"Dmitri treats me well," I say.
"He better." Amanda finally looks up from her phone. "Because if he doesn't, I know where he lives and I'm not afraid to key his car."
That breaks the tension.
Mamma laughs.
I manage a smile.
The SUV slows.
We're close now.
I can see the line outside Nexus stretching down the block. The velvet ropes. The bouncers checking IDs and turning away anyone who isn't in the list.
But we won't be waiting in line.
We'll go straight to the private entrance.
Straight to Dmitri.
"Almost there," Dante says from the front seat.
His eyes meet mine in the rearview mirror.
He knows something's wrong.
I can see it in the way he's watching me. The slight furrow between his brows. The tension in his shoulders.
Dante has known me since I was a child.
He taught me how to throw a punch. How to break someone's nose. How to use my small size as an advantage instead of a weakness.
He can read me better than most.
I look away first.
Focus on the club growing larger as we approach.
The feeling in my chest intensifies.
Like a warning.
Like my body knows something my brain hasn't figured out yet.
"Everything's going to be fine," Mamma says.
She's talking to herself as much as to me.
"Of course it is." Amanda squeezes my hand. "You're going to walk in there looking like a goddess. Dmitri's going to lose his mind. Everyone's going to see how perfect you are together. It'll be amazing."
The SUV pulls up to the private entrance.
Elio gets out first.
Scans the area with professional efficiency before opening Mamma's door.
She exits with practiced grace.
