“You can look at her when you say it,” Fiero adds.
“I’m sorry, Sarah.” He barely looks at his wife, and it’s less sincere than the apology I received. What a dick.
“Until the next time,” she mutters.
“If he doesn’t treat you right, you should leave him,” I say, standing alongside Fiero. I don’t know her circumstances. Perhaps she’s trapped like me, but I feel the need to say it anyway.
“Wallet,” Fiero demands, eyeballing the guy.
“What?”
“I don’t need your money. I want your license.”
“Why?”
“Just do it, Alistair,” his wife encourages.
Reluctantly, he hands it over. On Fiero’s instructions, I remove the man’s license and take a pic with Fiero’s cell phone. Fiero slaps the wallet back into his hand with a warning look. “Say anything about this, and I’ll come for you. Next time, I won’t be so charitable.”
“We’ll tell no one.”
Fiero hands a business card to the woman. “That’s my number. If you ever need help, call me.” Fiero swings his gaze on the man. “That invitation isn’t extended to you.”
He purses his lips, glowering at Fiero, which is more than a little stupid.
“Get out of my sight, you pathetic sack of shit.” Fiero uses his jacket to conceal his gun as he slips it back into the holster at his hip. “Before I change my mind and shoot you.”
The man doesn’t need to be told twice, taking his wife’s elbow and leading her down the steps.
“Was all that really necessary?” I ask.
“Yes.” Fiero takes my hand, and we descend the steps together. “No man is ever objectifying you again.”
“As much as I love your determination, it’s not cool to pull a gun on a man in such a public space.”
Fiero pushes me up against the wall. “Aw, kitten, are you worried about me?”
I swat his chest and glare at him. “Don’t patronize me! You’re not above the law.”
“Don’t worry, baby.” He ignores my attempts to wriggle away from him, tucking me firmly under his arm. “We have the police commissioner on speed dial, and half the cops in the city are on our payroll. We keep our noses clean, but on the rare occasions we run into trouble, they tidy it up.”
“The guy was a dick. You’d do better just ignoring him,” I say as we step into the half-empty lobby.
“Not my style, kitten,” Fiero says, crowding me against the wall again. His palms rest on either side of my head while he cages me in with his body. “Kiss me,” he demands the same time an unfamiliar male says, “Fiero? What are you doing here?”
25
FIERO
Fuck.I push off the wall and thread my fingers through Valentina’s, scrambling to come up with a plausible explanation, but there’s no point. Massimo will see through any lies in an instant. I didn’t want him to know partly because it could jeopardize his position on The Commission, but it’s too late now. He’s already an accomplice even if I give him no details.
Valentina’s eyes are wide, and fear is written all over her face the second she sets eyes on my best friend. Of course, she can tell who he is. Everyone withinLa Cosa Nostraknows what The Commission president looks like. Catarina is by Massimo’s side, raking a politely inquisitive gaze over my date.
I squeeze my kitten’s hand and pull her in flush to my side. “I could ask you the same thing,” I say, smirking at my buddy. “Didn’t think this was your scene either.”
“I’ve wanted to seeMoulin Rougefor years on Broadway,” Cat replies, sending a warm, assuring smile in Valentina’s direction. “I snapped up tickets the instant I heard it was returning for a limited run.”
“Introduce us,” Massimo says, scrutinizing my face as if a load of zits has just popped up all over my skin.
