Page 42 of The Lost Kings
Scotty was already watching us from across the room with a hard set to his jaw as we approached him. He wore a fitted suit, all black, of course, because God forbid the man wear anything aside from that color. I knew he’d snuck in weapons, even if we’d been checked at the door. This whole night was one of Scotty’s sick and twisted games. We’d parade around in front of the very people who were trying to kill us, while pretending to be someone else, just to see if we could get away with it.
Since discovering our family’s proximity to organized crime, my brother and I became students of their world. While we were here pretending to be a part of a family that no one ever heard of, all so Presley could have this mirage of a birthday party, we knew better.Scotty planned this, and he was likely testing us like he tested everyone.
“This is reckless,” I hissed, close to Scotty’s ear.
He glared down the length of his nose at me like I was shit on his shoe. “Kingston. Giovanni.”
Gio glanced at me like he wanted permission to hit Presley’s uncle. Instead, he stepped closer and matched my pitch as he repeated, “This is dangerous and stupid. The guy drooling all over Presley is part of the Milano family.”
Scotty sipped his liquor then with more ease than I cared for, and said, “If you two are so worried about Presley, then perhaps you should take it upon yourselves to protect her. She’ll go places I can’t follow. If you’re so inclined, you can trail her. Watch her. She’ll never be able to date, not anyone regular that is. She’ll get them killed, so maybe you’re doing her a kindness by stepping in.”
“So you’re asking us to go and take care of this?” Gio asked, seemingly confused.
I was too. Why not just stop all this and get her out of here?
Scotty took another sip of his drink. “I’m telling you that if you’re worried, then simply take care of the threat yourselves.”
With that, he slipped through the crowd. We turned back toward our best friend and found her smiling at the Milano kid. He was closer to her now and touching her hip.
Red hot rage lit me up and that’s all I could see as I turned toward her. Gio followed, only to bump my arm seconds later. “I’ll distract her.”
My eyes didn’t leave the couple as they continued to laugh. One of the Milano soldiers stood close enough to them, telling me he was likely the son of someone high up in the family. Possibly even the don of the family. Good, maybe this would warn enough of them to stay the fuck away from—well, we had no family name here.
We were pretending, acting out exactly what Presley’s dad used to do. We’d dug into his background once the news landed that he was a part of the mafia but had stolen from them. The Joker surfacedand we realized exactly how fucked up of a legacy Kyle had left for Presley.
“Elvis,” Gio sang, walking up behind her and grabbing her attention. Her expression was reluctant, but she turned away from her admirer and gave her attention to my brother, which gave me enough time to move in.
“Gotta talk to you for a second, Josh.” I pushed on the kid’s neck, and right as Presley turned to see what was happening, my brother pulled her in for a hug.
It allowed me the chance to push the kid behind a corner, without the soldier near him seeing.
“My name isn’t Josh!” His face was red as he tried to push at my hands.
I let him go but quickly swiped his leg, so he fell on his ass.
“Hey!”
Bending down, I plucked his cell phone out of his pocket, turned his face to unlock it and then found the pictures he’d snapped of Presley. Her smile was infectious, her eyes sparkling and even her skin was glowing. Whatever that presence was on my chest became heavier.
“Sorry, Josh, it isn’t personal, but you can’t have these.”
“What the fuck is your problem?!” he yelled, pushing his palms into the marble floor, elevating his chest. His face was tomato red. There were words on my tongue that I wanted to spout off at him about touching Presley, about thinking he had the right, but I realized it wouldn’t matter.
“Stay away from that one.”
His eyes narrowed; his lip lifted with a sneer. “Fuck you. Which family do you belong to, we’re going to fucking destroy you.”
He was exhausting.
With a heavy sigh, I pulled out one of my knives.
“Can you understand what I’m telling you?”
He tried to push me again, but it only had me moving the blade tohis throat.
“Try it and you’ll be dead in seconds. I have men stationed everywhere, they?—”
My mind merely replayed the way his hand splayed open on Presley’s hip, and the way she had given him one of those smiles she’d never given me, and my hand moved on its own, plunging the knife into the palm that had spread over Presley’s body.
