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Before I can answer, she’s already pulling out her phone, fingers flying over the screen. “What’s his last name?”
“Pirelli,” I reply, watching as she types it in.
Suddenly, Shawn gasps, her eyes widening as she stares at her phone screen. She looks up at me, then back at her phone, then back at me again.
“Fee,” she says, fanning herself dramatically, “when you said hot, you weren’t kidding. This man is a tall drink of water!”
I can’t help but laugh at her reaction. “I told you!”
Shawn shakes her head in disbelief. “Girl, how are you even functioning? If I had a man like that helping me out, I’d be a puddle on the floor.”
Her enthusiasm is infectious, and for a moment, I forget about all the stress and worry. Instead, I find myself grinning like a schoolgirl as Shawn and I discuss Angelo’s finer points.
It feels good to laugh, to act like a normal woman discussing a crush with her best friend.
“Have you slept with him yet?” Shawn asks teasingly. “I would have been jumping on him the second he looked in my direction.”
I feel my face heat up at Shawn’s question, and her gasp of delight only makes me blush harder.
“Why, Sofia Saldano, you sly dog!” Shawn exclaims, her voice carrying through the restaurant.
“Shh!” I hush her, laughing despite my embarrassment. “It was just a one-night stand, okay? Nothing more.”
Shawn's eyes sparkle with mischief. “How good was it?”
My face must be as red as a tomato. “So good, Shawn. I’ve never come as hard as that before.”
Speaking of that, I need to make an appointment with my gynecologist to get on some new birth control. I can’t be stupid and accidentally get pregnant.
Shawn laughs and claps her hands in delight. “Oh come on, Fee. This could be the start of something great! You desperately need a relationship in your life.”
I shake my head firmly. “Love and relationships aren’t for me, Shawn. You know that. They’re too unpredictable, too chaotic. I need stability, consistency, a schedule Lou and I can rely on.”
“But Fee—” Shawn starts, but she’s cut off by the shrill ring of my phone.
I fish it out of my purse, frowning at Lou’s school number flashing on my screen. “Hello?”
As I listen to the voice on the other end, I feel the color drain from my face. My hand starts to shake.
“Fee? What is it?” Shawn asks, her voice laced with concern.
I look up at her, my heart pounding. “It’s Lou. There was a fire drill at school, and now… now she’s missing.”
The world seems to tilt around me as the implications sink in. Lou, my baby, is gone.
And I have no idea where she is or who she’s with.
6
ANGELO
Smoke billows into the morning sky as I stand, fists clenched, outside Kings. The acrid scents of burning rubber and gasoline assault my senses, mixing with the cold air. My car, or what’s left of it, is a charred ruin. The once sleek, black vehicle is now reduced to a twisted, smoking heap of metal.
Marco stands beside me, his jaw set in a hard line. The other Dons of La Familia are here too, murmuring among themselves, their expressions a mix of concern and curiosity. They’re waiting for me to make a move, to show them how a Pirelli handles such blatant disrespect.
“Gino,” I call out, my voice like ice.
Gino steps forward, a sly grin playing on his lips. “Looks like someone wanted to send you a message, Angelo,” he says, his tone almost mocking. “It’s clear you’ve pissedsomeoneoff.”
