Chapter 2

This dress had been chosen so I could sit across a table from a sworn ally at a moment's notice. It was nothing like the cheap thing she made it sound.

Besides, what kind of "arm-candy" burned through the night drafting arrangements until the shadows under her eyes wouldn't hide anymore?

Seeing that Gianna wouldn't let it drop, Marco gave a resigned sigh.

"Adriana, from tomorrow on, you'll wear slacks and a blazer when you handle Family business."

I glanced past the shuttered window at the ninety-degree sun beating down on the street, and gave a flat nod.

It would be a lie to say it didn't leave a bitter taste.

When I was young, dazed with grief after my mother was buried, I had nearly gone into the water, and he was the one who pulled me out.

So when it came time to learn the ropes before I took my place in the bloodline, I chose to come to his crew.

Even though the Delgado name had already fallen on hard times back then, I still stood by Marco through it all and helped bring the operation back from the dead.

We were boss and right hand, closest friends, kindred spirits.

He'd even joked once that if neither of us was married by thirty, he'd throw me a grand wedding.

I never took it seriously.

But now, all at once, he didn't seem as remarkable as I remembered.

Marco had invited a ranking Capo of the Valente Family to a gathering at an exclusive private social club.

As the one who had pushed the arrangement forward, I was invited too.

What I didn't expect was that Gianna would be there.

She was dressed in a wildly out-of-place sailor outfit, pressed coyly against Marco's side.

I was in the middle of laying out the terms of the arrangement, Marco nodding along in agreement.

Gianna must have felt left out, because she let out a sugary little sigh.

"Adriana, you're just so impressive, bringing my dear Marco such a rich arrangement."

"You didn't happen to drink it into the bag one glass at a time with all the bosses, did you? Thank you for giving our crew so much."

The moment the words left her mouth, the private room went dead silent. A soldier by the door shifted his weight and looked at nothing at all.

I spoke evenly. "You're joking, Miss Russo. This arrangement moved forward because of Mr. Delgado's decisiveness, the resolve of the men at this table, and the plan my people put together."

Gianna's smile turned suggestive. "Not that I'd know, but someone as capable as you, Adriana, must have gotten plenty in return."

"You must hold your liquor well. Don't play coy. Go on, keep the bosses company for a few rounds."

The filth came out of her without a shred of hesitation. This was no longer just childish. It was stupid.

Marco's brow furrowed. "Gianna, stop making a scene."

She stamped her foot playfully, picked up a glass of red, and held it out in front of me.

"Marco, have you fallen for this little seductress? You defend her just so she doesn't have to have a few drinks!"

And with that, she gave a deliberate flick of her wrist, and the wine in the glass spilled across my chest.

The icy liquid soaked through the fabric in an instant, leaving the outline of my curves faintly visible.

She let out a little gasp, the malice at the corners of her mouth barely contained.

"Adriana, my hand slipped, I'm so sorry."

"You're going to be pouring drinks in a bit anyway. Wet or not, it hardly matters. It'll just liven things up."

Every word dripped with mockery and slander, cutting sharp, as if I were some fallen hostess who poured drinks at the club for a living.

Everyone assumed Marco and I were something more than friends, something not quite lovers.

But only I knew the truth. I truly regarded him as the one man I could trust with my back turned.

When the crew's cash flow snapped, I'd stayed up night after night for months, drinking until my stomach bled to bring the tribute back in.

And once, when the ground itself shook while I was away handling business in another territory, he'd fought against the fleeing crowd, ignoring his own safety, to find me in the ruins.

Even my father, the old Don, was startled that someone as suspicious by nature as me could trust another person that completely.

And now, from start to finish, he hadn't once stopped Gianna's cheap, tasteless behavior.

I looked down at the mess spreading across my chest. I smoothed the wet fabric over my wrist once, slow and deliberate, and my eyes went cold.

A few of the sworn allies at the table spoke up, trying to smooth things over.