Page 125 of Diary of a Mafia Princess

Dax looked green.

I shook my head at him. “Not your fault. All I wanted you to do was go to Nyah and make sure she was protected until she was conscious. I’m guessing you did that.”

“I did,” he said quietly. “Didn’t leave her side ’til Lynx got there.”

Lynx nodded, confirming it. But his eyes were tortured. “I should have gone down there…”

“Why?” I asked him. “So you could end up in the cell next to me, getting yourself an identical set of bruises? Then who would be here to get me off this fucking floor? Which, by the way, can we do that now, because even with the fluffy bathmat, it’s about as comfortable as stone.”

“Shit, yeah, sorry.” Lynx got beneath one arm.

Dax joined him and the two of them helped me up and over to my bed. I perched on the side of it and motioned for Lynx to pass me the bowl of soup Virginia had left for me earlier.

He stuck his finger in it. “It’s freezing.”

“And now has your germs in it. I really hope you don’t pick your nose. Pass it to me anyway. I don’t care if it’s cold. I’ll pretend it’s gazpacho.”

Lynx passed it over then sat back and watched me try to get it into my mouth with a wobbling spoon, spilling it everywhere.

He frowned at me. “You want some help there? Or perhaps a bib? Christ, get some in your mouth, would you?”

“You want to feed me instead?”

“Not even a little bit.”

“Shut up then.”

Dax sniggered at our bickering. “Okay, well, since no one is dead, I’m going to get out of here. I need to train.”

I watched him walk to the door. “Dax, do you know what you’re getting yourself into?”

For just a second, his gaze strayed toward Nyah’s bedroom, confirming what I already knew deep down in my gut, since she’d mumbled his name as she’d fallen asleep.

He nodded. “Yeah. I do. I have to be here. If the only way I can do that is to fight for your father, then that’s what I’m going to do.”

“You know he won’t give a flying fuck if he gets you killed, right?” I pointed down at myself. “I’m proof of that. The man has no loyalty to anyone, so don’t think you’re special because he plucked you from the obscurity of the Saint View streets and is now promising you a glittering fighting career, complete with private jets and fancy hotels.” I took a breath. “They aren’t worth getting into bed with him.”

He gazed over at Nyah’s room, again, and clearly decided I knew enough for him to speak truthfully. “He’s not. But she…” He sighed. “She always is.”

40

LYNX

Dear Diary,

I’ve become the emotional support animal in this house. But there’s no petting.

Istood at the edge of Nyah’s bedroom and watched her throw clothes into a suitcase, every movement accompanied by a grudging sigh. She’d started wearing strapless tops without anything underneath, so the straps didn’t aggravate her burn, but it was pretty much healed now, the angry red scar all that was left of the ordeal.

I wasn’t mad that she hadn’t gone back to wearing bras. Not fucking mad at all. Though I did feel a bit guilty, standing here watching her tits bounce as she moved around, her nipples poking against the fabric that just begged for me to rip it off her.

At least it would, if she saw me as anything other than a friend.

I didn’t exactly know how we’d gotten here. But somehow, we had. And now she was so comfortable with me she didn’t even seem to mind the fact that her tiny top showed off her entire belly.

“That baby bump is starting to take shape,” I said idly.

She paused and looked down, then back up at me, her eyes full of worry. “Is it? Shit. I was hoping nobody would notice yet.”