Kill. Me. Now.
“I see what’s going on in here.”
We all turned at the new voice.
“And what I want to know is…why wasn’t I invited?” Mia smiled and then flung herself on the bed, making it bounce. “We all know I’m the life of the party!”
Evelina leaned over and gave her a loud smooch on the head.
I needed something to cool my mortification. I decided to turn the conversation. “How long have you all been friends?”
“All of our lives, basically.” Noemi pointed at Evelina. “Her mom’s best friend, Kee, is my auntie. My dad’s sister. That’s how my mom and dad met. At Evelina’s parent’s wedding.”
“And your mom is related to the Faustis,” I said.
“Through marriage,” Noemi said. “My mom’s great aunt is Grazia—on my mom’s father’s side.”
“Small world,” I whispered.
Mia patted the spot next to her. “And it’s growing so much bigger in the sweetest way—I have a new sister.”
“And a new sister for me too.” Evelina waved her hand.
“A new cousin for me!” Noemi stood. “I’ll brave the kitchen for snacks!”
She came back with her arms filled ten minutes later, and a minute later, one of the soldiers, the one they all called OTGJ—behind his back—came in and set more food around the room. Oscar the Grouch Jr. I had to admit, he did look like the character. He just looked naturally…grouchy. I think it had something to do with the set of his thick eyebrows.
Mia nudged me. “It’s like resting bitch face, but OTGJ style.”
“What’s resting bitch face?” I took a cookie from the platter and stuffed it in my mouth.
“Let me show her what it is!” Noemi dusted crumbs from her boobs. “My mom is the queen of this!” She showed me, and then exploded with laughter.
We all did. Because OTGJ was trying to mimic her.
“He has a crush on Noemi,” Evelina whispered in my ear after he’d gone.
“That’s sweet,” I whispered.
“So many men around here.” Mia shrugged. “It happens.”
“I noticed that,” I said. “So many Fausti men.”
Mia laughed. “Let me tell you about that.”
She went into detail about how the Fausti family has more boys than girls. She said it was up in the air about women born to the family, whether they had more boys than girls, because there wasn’t a lot of them to go on. And Aunt Lola, who was Luca’s aunt, didn’t have any children of her own. Mia had twin boys, and she didn’t know if the baby she was carrying was a boy or girl. I remembered Ava touching on the subject, but compared to what I needed to learn, maybe it wasn’t all that important. Just a fun fact, or something.
The room grew quiet, as if all the air had been sucked of it, when a dark shadow loomed over us in the doorway.
Matteo.
He was covered in blood.
“Come on,” Evelina whispered to Noemi. She grabbed her wrist and pulled her to her feet. “Time to go.”
Neither of them looked at Matteo as they side-stepped him. I was on my feet next, followed by Mia. She didn’t hustle around him like Evelina and Noemi. She went to touch his shoulder but decided not to at the last minute. As she went to pass him, he grabbed her wrist and refused to let her go. He nodded toward me and said something in Italian to her. It took her a second, but she finally nodded.
She cleared her throat. “My brother—Matteo—wants me to translate for him.”
