“I can and I will unless your father stops throwing his weight around. I am the head of this family, and I make the big decisions. You follow my orders.” Mario doesn’t even bother looking at her, his glare focused on his brother.
“Daddy!” Stacey pleads, and I roll my eyes. Jesus, could she get any more pathetic? She only wants Tristan because she knows she’s taking something from me and Vienna. She’s always coveted other people’s toys.
I see the moment Gregor backs down. His shoulders hunch, and he sags in his chair. Mario looks pleased. “Stacey, why don’t you and Penny go to the spa today? Enjoy a couple of treatments so you look perfect for your big day,” he tells her, and she instantly preens. Ugh, that means she will be coming with us to the Diamond.
“Where’s your mom, Stacey? Wouldn’t she want to be involved in your big day?” I ask her, and she wrinkles her nose and huffs, but her dad grimaces.
“Mom said Tristan wasn’t good enough for me and refuses to have anything to do with the wedding. She went to stay with her sister in London. She says me marrying my cousin is tacky, and she wouldn’t be able to show her face at the country club.”
Huh… I wouldn’t have guessed that at all. I would have thought she would be thrilled for Stacey to marry within the family, so to speak.
When I turn my attention to her father and his sudden fidgeting, I assume that Stacey’s mom isn’t in London. I wonder what they did with her.
“Pfft, it isn’t like they are your blood relatives.” Mario waves away the concern and stands up, and Penelope finally decides to join the conversation.
“I’m not feeling very well. I think I’ll skip the spa today,” she murmurs, and Mario glares at her. “And Stacey has a dress fitting today anyway. The designer is bringing her dress here for her to try on,” she reminds the girl, who opened her mouth to argue, but her expression swiftly turns calculating.
“Oh yeah. I had forgotten. Vienna, you can try on your bridesmaid dress as well. You too, Tori.” Her eyes gleam with malice.
“Excuse me? No way in hell am I going to be in your wedding party.”
“Yes, you are, because it shows we are one big happy family.” She looks smug, and my imagination takes hold, and that image of my bullet exiting her skull starts to play in a loop inside my mind.
“Exactly. You and Vienna will be her attendants, and Xavier and Colton will stand with Tristan, and I will give away the bride.” Mario waves a hand. “Now hurry up. I want to get moving.” He doesn’t wait for a response, leaving the dining room with Stacey’s dad, who glares holes in his back. Hmm, not everything is all happy family.
Stacey hurries after him, chattering about caterers and flowers and the guest list, leaving the rest of the room in awkward silence.
Chapter Ten
“Well, that was fun,” Colton grumbles as the rest of us finish our coffee and stand up, following like good little ducklings. As I leave, I turn back to look at Penny. Her eyes are almost blank, like she’s no longer all there, and I feel a rush of sympathy for her. We’ve never gotten along, and even if she made her own bed, nobody deserves to be abused. I wonder if I can help her get away. It isn’t like he really needs her anymore. I’m pretty sure he was just using her to get to us, and my father was smart enough not to share important stuff with her anyway.
She’s safe enough for now at home with Vienna and Stacey. I’ll just have to factor something into my plan for her. Maybe if she could get away from her own family who used and abused her and start a new life somewhere, she would have a chance at happiness. My father would want that for her. He might not have loved her, but he must have cared for her not to have a convenient accident all these years.
“At least you get out of the dress fitting,” Vienna grumbles as we congregate in the foyer.
“Keep an eye on Penny for me,” I say under my breath when I stop next to her. “I’m worried about her. Also, you should know she sees Addison regularly. Maybe she can tell you about it.”
Vienna’s eyes light up with excitement, and she gives me a quick nod before kissing Colton on the cheek then returning to the dining room. The other two watch her go, unable to hide the longing in their eyes. Hmm, I wonder why she doesn’t show them affection openly anymore. Did Mario threaten them? I guess it wouldn’t be seemly, considering Xavier is married to me, and Tristan is about to marry Stacey. Ugh, it’s all a mess. I hope their love is strong enough to keep them together. As much as I am still trying to hold onto my anger toward them, it is slowly drifting away as I see everything they have suffered through. How can I judge them when I haven’t been where they have? Who’s to say I would have done anything different? Hell, I’m just trying to keep my head above water at the moment, and I’ve certainly not behaved like I would have in the past either.
“Try not to eat too much, Tori. You’re starting to look a little plump, and I won’t have you looking like a fat pig in my wedding,” Stacey says viciously as we follow Mario out the front door.
“Once we have the safe open, I will send her back in time for your fitting,” he promises Stacey without looking back, his phone in his hand as he types out a message.
I wonder if he’s having my dad moved already. That would work well for us.
I flip her off. I don’t need to look like a meth addict to make a dress look good. I’m confident in the way I look, and nothing she can say will dent that.
There is a limo waiting out front for us, and Mario and Gregor are already seated when the rest of us climb in. There are two black town cars also waiting, already full of men to escort us. This is going to be a shit show, but my staff has been informed of the sudden change and will hopefully behave appropriately so no one gets hurt.
The ride is quiet, since everyone is engrossed in their phones, but I just stare out the window and plan. I think I’ve come up with a fairly decent one, but I need to talk to Mickey tonight and see if we can pull it off. I want to do it in person and not risk anything I send being traced by the wrong person. I even left my phone at home today. There’s no point in carrying it now that it is being tracked and every word is being scrutinized.
The ride seems to fly by, and before I know it, we’re pulling into the valet parking in front of the Lucky Diamond. The door opens, and Mario gets out, buttoning his suit and puffing out his chest. Gregor follows, as does Colton and Tristan. Xavier pauses, looking at me.
“Just keep it together a little longer, okay?” he asks quietly, and I give him a small nod of assurance, and he smirks. “Oh, I have no doubt you’re going to wreak havoc, but timing is everything.”
I let a small smile cross my lips. “I can assure you, my timing is impeccable.” I slide over the seat, getting out in front of him. When I turn to watch him get out, his eyes are on my ass.
“Timing isn’t the only thing that is impeccable,” he mutters as he stands and fastens the button on his jacket. He looks hot. In fact, all three of them do, and if I was a lady who swooned, well, maybe they might have caused me to do just that, but I’m not. Instead, I brace myself for the reactions to come. Sage was well loved by everyone, and I can’t imagine my staff is going to be thrilled about my marriage announcement and the new management status less than twenty-four hours after his burial.
