“It does,” he says, smiling over at me.
God, I feel ten feet tall when he smiles at me like that.
As we land, I realize how difficult it will be to share him with the New York crew.
9
ANT
“Ant!” Hopper shouts, running down the hall as the elevator doors open. He practically snatches me out of the car and twirls me around. “I’m so glad you’re here!”
Hopper turns to the man walking up behind him. “Brother! He’s here! He’s here!”
Hopper’s brother is Luca Stefano, mob boss and, according to Erik, a really nice guy. Fingers crossed.
“Yes, Hop. I see that,” he says in a fond, amused tone. Something tells me this is a conversation they’ve had more than once. Turning to me, Luca sticks out his hand. “Hi. You must be Ant. I’m Luca. It’s nice to meet you.”
I’m timid as I shake his hand. “Hi, Luca. Um…Hopper talks about you all the time. It’s nice to put a face to all the stories.”
Luca slides a look at Hopper. “You’ve been telling stories on me?” he asks, a bit of mobster coming through in his voice.
Hopper shrugs. “What’re you gonna do about it? He’s my buddy. I trust him.”
Luca shifts his glance back to me. “Then I guess I trust him as well.”
More than a mere statement of trust, I hear the warning in his tone. Erik mutters something under his breath and steps in front of me. Luca’s eyes widen as he stares up at Erik’s towering figure.
Rolling my eyes, I step in front of Erik and push him back. “You are such a Neanderthal.” Turning to Luca, I hold out my palms. “I’ve killed way too many people for you not to trust me, if only because Hopper knows where all the bodies are.”
Luca, far from seeming dangerous, hides an amused smile as he looks between Erik and me. “Well, well, well. This night just got real interesting. What’s your poker game like, kid?”
“Please don’t call me kid. Also, I’m pretty damn good unless it’s dangerous to be good. If that’s the case, I suck.”
“Ixnay on the idkay, got it. You’re allowed to be good at the game. Though my buddy Mads may give you a run for your money.” Gesturing to the hallway, he says, “This entire floor is split between me and my husband and Anthony and Mads. Still, maybe we should go inside before continuing to speak of murder.”
“Yeah, probably smart,” I shoot back, grinning.
He leads us inside his apartment, which has a dark vibe but still manages to be bright. The sheer amount of well-cared-for greenery in the space tells me a lot about the kind of man Luca Stefano is.
As we start toward the library, a beautiful, lean man with light-purple glasses coordinating with his dapper suit stops us. After bussing Erik’s cheek, he leans in conspiratorially. “Sherry’s on a tear tonight. Somebody taught her how to bluff, so consider yourself warned.”
Erik sends him a broad smile and, not gonna lie, a not-small amount of jealousy tightens my chest. That is until the fashionable man turns to me and introduces himself.
“We’ve never met before. I’m Ford, this one’s husband,” he says, tilting his head toward Luca as he pulls him close.
Chill out, dumbass. No way Erik would ever go after Luca’s man.
I grin and shake his hand. “Hi, Ford. I’m Ant.”
Hopper, who’s standing behind me, bounces on his toes. “Ant is my buddy. I told you he was coming tonight. He’s here! He’s a great poker player and almost as good at killing bad guys as I am.”
I can see why Luca wanted us to come inside. Hopper doesn’t have much of a filter.
Ford chuckles. “Well, if you’re a friend of Hopper’s, then you’re already a friend of mine.”
Erik grumps at me again, muttering, “Do you tell everyone that you kill people?”
Hop tips his head to the side, confusion in his eyes. “Friends share things.”
