I was the first to break away and turn to Ion. A flash of jealousy crossed his face. He was trying to hide and accept it, but I knew that my being with all three of them was hard for him at times; other times, he seemed to be perfectly fine. It was such a new process for all of us. Something we still had to work through now that the main danger was gone.
Going over to him, I reached up on my tippy toes, swiping my tongue along the seam of his lips, and he opened it immediately. His hands circled my waist, lifting me up higher to deepen the kiss. Our tongues clashed, fighting almost for dominance until he conceded, and I gripped his chest hard. Since he stopped doing drugs all together, his body was beginning to fill out, take on more muscle and he loved when I touched him. It's going to be a long road for him, but I was going to be there every step of the way, encouraging him with sexual favors when he turned someone’s offer away.
He backed up against the door, moaning out just as Cezar called from the hallway, “Is this how it's always going to be? The second and third husbands always trying to take the first husband's spot?!”
Giggling against Ion, I pulled away first, seeing the red stain of my lipstick on his mouth and swiped my thumb across his lips. Giving Ion a smile, I turned and took Cezar’s outstretched arms, making sure I watched out for the splint that his thumb was in. I was still trying to convince him to go to the doctor and get a cast, like the doctors recommended, and he still refused. Damn stubborn psycho. “Of course. How could you think it would be any different?”
“Nan says you’re a cheeky little princess, and you should be nice to me.” His wide smile told me a different story.
My lips pinched as I raised a brow. “Nope. That doesn't sound like Nan. In fact, Nan would be the one to tell me to be more cheeky.”
His head tilted to the side, nodding his head as he laughed, “Ya, you’re right.” His arms pulled me in tight, wrapping mine around him as he took a long, deep inhale, drinking me in.
We took a few steps like this, in each others arms before we moved to being hand in hand going down the hallway. As soon as we reaching the top of the stairs, and I halted. Old fears clawed at my throat. For a moment, I could almost feel Arak waiting at the bottom, his cold stare pinning me in place, but then I exhaled. He was dead. He couldn’t hurt me anymore. Putting one foot in front of the other, Cezar squeezed my arm, letting me know he was there as we descended.
Going into the dining room, there were already several people inside. Some of them were other mafia’s from bordering countries; others were higher-ups in their own organization. This was the who’s who of their world, and today, we were center stage.
An older gentleman with long silver locks, deep worry lines, and a cane came up to the four of us right away. “Nicu, Ion,” he nodded behind me, “Cezar, always a pleasure.” Then he turned his attention to me. “Is this the beautiful woman I heard your father has lined up to be your stepmother?”
I could feel the air around me shift, a dangerous edge filled the space, as I could feel the guys closing in on me, but we went over this. This issue was going to be resolved soon, so I smiled at the man, even if it was tight lipped.
Not picking up on the vibe, or just not caring, he picked up my hand and kissed it. It wasn't as off-putting as when I met Arak, but at the same time, I had a feeling I needed to be cautious with this man.
Nicu snapped his hand out, grabbing my hand away from this man. The man lifted his hands immediately, “No harm, son. I'm not trying to take your woman.”
“You can wait for the start of dinner to ask her such questions.” Nicu’s voice commanded as he stepped closer to this man, making his threat known. This man's lips slanted, almost like he found this all so amusing. I needed to watch out for this man, he reminding me of a snake waiting in the grass.
Nicu excused us and directed both me and Cezar away from the man, whispering in my ear, “That was Rasmus Hovsepian.” He looked around the room and pointed to another man in a suit, a little on the older side, but this one didn't have a cane and had some bulk to him. “That is Madric Zakarian.”
Now that I knew who they were, the other head bosses, I made a mental note to keep tabs on those two men for the night. Who they talked to, what they liked, everything. “Keep your friends close and your enemies closer,” I whispered.
The clinking of a glass drew my attention. One of the kitchen staff was telling everyone that dinner was ready. We all filtered around the tables, myself at the head with all my men around me, always close, how I liked it.
Someone on the far end raised their glass and asked where Arak was, and I told them that all good things come to those who wait. That seemed to quiet the room, and I smiled. We’ll talk about that soon enough.
The kitchen staff came out one by one, setting the plates of food in front of each person. Nicu stood up and raised his glass.
“First, my brothers and our wife would like to thank you all for coming today.” Wide eyes went in my direction, and I could feel them assessing me, trying to guess my worth. “Unfortunate events have befallen our family, and Arak Azadian has passed away.” Voices rose, the chatter spread as people were talking over each other, saying this can't be true, demanding proof.
Nicu clinked his glass with ease like he expected this. “While I don't think it's appropriate dinner entertainment, we have no problems showing you proof.” He whistled, and two men with platters came from around the corner.
A gasp went over the crowd; some people even stood up in shock, but the two other family heads both smiled wide.
“As you can see,” Nicu informed them with a smooth, authoritative voice, “one has his heart, that was cut out as it was still beating, and the other his head. Unfortunately, his eyes didn't make it.”
He chuckled at the end, and everyone turned to pay attention to him, fear settled in their eyes. “Going forward there’s to be a new head of the Azadian family. Our father had a vision, you see, a vision to bring back an old tradition, one that would bring peace and prosperity to all three families.” He nodded to each of the bosses, “And so my brothers and I would like to respect his wishes and push this new vision through.”
My legs were shaking, my heart pounding so hard I thought it would burst, but I reminded myself that I could do this. Ion slid his hand over my leg, giving it a squeeze, and nodded at me. Giving me the encouragement and support I needed.
When I chose to stay, I knew I was choosing something brutal. The life I dreamed of in LA? Gone. That normal, simple future? It had died with Arak in that old, dirty basement.
What the four of us have gone through together has bound us, for better or worse. Knowing who these men are and what they do for a living, I knew being with them was going to change me. I was no longer the Kazia Lee, the girl who put frat boys in their places and worked like a dog to accomplish her dream. I was now Kazia Lee, the wife of three Armenian gangsters. I needed to dig deep and succumb to that darkness inside of me. Consume it and let it rage when anyone came in the way of what me and my husbands wanted.
Standing up next to Nicu, everyone’s eyes were on me, and I stood straighter, reminding myself to look and feel who I was now, who I might’ve always been.
“I’m Kazia Lee, the last seer and Romani princess of the Lee family. I have taken Nicu, Ion, and Cezar Azadian as my husbands, andwe’llbe directing this family toward a new phase of prosperity that has never been reached before. The spirits from now on will be protecting this family and their endeavors,” my voice went low, glaring out at the sea of people who had the potential to harm my family.
I let the darkness fill me up; a vicious, cruel smile warped my face, narrowing my eyes on everyone here. “And whoever goes against us will meet a fate worse than he did.” I threw my chin at Arek’s pitiful remains. “Your death and destruction will be imminent. I have foreseen it.”
