“Big girl panties on,” I whisper, turning toward the door once I arrange my jacket over my shoulders.
“Finally—” Nico’s jaw drops on the other side of the door as I open it, and I walk past him.
I’m not taking any of his fashion advice today. I dressed for me, and no one else.
“You can not wear that, Rosa!”
“Too bad, because I have nothing else to wear,” I say, my hips rolling with every step. “Please, don’t make the mistake of believing my tits have anything to do with my ability to make business decisions.”
“Don’t be a caveman,” Vero says, gazing appreciatively over me. “That’s my girl. You look a bit more like yourself.”
She’s wearing a lavender dress with a scoop neck that’s modest, yet beautiful, leaning into the pretty debutant look. Her long red hair is curled down her back, looking soft enough to touch.
“Just living my life as a big ole fuck you to my father,” I admit, shrugging. “Are we ready to go?”
“You look too good,” Nico grumbles. “We’re ready. I don’t like to bring Pablo to meetings like this, which means he’s staying. Many people don’t even know he exists because of it.”
“He can’t fight, can he?” I muse, understanding the issue quickly.
“No, he can’t. I keep trying to teach him the basics, but it doesn’t come easily to him.”
“I’m the same way,” Vero grumbles. “Except, I don’t have any experience with defense, offensive or otherwise.”
“I will gladly take you to a shooting range and teach you,” I offer. “There’s no one to stop us now. I’m a pretty good shot.”
“I want to teach Verona and Pablo hand to hand defense as well,” Ciro murmurs, making Vero stiffen as I come up beside her.
Ciro has been finding reasons to take her out on errands. I’m not jealous, not really. In a perfect world, I might even like Ciro, despite the fact that he enjoys drama.
Vero mentioned that she doesn’t need to perform when she’s with him, a feeling I know well. The world unfortunately feels like a stage for me, one where I’m always wearing a different facade for others to survive.
Nico has seen me at my most raw, which means I think he’s at a loss about how to act around me. That’s a pity, because I felt a connection with him at one point.
I’m learning I’m simply too much for some.
Walking outside with Vero, I wait for the Domino men to say goodbye to Pablo, set the alarm, and join us. They’re all wearing black suits that appear sinful on their powerful bodies, but I’m most jealous of the weapons I know they’re hiding under their clothes.
Getting into the car, I watch as the scenery passes us by as Dario drives us through the streets of the city I grew up in. There are children playing in parks, tourists discovering everythingI love about Savannah, and trees heavily leaning toward each other as if they want to touch. My lips twitch wistfully as we arrive at Pack Mayor’s home.
I’ve attended events occasionally with the packs we’re meeting, and Vero actually knows Cassidy Tremaine from various parties her grandmother has had her attend over the years. These packs are pillars of Savannah society, easily fooling everyone to believe their businesses are all legitimate.
Papa, on the other hand, typically doesn’t care what others think and has the police in his back pocket. There’s no way he’d be able to stay out of jail for as long as he has otherwise.
Vero squeezes my hand gently to make sure I’m no longer spacing out, and I nod as I open the door and step outside. Ciro gets out of the front passenger side door, and I frown as I see a black strip peek out above his black button up shirt. It almost appears to be some kind of collar, and I wonder if it has something to do with his relationship with Pablo.
It’s none of my business, so I move around him to join mydearhusband on the sidewalk.
“You look beautiful,” he mumbles, threading my hand through his arm to properly escort me. Today hinges on being able to sell that we are a proper pack looking to continue our life in peace and freedom, so I’m not surprised he’s trying to smooth things over. “Honestly, Rosa. When I look at you, all the blood runs south to my cock. I should have led with that.”
“I… Thanks.” I’m at a loss for words with him. One moment he’s hot and the other cold. I know I sometimes enjoy his company when he’s not banging on his chest and asserting that my ovaries belong to him, but the last week hasn’t been a good one for us.
As a pack, we walk up to the front door and I ring the bell, prepared to wait.
A man with dark salt and pepper hair opens the door, reminding me of a wily silver fox as he smiles at us. It’s an assessing smile, and I remember that Lyle Mayor is a lawyer for the elite in Savannah. It’s said he can get almost anyone out of the charges placed against them.
It’s a pretty rampant rumor, so I’ll take their word for it.
“Hello, Alpha,” I say politely. “I just wanted to start by saying thank you for seeing us, even if you find you’re unable to help us.”
