Page 26 of Reign

My brother summoning me to his office before his wedding is ridiculous. So is the ceremony. He and Adriana have been married for months, but after nearly losing her, apparently Angelo needs red roses, a cathedral-length veil, and every other dramatic thing my family calls normal.

Maybe I’m glad she’s alive. Maybe we made up. Maybe I no longer want to throw champagne in her face.

I still resent being dragged in here when I should be getting ready.

I knock once.

“Come in.”

I push the door open and step inside. Angelo stands behind his desk in a black suit, cuff links already fastened, expression calm in the way that usually means someone is about to have a terrible day.

“Elena.”

I lift an eyebrow. “Brother.”

“You can lose the attitude.”

“I’ll lose the attitude when I figure out why the hell I’m here.”

His jaw ticks once. “I didn’t call you in here to fight.”

“Great. Then this should be quick. It’s your wedding day. We should both be getting ready.”

“I heard you and Adriana made up.”

I cross my arms. “We did.”

“Good.” He holds my stare for a moment. “I also wanted to apologize for pointing a gun at you.”

I laugh once, sharp and humorless. “Oh, well. That’s just a regular Tuesday in this family, isn’t it?”

“Elena. I’m serious.”

“So am I.”

His mouth tightens, but he lets it go. That’s my first warning. Angelo only lets things go when he’s saving his patience for something worse.

“I want to talk to you about your next steps.”

“My next steps?” I stare at him. “You mean finishing college? Getting an internship? Working in fashion? Because unless Cosa Nostra suddenly needs a new consigliere with excellent taste in shoes, I don’t know what the hell you mean.”

“Be serious, Elena.”

“Okay. What exactly am I supposed to do with Cosa Nostra?”

“You could be an asset.”

The word lands cold in my stomach.

An asset.

The word strips everything else away until only usefulness remains.

“I’ve been looking at a few men,” he says.

The room goes quiet.

“What?”