Page 44 of Dante
He was going to pay.
THIRTEEN
THE KING OF KANSAS CITY
The look on Dante’s face as Nadia joined them for dinner after disappearing made getting all dolled up for the last hour worth it. For the first time since he had given it to her, she had left his shirt behind to reveal her dress in all its glory. She had picked a sexy, red, ruched dress that hugged her body for dear life, as it was probably a size too small, but it really did a number for her curves. It was quite short, but she had checked her self-consciousness at the door, because this was payback, and her fiery-red dress with matching red lipstick gave her all the confidence she needed for retribution.
Her winged eyeliner was also back in action, along with her full face of makeup to prove to Dante that she was anything but ugly.
“Holy f—”
Amo’s words came to a harsh halt when he was kicked under the table. “Wow, you look nice,” he said in an unlike himself, gentlemanly manner.
“You lookverynice,” Leo corrected before turning to his father and giving him a piece of his own medicine by kicking him under the table. “Doesn’t she?”
“Ow!” Dante cleared his throat but was careful not to let his eyes linger. “Yes, you do.”
Nadia might’ve felt a bit deflated on the inside, but she didn’t dare let it be known on the outside. “Thanks,” she said, only looking at Leo and Amo when she said it. “I figured, since it was our last night here, I should look nice for our final dinner.”
“Good thinking.” Amo got up quickly to pull her chair out. “Let me get that for you.”
She gave the soldier the sweetest smile as she took her seat and he pushed her up to the table. This time, she looked at Dante, who was throwing ice picks with his icy eyes at his soldier, when she said, “Thank you.”
At least the kids have fucking manners …
“You’re welcome,” Amo cooed, taking back his seat but making his chair now sit a bit farther away from Dante. He had done so just in time for dinner to be served.
Lila brought out salads, but this time, they were dressed in a homemade buttermilk ranch, and the bread was delicious, like always. When Max came out, he brought Dante his usual whiskey in a crystal glass, and when he asked Nadia if she would like anything, she simply held up her hand and told him, “Too soon.”
They were brought perfectly cooked filet mignons shortly after, with a healthy-sized, fully loaded baked potato and asparagus to match. The sight and smell made all their mouths water, and none of them waited to dig in.
“So, what do you do, Nadia?” Amo asked before taking a bite of his food.
Dante’s steak-filled fork froze on the way to his mouth.Excuse me?
Amo was one of his soldiers who didn’t give a single fuck about anyone but himself. He was young and selfish, with an emphasis on selfish. That was why he and Amo got along lately—because he only cared about moving up in the family hierarchy and did his job well without worrying about a girl at home, like all his other men were at the moment.
Even Nadia was stunned by the sudden interest.
“I run a charity for at-risk teens.”
“That’s very generous of you.’’
He stabbed his steak with his fork.I’ll show you fucking generous.
“You should come by Moonbeam”—Nadia sliced into her steak with a smile—“and volunteer sometime.”
“Oh, that’s okay.” Amo shrugged. “I’m not the volunteer type.”
That was certainly true about his soldier, at least.
Nadia laughed. “Volunteering is good for the soul.”
“So is working for money,” Amo told her unapologetically.
See? Selfish.
“Just stop by sometime to say hi, okay? I think you just might find a reason to come back.”
