She paled. "Are you serious right now?"
"Yes."
"Marianis are one of the families." She glanced back toward the bathroom and lowered her voice. "No, they arethefamily, as inthefamily that runs Vegas. They're rich, powerful, and dangerous. Everyone's afraid of them. No, everyone wants to be them... or be with them." She laughed, shaking her head. "I can't believe you're on a date with a Mariani and you invited a bum."
"A date?" I asked. "I'm not on a date. I'm buying a meal for the men who saved your life."
Ariana snorted. "So, you're telling me you have no interest whatsoever in Angel? Right. He's smokin' hot, Markie. You'd have to be dead not to be into him. Of course, Bones is hotter. My god, did you see how fast he took that guy down? His arms are bigger than my thighs."
"That guy was just a kid," I pointed out.
"A kid who would have seriously hurt you had Bones not been there. This isn't Africa, Markie. People here are dangerous. They won't hesitate to fuck you up."
My sister clearly didn't know much about Africa. Still, her words made me wonder, again, what had happened to her during the time we'd lost contact. She wouldn't tell me, though, despite how many times I'd asked. Just like she wouldn't tell me anything about Matt the loser.
The guys rejoined us. Angel helped Max settle into his chair and then scooted in beside me while Bones sat beside Ariana. We ordered lunch and broke into conversation. Turns out Max was a Navy veteran, and between bites he entertained us with stories about his time as an engineman, and his worldwide travels afterward. He'd spent his midlife trekking across every continent except Antarctica, which he informed us was too damn cold for his old bones. We spent more than two hours in that little dive, and by the time we finished up, Max's stomach was full and his eyelids were heavy.
Angel excused himself to make a call and I reached for the bill.
Bones beat me to it. He plucked it off the table and tugged his wallet out of his pocket. While he was busy, I reached over and snatched the bill out of his hands. His jaw dropped as he looked from his empty hand to the bill in mine. Then he snapped his jaw closed and scowled at me.
"I don't care how big and scary you are, I said I'm buying you guys lunch." I hopped out of the booth and hurried off to the counter before he could stop me.
Angel was in the corner on the phone, but the way his eyes danced with laughter told me he'd seen the exchange. I settled up the bill, Angel joined us, and we all headed outside.
"Well? What did you guys think of the food?" Bones asked, still looking at me sideways after our little confrontation.
Clearly I'd ruffled some feathers and needed to make amends. "Super tasty. Good pick," I said truthfully. "Thank you for the recommendation."
"Yeah, it was all right," Angel replied.
Bones shoved him.
Even Ariana had no complaints.
A cab pulled into the parking lot and Angel smiled down at Max. "Looks like your ride's here."
I felt my eyebrows creep up my forehead. "His ride? Where's he going?"
Angel opened the back door of the cab. "A bed so he can get a good night's sleep."
My brain struggled to keep up. "You booked him a motel room?"
Angel nodded and helped Max into the cab.
My throat constricted, and I couldn't speak. We waved good-bye to Max and then climbed into the Hummer.
"You okay?" Angel asked, opening the passenger's door for me.
I smiled and nodded, lying without words. No, I wasn't okay. My life was complicated, and I couldn't get attached to anyone. Yet Angel made me wish things were different. I was completely wrecked at the kindness and generosity he'd had shown Max.
This Marianiwasdangerous, the kind of dangerous that made my stomach flutter and my eyes burn.
CHAPTER TEN
Angel
WE FINISHED LUNCH, and since I wasn't ready to drop off the girls yet, I racked my brain for something we could do. If we took them to a family-run casino, Father would know about Markie before we tossed the first die. Venturing into non-family-run casinos had the potential to create serious drama. We could hit a show or the movies, but neither of those options would give us time to talk, and I really wanted to get to know Markie better. She'd surprised me by rushing to the bum's aid and bringing him to lunch. Then she'd shocked the hell out of me when she took the bill from Bones. Never had I seen anyone take anything from him, and I half expected him to tackle her and take it back.
