“What the fuck are you doing here?” Giulio stops before me, the question lingering between us.
In our defense, I don’t explicitly recall anyone telling us that we weren’t allowed to come, my inner psycho says, though I can sense that her trembles are anything but fear.
Are you turned on?I snap.This is totally not the time for your man snatcher. Keep it under wraps.
Two words, she replies.Makeup sex.
Leaning to the side, I offer a smile to the rest of the men. What else can I do when my psychotic twin mind has decided to shoot pornographic images of angry sex through my head? Don Luciani is the only one who smiles back. Dante and the other two men are simply frowning at my entrance.
“Daisy.” Hard hands land on my shoulders as Giulio forces me to look at him. “Answer me. What are you doing here?”
“She’s not the mole,” someone says behind him.
Leaning over again, I recognize the one who spoke as Emil. I offer him a wave.
Giulio releases my shoulders but snatches my hand and lowers it again as he casts a glare over his shoulder. “Of fucking course she isn’t,” he snaps.
Yes, the mole. That’s what I’m here for. “I came to stop you from making a mistake,” I say.
Giulio turns back to me. “What?”
“The mole. Emil—” I gesture to the man in question. “You said he was dangerous, and Otello said you came here because of me. He tracked me down and—”
Giulio is shaking his head and growling low in his throat.
Hot. Hot. Hot.Yup. Mean Daisy is back at it again, prancing around my head in a miniskirt that’s too small to even be considered substantial underwear and a red lace bra. She whipsaround and points at me.If you’re bad enough, do you think he’ll spank you?
I roll my eyes.
“Did you just roll your eyes at me?”
Oh shit, I hadn’t meant to do that out loud.Wait… can you roll your eyes out loud?
Roll your eyes enough and maybe you’ll find a brain back there, Mean Daisy says.
When this is all over, I’m going to find you a person, I warn her.After all, there’s someone for everyone—and for you, I call that person a psychiatrist.
She grins.Good luck with that, cupcake.A single pink frosting–coated dessert appears in her hand, and she licks it.I’m not scared of a little therapizing—though if I may make a suggestion?
I grind my teeth. She’s ruining this whole “save Giulio from himself” thing I’ve got going on.What?
Killing the guy threatening Giulio and your new fam is good for your mental health.What do you know, she actually has a pretty decent idea.
Ignoring Giulio, I extract my hand from his grip and then step around him, further into the dining room before I lift a finger and point at the man in question. “You!”
Emil glances around as if I could possibly mean someone else, despite the fact that my pointer finger is leveled directly at his chest. “Yup,” I snap. “I mean you, buddy.”
“Daisy, I swear to—” Giulio locks onto me again, but I brush off his fingers, and when he doesn’t let go, I reach down and pinch him. Hard. When that still doesn’t work, I twist. His hand jerks back. “What the fuck!”
“Don’t stop me, Giulio,” I say. “I’m ignoring you on purpose because I’m mad at you.”
“Mad at me?”
Waving off his indignant response, I plant my free hand on my hip and continue my glaring match with Emilio Cesari, who’s no less panty-meltingly attractive despite his furrowed brow.
Eyes on the prize, Mean Daisy reminds me.He’s not expecting you to do shit. This is your chance to get close.
I take her advice and move forward several more steps. Just as Mean Daisy anticipated, no one moves to block my way. Just a little bit farther. I glance at the tabletop. I probably should have brought a gun or a knife or something. My eyes skitter to the side and there! There’s a table against the far wall with a whole boatload of guns and knives. Seems like an idiot move for them to just leave them there, but I’m grateful, nonetheless.
