Page 81 of Queen of Misfortune (Shadows of Redemption)
Elena’s cheeks flush. I can’t blame her. Does she really want to tell her new sister-in-law that she sold her virginity to Niko?
“Niko kidnapped her from her wedding,” I say.
Aria’s eyes widen. “No! Really?”
“I didn’t want to marry the man I was supposed to marry,” Elena quickly adds.
“And you? Did Donovan kidnap you too?” Her tone is teasing.
“As a matter of fact, he did,” I answer.
She laughs. “Oh, my God, this is even better than I thought.”
“What the fuck, Aria?”
We all turn to Niko bounding in the room with a scowl.
“Hello, Big Brother.” Aria cheerfully rises and gives him a hug. He’s irked, but I can see in his eyes that his concern for his sister is genuine.
“You’re supposed to be in Europe.”
“And you’re supposed to tell me important news like… hmm… let’s see… oh, I know. Like you’re married and having twins.” She pouts. “I didn’t even get invited to the wedding.”
He stares at her with pursed lips, clearly not caring that he upset her. “It’s not safe to be here now.”
“Fine. But if it’s not safe for me, then it’s not safe for them. They should come with me.” She turns toward us. “I have a beautiful flat in Paris. Or, we could go to Marbella. Have you been to Spain?”
“They’re not leaving,” Niko says through gritted teeth.
Aria turns back to him. “Then neither am I.” She smiles and pats his cheek. “Now, tell me why you kidnapped Elena from the altar?”
He grimaces.
I decide to give Elena and her new family some space. “I’ll go get some refreshments.”
“Oh, yes,” Aria says with enthusiasm. “We have a lot to cover.”
I leave the room and head down to the kitchen. I glance around looking for Donovan but don’t see him. When I step into the kitchen, I’m surprised to see Liam. He’s hunched over his phone looking bleak, although he always seems that way.
He lets out a low growl. “Fuck. Where is she?”
He’s in the FBI, so he could be talking about anyone. But I suspect he’s talking about Kate, especially since I know Niko asked if Kate could come out of Witness Protection for Elena.
“Is everything okay?” I ask. “Kate’s all right?”
Liam looks up at me, and his expression is… pained is the only word that comes to mind. Maybe tortured is better.
“I’ve got to go,” he says, leaving the kitchen.
I don’t know what to make of Liam’s behavior, but I shrug and set about getting drinks and snacks. Admittedly, I’m out of practice when it comes to girl talk. Elena and I used to stayup late and dream about a life away from our parents. But that ended when my father sent me to Giuseppe. I had a few female friends in Italy, but I was never close to them.
But I can see Aria and Elena are already fast friends, and I’m happy about that. My plan is to stay close to Elena from now on, but I also know that once my father is dead and Donovan annuls our marriage, there could be limits to when I can see her, so I’m glad that she’ll have a woman like Aria around to help her.
My heart pinches at the idea of Aria being the sister I want to be, but that’s life, right? I know firsthand that in the Mafia, personal hopes take a backseat to the orders of the Bosses.
As I approach Elena’s room, I muster a smile to hide the sadness of realizing I’ll be alone again.
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