“Hey, Faith.” Lucy’s fighting a smile, which annoys Faith even more.
“Don’t think I’m falling for thatthis is my sistercrap.”
I level a dark gaze at her, and I see her flinch slightly. “Are you calling me a liar?”
Faith looks put out, and mutters, “Well, you two don’t look very brother-sisterly.”
Through a twist of fate, Lucy and I share similar facial features. The same brown eyes, defined cheekbones, tilted-up noses, and Cupid’s-bow lips. Our hair is curly, though mine is rich brown, and Lucy’s is golden. The starkest differencebetween us is that I am tall and muscular while Lucy is small and slender, though people put that difference down to our genders.
But Faith isn’t talking about our looks. She’s annoyed that my arm is around Lucy’s bare waist. We look like brother and sister, but we’re not acting like she thinks a brother and sister should act.
My hand tightens on Lucy’s waist possessively. The other rests on the table, and Lucy covers it with her own. I turn my hand over so she can stroke my palm, and she meshes her fingers through mine.
The gesture is intimate and tender, and I don’t pull away.
“I’m busy, Jessica. I’ll call you later.”
“Don’t bother.” She strides off, calling over her shoulder, “You’re an asshole, Damiano Barone.”
“You called her Jessica again,” Lucy points out, amused.
“Oh, well.” I hold a fry to Lucy’s lips, and she bites into it. As she chews, I put the other half in my mouth.
“Did you call her the wrong name on purpose, or are you dating so many women that you can’t keep track?”
“Maybe. Maybe not.” I give her a sly smile. Is that a spark of irritation in Lucy’s eyes? Is my sister being as possessive over me as I am over her? She’s never been jealous before.
I think I like it.
“You torture me until I can’t breathe because I might have a date tonight, while apparently you’re out here being a—”
I grasp her shoulders suddenly and push her back against the diner wallpaper. She’s pinned in by the booth, the table, and me. “A what?” I whisper, a smirk on my lips, which are very close to hers. “What am I, sis?”
We’re so close that our bodies are pressed together. I can feel the heat of her skin through the thin fabric of her top. Her eyes narrow in playful accusation. “A troublemaker.”
I glance at her mouth, and those soft, pink lips, and then back up at her eyes. “Who, me? I’m the glue holding this family together.”
“You didn’t answer my question,” she says, and I feel her breath on my mouth. “The one I asked back at the house. Are we in the mafia?”
Fear makes my heart rate spike. I don’t know what Dad would do to us if he finds out that Lucy is asking dangerous questions. If she’s asking me, she might start asking other people, and if it gets back to him that Lucy can’t keep her mouth shut, I don’t like to imagine what might happen.
“Weare out for a nice dinner.Weare a brother and sister who love each other very much.Welook out for each other no matter what. That’s whatweare. What I do, what Dad does, you don’t have to worry about.”
A frustrated line forms between her brows. “Either we’re both in the mafia, or neither of us are. I’m your sister.”
“You’re my adorable, fierce, beautiful little sister.” I rub the tip of my nose against hers, keeping my voice low. “Who doesn’t ask questions about the mafia. Malus is a dangerous city. Stay close to home, and don’t grow up too fast. I like knowing where you are all the time and that your life is school, your books, shopping, and your friends.”
Her eyes flash with annoyance. “I’m sixteen. Why must you treat me like I’m still a child?”
I take a deep breath and let it out slowly, my gaze running over her face. Because it’s comforting for me. Because if she stays innocent, she’s safe. Because I can’t bear the thought of my world touching her.
“This is the life I wanted for you when Mom and Dad came for us,” I remind her. “You have everything you want, and if there’s something more you need, I’ll get it for you. I just wish I’d realized back then…”
For a moment, the light in my heart dims.
Would I have agreed for us to be adopted by the Barones if I knew who our father really was?
No, I wouldn’t have. I would never have brought Lucy into such a dangerous family willingly.
