"We're just admiring—" Alexei starts to say with that insufferable grin.
"Now," I repeat.
Something in my tone—the genuine threat—makes them both look away immediately. Smart men who know when they've pushed too far.
Carlo is watching this entire exchange with interest, probably wondering if violence is about to erupt at his poker table. If he needs to clear the room or call for additional security.
It very well might erupt. I'm barely holding myself back.
"I think we should take a break from the game," I announce to the table, standing abruptly and pulling Liana up with me in one smooth motion. I keep her positioned with my body blocking the view from the others.
"So soon?" Dmitri sounds genuinely amused by this entire situation. "The night is still young, Marcello. Plenty of time for more hands."
"I need to handle something urgent."
"I can see that," he says, glancing at my pants with obvious implication.
I guide Liana toward the door with my hand firm on her lower back, controlling her movement entirely, not giving her any chance to reveal more. Behind us, I hear Alexei laugh and say something in rapid Russian that I don't quite catch.
I spin around to face them, my hand still on Liana. "What did you say?"
He grins at me, pushing the boundaries deliberately. "Just that you clearly have your hands full with that one. She's quite spirited."
"Make one more comment," I say with deadly calm, making direct eye contact. "See what happens."
The grin fades from his face immediately. He's not stupid enough to push me further.
"Santino," Carlo stands from the table, playing peacemaker. "Perhaps we should call it a night. You clearly have other priorities requiring your attention."
Other priorities. That's one way to put it.
"The game continues tomorrow night," I say firmly, maintaining control of the situation. "Same time, same place. We're not finished."
"If you say so," Carlo agrees diplomatically.
I turn back to Liana, steering her firmly out of the room and down the narrow staircase, my hand never leaving her back. Outside, the night air is refreshingly cool against my overheated skin. My car is parked in the narrow alley beside the building.
I open the passenger car door and practically push Liana inside, slamming the car door harder than necessary, before going around to my side. I start the car and pull onto the street. We don’t speak as I speed down the road.
“Where are we going?” she asks.
I don’t answer. Instead, I drive to one of my family’s nearby empty warehouses on a secluded street and cut the engine.
"What the fuck," I finally say, "was that?"
"What was what?" She's looking at me with those wide, innocent eyes that I'm beginning to doubt are actually innocent at all.
"You know exactly what I'm talking about. Showing up at a private poker game uninvited. Dressed like that." I gesture at the dress that's barely covering her. "Sitting in my lap in front of dangerous men. With no—" I stop myself, taking a breath. "What the hell were you thinking?"
"Only that you weren't answering any of my texts or calls," she says, as if this explains everything. "I was worried about you. I thought you might be sick or hurt."
"You decided to track me down because I didn’t answer a text?" The absurdity is almost overwhelming.
"Yes. Obviously."
"To a private game with dangerous criminals?"
"I didn't know they were dangerous! I just knew you were there and weren't responding. I thought they were your friends."
