Page 56 of Dante
“Oh God.” Nadia’s head fell to the table, her mind that was once clear wavered back into a jumbled mess.
“Don’t worry, honey. You came to the right place.” The pit boss assured her before yelling to a passing waitress, “Cherry, two tequilas and two waters!”
Maria patted her back in comfort. “Yeah, Sadie’s the woman whisperer. She’ll sort you right out.”
“That’s right. I sorted Maria out, and now look at her. She’s married to the second finest man in all of Kansas City.” Confidence slipped through the pit boss’ lips.
Again, Maria held up the big diamond as proof on her left hand.
“It’s beautiful,” Nadia told the girl again so she would finally put it down.
“Wait—who’s the first?” Maria went back to Sadie, catching that she had called her husband only thesecondfinest man in Kansas City.
“Oh, buttercup”—Sadie tapped the tip of Maria’s perfect nose—“I love you and all, but if I told ya, then I’d have to kill ya. Now, how is Dom doing?”
“Good.” Maria laughed, letting her drop it. “He’s still perfect, of course.”
Nadia said a silent prayer for the man named Dom. Within the ten minutes she had known Maria, she was a handful and probably had the schmuck by the ball—
“Oh, I know,” Sadie said in agreement, clearly approving of her choice in husband. As she was dealing out the cards, it was starting to feel like an AA meeting for girls. “Unfortunately for all of us, we got it bad for a man.”
Ugh, she was right. Nadia slammed her head back on the desk.
“Just in time,” Sadie announced when two shots, along with the waters, appeared on the table. “Drink up. It’ll give you some clarity.”
“You can have mine, too,” Maria told her, sliding her shot of tequila closer to Nadia.
Sadie’s brow lifted in suspicion. “What? Are you pregnant?”
“No …” The blonde quickly tapped the table to hit her thirteen. “I’m just not drinking tonight.”
“Well, me neither.” Nadia slid the shots back to the blonde. “Last time I drank … I just have to keep my wits about me this time.”
Now Sadie’s suspicious gaze went to Nadia, seeming to know exactly what she meant.
Rolling her eyes, she picked up the two shots, downing one and then the other like it was simply water. Whatever love life problem Nadia was having, it looked like it paled to Sadie’s in comparison. Maria’s, however, was clearly as perfect as her and the twenty-one she had just made by receiving an eight of hearts.
Hitting her twelve didn’t go quite as perfectly as Maria’s had, busting with a face card. Then, when it was Sadie’s turn to reveal her house card, she had a six hiding underneath, forcing her to hit and get another face card, making the house bust. The analogy was almost a perfect representation of their love lives.
Maria beamed as Sadie slid over her winnings.
“Perfect twenty-one and Dominic Luciano. Girl, you just can’t lose.”
Nadia had been taking a drink of her water and practically spit it all over the table.Dominic Luciano?
“You okay?” Maria asked her with concern.
“Mmhmm …” she choked out. “You mean, Luciano as in …”The fucking rival mafia family in Kansas City?
It was Sadie who answered in understanding. “That’s the one.”
Oh, this girl, Maria, had it out for every man, including her father. She was sure … “I don’t take it your father took that very well.”
“No, he did not,” Maria assured her, but Nadia didn’t miss the hint of sadness in her voice. On the outside, it looked like Maria’s life was perfect, but it was clear that even a girl who had everything still had some scars deep down.
“Want me to hurt him for you?” Nadia asked, knowing her father had hurt her in some way.
The beautiful blonde laughed at the joke, and the sadness that didn’t belong on a girl like her left. “Thanks for the offer,but something tells me Karma might just be catching up to him.” The way Maria was looking at her made Nadia feel likeshewas saidKarma.
