Page 136 of Unlock My Heart

Using the glass to hide behind, I move to an empty corner of the party. Fabien’s across the way, talking to his capos. They all laugh at something the boss says, and I get a very deja vu feeling.

Except he’s not Michele, and you know it.

“Shut up, already,” I grumble.

“I’m sorry?” Alessandra appears beside me.

“Oh, hey Alessandra. Having fun?”

She frowns. “No. You?”

“No.” I match her brutal honesty.

“You don’t look like a bride.” She eyes my black ensemble.

“Thanks.” I’ll choose to take that as a compliment.

“So I was eavesdropping on the conversation between you and Remi…”

I shake my head with a wry smile. “Of course you were.”

She smiles sheepishly. “Remi is new to our family. She doesn’t understand…” Alessandra trails off, searching for the right words.

The gritty side of the mafia? The underbelly of the beast? The cold, hard truth of this reality?

“Our world?”

Alessandra nods at that explanation.

“Lucky her,” I drawl.

“You two could be friends,” she encourages.

“Been there, done that, got the T-shirt.” And the body bag.

“Wow, you’re jaded.” Alessandra eyes me with curiosity as I swirl the amber booze in my glass.

“Girlie pop, you don’t know the half of it.” With a little cheers, I break my one-drink-at-family-events rule and kick back the booze.

My body tingles, flushed with the warmth of the alcohol and the feel of Fabien’s gaze on me.

While I refuse to acknowledge him, Alessandra catches her brother staring. “Fabien’s always loved you, and please don’t say it’s complicated.”

Resentment grips my throat, making it hard to speak. “It’s not complicated. Fabien loves the family above all else.” His pretty declaration to place me above everything was just that: a pretty declaration.

“But you’re a part of the family now,” Alessandra points out.

“Angelo threatened my life at Michele’s funeral; wasn’t I part of the family then?” I challenge.

“Yes, but sometimes family members threaten each other,” she argues.

“Then that’s a messed up family dynamic,” I inform her.

Her forehead bunches. “Is it?”

Despite my dysfunctional upbringing, I’m positive it is, but I just shrug.

“Well, I’m glad you’re here, and I’m excited for you to open my gift,” Alessandra says cheerily.