Dealer and his Bestowed Bride (The Rossi Family Mafia Book 2) by Avery Hawkes Page B

 
    “Where is the place we’re going to?” Piper asked after we made it to the lobby of our hotel. Outside, it was night.  
    “Second star to the right and straight on till morning,” I replied as we stepped outside.  
    “God, I wish I was single so much right now,” she said, shivering in the cold outside.  
    “Our marriage is in a rough spot, I know, but I have faith we’ll make it through this.” My biting sarcasm wasn’t lost on her and she couldn’t help but smile. Whenever she would grin, or bits of happiness would show through her usually stony facade, it was like rays of sun poking out of storm clouds. I waited for those moments and my feelings for her took flight whenever they came. But her smiles were fleeting and the one she had was quickly replaced by the wall she put up.  
    “No really,” she said, “Where the hell are we going?”
    I pointed to a car down the road. There was a chauffeur standing, holding the door open to the dark vehicle. We were riding in style. If I was going to be the CEO of the most up-and-coming clubs, I would have to look like I was a high roller.
    “Ah,” she said, giving a nod. As we got into the car, the doors closed behind us. We sat in silence for a while, until the car started to move.
    “We need to talk about our plan,” I told her. “How we’re going to get rid of Robert without causing a gang war.”
    “Not now,” she replied.
    “Now,” I said forcefully. She turned her head and glared at me with her beautiful face.  
    “I have an idea, kill him, grind him up into sausage and feed him to Mr. Armento.”
    “We’ll add that to the list, but maybe we should come up with solutions that are less … I don’t know … bloody?”
    She crossed her arms across her chest and shook her head, her short hair waving in front of her face.  
    “Hey” I told her, leaning in to softly touch her forearm. She didn’t stop me, which was surprising. “This is the job we came here for. I don’t know what’s going on, but you need to get over it fast.”
    Despair flashed over her face and for a second I thought she was going to burst into tears. Instead, she turned her body away from me and watched the buildings pass from the passenger side window.  
    I guess I was going to have to figure it out myself.  
    The car rolled up to the event and I realized there was a red carpet. There was a small amount of glamour in the life of a club owner, but not this much. When the door opened, the lights started to flash, taking of pictures of us even though we were nobodies. I got out first, then helped Piper from the car with a hand.
    She took it with a gleaming smile. It was plastered on her face, looking as out of place as a bad wig. Her eyes told me something else, get me out of here. I leaned in to her ear.
    “It’ll be fine,” I whispered.  
    She didn’t respond, but instead focused on the photographers. Once they realized we weren’t celebrities or anyone important, they moved on to focusing on the next car.  
    I placed my hand on the small of her back, feeling the curve of her waist to her hips under the fabric of her dress.  
    Keep it together, I told myself. There was no time for me to become distracted over how sexy Piper looked next to me. The task at hand was much more important.  
    The building that the event was being held at was old and finely constructed. There were large, white pillars that framed a fine wooden door. Guards stood at the front as women in tight dresses checked guests off the list. We started walking toward the entrance. In my heart of hearts, I hoped that we didn’t both look like fish out of water. I knew I felt like one.  
    When we got to the entrance I introduced myself to the woman at the door and she waved us on into the party.  
    It was lovely. People from all over the world had flown here just for this event. Models moved from person to person, offering food and drinks from Michelin star chefs.
    People were covered in