Chapter 144

Three hours after that, I pull one of Christian’s fancy cars up in the parking lot of Lupa and let out an anxious breath, my hands tight on the wheel.

“You’re fine, Bambs,” Frankie murmurs, and I glance briefly down to where he’s tucked himself next to and under the dashboard of the passenger seat, where he can’t be seen through the window.

I laugh again, as I’ve been doing for hours now, to see my big tough mafia friend curled up down there with a gun held casually in his hand – a much larger gun than the one he gave me earlier today, which is stowed neatly in my bag.

Frankie scowls at me even as he laughs too. “Stop laughing at me,” he murmurs, waving his gun towards my door. “Get a move on so I can stretch my damn legs – honestly, my left foot is numb. We might have to amputate.”

“Okay,” I say, honestly feeling lighter than I was a few minutes ago.

“You’re going to be fine,” he repeats, and I nod to him subtly before grabbing my purse and stepping out of the car. I loose another breath as I shut the door and head into the bar, adrenaline pulsing through me because for the next two minutes I’m going to be completely unguarded.

But, that’s also the whole point of this – I’m supposed to be seen here unguarded, supposed to get on people’s radar. And then, after that, I’ll have all of the boys guarding my back.

Bolstered by this assurance, I push open the door to Lupa and head inside, blinking in the sudden dark of Don Romano’s moody bar.

“Hi, welcome to Lupa!” a happy voice calls to me from the reception as I walk in. “Do you have a…” but the woman’s voice fades as I walk in and she sees who it is.

“Hey, Kelsey,” I say, giving her a little smile and lifting my purse higher on my shoulder. Kelsey is the girl we hired to be Lucy’s replacement, and honestly I’m a little surprised to see that she’s still here. She must be doing well.

“Bambi!” she gasps, reaching for me and then stumbling around the reception, wrapping me in a big hug. “Where have you been!? We were so worried about you that day you disappeared! But then Andre said –“

“I’m okay!” I say, laughing a little, hugging her back and then smiling as I press her back from me and glance into the bar. “Seriously, don’t worry, I’m fine.”

“Yeah, Bambs, but where have you –“

“Nope,” Andre says, and both of our heads spin to see him standing there next to us, appearing almost as if by magic. I can’t help the smile that breaks on my face as I see my old boss, frowning at me as usual. “Not Bambi anymore, Kelsey. She’s Mrs. Romano now.”

“What!?” Kelsey gasps, staring at me.

But I keep my eyes on Andre, blushing a little. I wasn’t aware that he knew.

“Can we get you a table, Mrs. Romano?” he asks, crossing his arms, unable to keep his voice from being a little pissed.

“Oh, come on, Andre,” I say, putting a hand out towards him. “It’s not like that –“

“Oh, it’s like that,” he says, raising an eyebrow at me. “You’re my boss’s daughter-in-law now, ma’am. There’s no flexibility there. A table? Or are you here for something else?”

“Daughter-in-law!?” Kelsey gasps. “Which one did you –“

But she’s silenced when Andre gives her a hard look. I sigh and shake my head at Kelsey, letting her know it’s not worth Andre’s rage, and then turn my attention back to him.

“I’ll just take a seat at the bar, Andre,” I say casually. He gives me a long look and then nods, gesturing towards the several empty stools before heading back behind the bar itself.

I fight my smile as I lift myself up onto a stool and lean forward on the bar, kind of enjoying parts of this. I mean, I’m still incredibly anxious, obviously, but it’s so, so good to see Andre again. And kind of fun to be on this side of the bar.

Another bartender starts to walk towards me – a beautiful girl who I haven’t met before – but Andre just holds up a hand towards her and shakes his head. She hesitates for a second and then goes back to her work chopping limes. My old job, I realize.

“So,” I say, raising my eyebrows at Andre. “Found a replacement for me already?”

“She’s no replacement,” he says, narrowing his eyes at the girl’s turned back before looking down at the bar in front of him. “Can’t cut fruit for shit. Every piece a different size.”

I laugh, folding my hands together in front of me. He lifts his eyes to mine and shakes his head. “What are you doing here, Iris?”

I blink, my eyes going wide. “You know my real name?”

“Of course I know your real name,” he says, his voice dry. “You think I let people work here without knowing who they are?”

I burst into a grin, loving him a great deal. “I think I liked being Bambi here.”

“Well, you’re Mrs. Romano now,” he says quietly. “What can I get you?”

“Um,” I say, glancing around at the other patrons, though honestly I don’t know who I’m looking for. But it’s busy today, which I think is a good sign. “I’m not staying long. Can you just give me a coke?”

He stares at me for a second before heaving a long sigh, I think putting it together that I’m not here casually, even if I’m just staying for one soft drink. But as usual, Andre doesn’t pry. Instead, he just grabs the soda gun and fills a glass with ice and coke, popping a cherry on top before sliding it across the bar to me with a straw.

I grin, taking the cold drink into both of my hands. “How did you know I’d want a cherry?” I ask quietly.

“Because I know you, Mrs. Romano,” Andre says, giving me the start of a soft smile – perhaps the fondest expression he gives anyone. “You’ve got a sweet tooth, like that jackass brother of mine. You’ll take a cherry over a lemon or a lime any day.”

I grin, nodding, pleased.

We’re quiet for a long moment, just standing together as Andre looks around the bar – I think checking to ensure that we’re alone. Then he grabs a bar rag and begins to wipe the bar in front of me – an area which honestly doesn’t need to be cleaned.

“You’re all right?” he asks, so low I can barely hear it.

“Yes,” I say, and when he looks up I nod once to let him know that it’s true.

“I’m not going to ask any questions, and I don’t want you to confirm or deny anything,” Andre murmurs, still looking down. “But…I know big things are coming. You keep yourself safe, okay? And if you need to run…you run. Okay?”

My stomach drops as Andre raises his eyes again to mine because…well, if Andre is saying it, it probably needs to be said. He’s not one for unessential words.

“Okay,” I say quietly, taking another sip of my drink and putting it back on the bar. Because…well, because the time is up, I think. And I can go back to the car now.

“Here,” Andre says, taking an envelope from beneath the bar and handing it to me. “Your final paycheck.”

“I get a paycheck?” I ask, taking it, kind of pleased. But then I laugh a little, wondering what bank account I’m supposed to deposit this into.

“Sure,” Andre says, smirking at me a little as I slip off my stool and tuck the envelope into the side of my purse and start to glance towards the door. “And Bambi?”

I turn back to him.

“Tell…tell my jackass brother to take care of himself too,” Andre says, his eyes narrowing as he thinks of Frankie.

I burst into a smile. “I will.”

“Good,” he says, lifting his chin towards the door. “Now get out of here.”

I look anxiously down at my drink and then at my purse, realizing suddenly that I don’t have any cash –

But Andre interrupts me with a laugh, reaching for my half-drunk glass of coke. “Go, Bambi. Romanos don’t pay here, you know that.”

And then I laugh, realizing that he’s right. And I give my friend a grateful smile before heading for the door and outside to where the rest of the mission waits.