, after the others trickled out, leaving only remnants of food and wine and the lingering hum of laughter, I found Theo in the kitchen, perched on the counter, swinging her legs.

I walked straight to her, fitting myself between her knees.

“This was a good night," she said, voice soft.

I pressed a kiss to the corner of her mouth, saying, “The best.”

She looped her arms around my neck. "How was your day, by the way? Before all the lamb-induced madness?"

I hesitated. Then, because she deserved the truth, I told her how close we were to ending it. I explained how Remo and I had worked on some of our back business, including laundering some of the money we managed for theCommission. Amid all this madness, I had relied heavily on my underboss, Carlo. He had done a great job, but he still needed guidance. He was too soft for my liking, especially when Bacco and I were out of the office. I even mentioned the warehouses hit in Red Hook and the other in Yonkers. They’d been hit by Scarpato’s men last week.

She smiled a little. “I’ll be happy when we can close the book on that chapter with Carlotta, but I’m glad that we’ve found our peace together.”

I raised a brow. “Does that mean you’ll agree to be my wife?” I gripped the counter beside her hips, desperate for her answer. She was strong, brilliant, and mine — if she’d agree. "I don’t deserve you," I muttered.

Theo grinned wickedly. "Probably not, but you're stuck with me anyway. Yes, I’ll be your wife even if that’s a crappy proposal.”

I laughed, low and hoarse, and kissed her like a drowning man finding air.

CHAPTER 35

THEODOSIA

I was still floatingfrom the night downstairs.

And maybe because Angelo’s hand had found the small of my back and remained there the entire walk up the stairs. Steady. Warm. Possessive.

I liked it far too much, this feeling of normalcy and home. We’d had a wonderful evening with family and friends. The only person missing was Polina, who was away at school. I doubted that my brothers would allow her to come over for an evening like this with so many crime bosses, but I needed to start working on them. They needed to start seeing that they couldn’t keep excluding her from everything. This was our life, and itcouldn’t stop just because they were worried for her.

For the first time, Angelo and I had entertained like a couple, and I couldn’t get enough. Then there was the proposal. It didn’t bother me that there hadn’t been flowers or something elaborate. He had waited for me to be ready, and boy, was I prepared to be Mrs. Santelli.

We barely reached the landing before he tugged me closer, his mouth finding that sensitive spot just below my ear, which made my toes curl.

I laughed, breathless, and leaned into him. "Someone’s in a mood," I teased, my voice slightly shaky. My mood matched his exactly, and I guessed he knew it.

---