“Too late.” Saks closed his eyes a moment. “Fuck,” he muttered.
The three men spotted Chrissy and Saks and walked toward them. She swallowed hard. Her brain raced to figure out a way out of this, but when she couldn’t she did her best to plaster a smile on her face. The best she could do was make light of this breakfast, maybe pretend it was some sort of business meeting.
“Anthony,” the portly man said. “I didn’t expect to see you here, and with such a lovely young lady.”
Confusion spread over Saks’ face. He clearly didn’t know what was going on any more than Chrissy did. Her heart broke for him. Poor Saks had no idea what was about to hit the fan.
“Chrissy,” her grandfather said in his gravelly voice. “Your father told me you would take care of last night’s unfortunate situation.” He elbowed the stranger beside him. “See, Vito. We can have a nice breakfast now and not worry about business. The young people have worked this out themselves.”
“I see that, Dolfo,” the other man rumbled, and clapped Saks on the shoulder.
“Uncle Vits?” Saks asked.
Chrissy’s eyes practically bugged out of her eyes. Vits? As in Vittorio Rocco, the head of the Rocco family. He was Saks’ uncle? What the hell?
“And what are your plans for today, eh?” Vits queried.
“We just came from church,” Saks said. His voice was frosty now, as if he was burying something deep within him.
“Church?” her grandfather said. “An unusual first date. But what’s not to like about that? Who thought of that? Not my granddaughter here.”
Now it was Saks’ turn for his eyes to widen. “Granddaughter,” he said slowly, turning his gaze to her. “You’re Pandolfo Serafina’s granddaughter?” There was cold fury behind his words, but she barely noticed it. She was sinking in a maelstrom of conflicting thoughts and confusing emotions.
Saks, AKA Anthony Parks, was the nephew of the Serafinas’ most hated enemy.
He’s not part of the business. He works for a living. You’ll like that.
Her grandfather’s words floated to the surface of her thoughts. But she was in shock, barely able to process that the man she took to bed in defiance of her family’s wishes was the very man they wanted her to marry.
“Of course she is,” Vittoria Rocco said. “I told you this.”
“We should leave the young people to their breakfast,” her grandfather said. He reached out and patted her cheek. “You’re a good girl, Chrissy,” he said with approval in his voice. “You’ve made an old man very happy.”
Chrissy sat like a deer in the headlights as the heads of the two biggest crime families in the state walked to a table like they were old friends. This had been planned all along. Saks knew about it, too. She was going to kill him. Kill all of them! Stupid grown-ass men.
“You knew about this?” Saks spat with restrained fury when though older men were seated. “You were in on this? What was your plan? Get me in bed to soften me up?”
“Me?” Chrissy said indignantly. “You were the one who made a move on me. Came onto me hot and heavy, as I remember.”
“Sure, that’s why you showed up at the Red Bull before we were supposed to meet.”
“You think I liked this cock and bull scheme of my grandfather’s?”
“Why else would you be in on it?”
“I’m not in on it!” she said loudly.
The waitress brought their plates, took one look at their faces, and set the plates down and beat a hasty retreat.
“Don’t deny it, Chrissy,” Saks said. “You damned Serafinas will do anything to get what you want.”
Chrissy rose, shaking with righteous anger. “Damned Serafinas?” she growled. “Let me tell you something, Mr. Anthony Parks, or whatever the fuck your name is. I’d go to hell before I’d marry a Rocco man.”
“You could only be so lucky,” Saks snapped.
Chrissy was shaking so hard with anger she couldn’t contain herself. “You, you,” she said. But she was so angry that she couldn’t get any more words out. Instead, she picked up her plate of Eggs Benedict and hash browns and dumped it on Saks’ head.
“Hey!” he yelled as the yellow sauce and broken over-easy eggs slid down his face. And then, as if the entire restaurant wasn’t listening to their argument, all conversation stopped. She became extremely aware of every eye on her, including her grandfather’s, whose face turned a startling shade of red. He rose from his table and Chrissy did the only thing she could think of.