“I said if it seemed like he might kill me,” I specify.
Laurel nods confidently. “And I picked up distinctly murderous vibes when he was over here.” Laurel presses a hand dramatically to her heart, her face solemn. “It’s a sacrifice that someone had to make for your physical well-being, and I am graciously submitting myself as the sacrificial lamb. You’re welcome.”
I shake my head at her, but Carly’s disapproving sigh carries more weight than anything I could say.
“He calls you kitten?” Carly mutters.
“It’s sexier when we aren’t wearing clothes and his voice is all gravelly, but to be honest, I like it regardless.” Then she adds brightly, “Besides, I’ve never been to Vegas.”
—
More forced socialization follows the funeral itself. Mateo holds the wake at his house. If any of the Vegas Morellis or the men associated suspect Mateo of killing my dad in retaliation, they all know better than to say a word. Rafe and Mateo remain chummy, but it starts to make a little more sense to me now. After my father helped me kidnap and hide Mia, I should have known he would top Mateo’s hit list. Mateo didn’t have a foot to stand on in Vegas, but he has a lot of man power—and a lot of power, in general. Rafe has all the Vegas in influence that Mateo didn’t have, but he couldn’t kill or displace my father and keep the allegiance of all his men.
I provided them a bridge. Mia brought them back into the same orbit. Now that they’re not as young and ornery, they don’t hate one another over some girl neither of them ever really cared about. Now they can put that aside, apparently, and work together to help each other out.
Mateo called Mia his best diplomat. Now as she holds onto Mateo’s arm and smiles pleasantly at whatever Rafe is saying, I see it. Mateo wages war, Mia tries to keep the peace, and when it benefits him to do so, he can unleash her on his opponent and lets her wreak her special brand of havoc.
I guess men like Mateo know how to contain her in a way I never did.
She only wreaks havoc on me.
He told me once I couldn’t handle Mia and that seemed absurd. Mia doesn’t strike you as the kind of woman who’s hard to handle. She’s not demanding or aggressive; she won’t hand your ass to you if you fuck with her. She’s loving and kind, soft and forgiving. You show her your ugliness; she accepts it and loves you anyway, all while managing to stay true to herself. The hardest thing about Mia is accepting that she’s not some sacrificial lamb. She’s somehow happy living in the dark with the monsters, even though she’s all light.
Love as pure as Mia’s is a rarity in the world of power and corruption I was born into. As with most rare things, powerful men will shed blood and wage wars to possess it. To possess her.
As if to reinforce my thought, Mateo’s former powerful enemy Rafe grabs Mia’s shoulder and pulls her in so he can place another affectionate kiss on top of her head. She wraps her arms around his torso and gives him a warm hug. Next, Mateo nods at him and they shake hands.
He must be leaving.
“You’re staring, babe.”
I turn my head to look at Carly. She’s smiling pleasantly, unbothered by the tie I can’t seem to cut to my old life. To the woman who will raise my son without me.
I know it’s shitty, I just can’t help it.
I take Carly’s hand and twine our fingers together. “I’m sorry.”
“No biggie,” she tells me, leaning her head against my arm. “We’re almost out. Everything will go back to normal once we leave the bubble of toxicity.”
I smile faintly, pulling her in front of me so I can tug her hips against mine. “You’re wonderful.”
She nods like she agrees. “You owe me so many milkshakes, it’s not even funny.”
“How about a house?” I counter.
Her eyes light up. “Really?”
I nod my head, reaching a hand up and tucking a chunk of blonde hair behind her ears. “Why not? Better than an apartment. I can even set up some security on the place to make myself feel better.”
Carly grins at me. “Are you jealous of your cousin’s creeper cave? You just have to have one of your own?”
“I don’t want a creeper cave,” I assure her. “I can make sure you have your craft room, though.”
“I can make so many holiday wreaths.”
I nod my head. “And a room for Laurel, when she wants to visit. A guest room for Cherie.”
“For next Easter. Maybe even this Christmas. Oh! What kind of mug should we get Cherie?”
I smirk. “I’ll let you and Laurel figure it out.”
“I’m gonna get Laurel a mug that says, ‘I kissed a Morelli and I liked it.’”