“That doesn’t count. Your sister’s not normal. She’d make the Pope step up his game.”
I giggled. “Yes she would, but it still counts.”
“Give me something else. Did you do something in particular that you feel guilty about?” Bones asked.
His question was a little too on point for my comfort. I raised my chin and looked him in the eye. “Your turn.”
He flashed me that heart-stealing crooked smile again. I sucked in another steadying breath as he returned to my ear.
“I’ve never taken a girl to meet my mom before.”
I burst out laughing.
“You can’t laugh at my confession!” he said, sounding scandalized.
“I’m not a priest. Not only can I laugh, but I can judge you, and you are so being judged right now. Why haven’t you ever brought a girl home, Bones?” My gaze drifted over his body before returning to his face. Lowering my voice, I said, “That body, that smile… I’m sure they were all over you.”
His eyebrows rose.
I raised mine in response, challenging.
His leg rubbed against mine, sending little sparks of electricity across my skin. I sucked in a breath and watched him, wondering if he had any idea what he was doing to me. Did he feel this too, or was he just screwing with me?
He grinned. “Your turn.”
He was definitely screwing with me. I turned on him, flustered and frustrated. “That so doesn’t count. Your mom already told me you never brought girls home.”
“Yeah. Dinner with her and her… whatever the hell he is, will be interesting for sure.”
I nodded, unsure of how I would react the next time I saw Marcella, now that I knew the truth about her. “Quit trying to change the subject. That still doesn’t count. Tell me another one.”
“It does count. The rules were something you’ve never told anyone, and that’s something I would never admit aloud.”
So he’d never taken a girl home to meet his mom. Did that mean he’d never dated? Slept with a girl? He was twenty-three with a smoking-hot body; no way was he a virgin, but there was something surprisingly innocent about him under his hard-ass exterior. Just thinking about it was setting my body on fire.
“Your face is turning red,” Bones observed.
I gave him my best innocent face. “It’s warm in here.”
He eyed me, no doubt seeing through the lie. “Your turn,” he repeated.
Because I needed to show him I could play his game, I dug down deep, searching for something obvious that I’d never say. “I’m afraid of being a big, fat failure.”
He eyed me skeptically. “Doesn’t count.”
“What?” I scoffed. “Why not?”
“Everyone’s afraid of failure.”
“I’ve never told anyone.” What I didn’t tell him was that I was also afraid of success. If I started pulling in decent paychecks, would I use again? Would I be able to get high enough to feel free? Or would the pressure to perform be too much for me to take? Could I handle the critics? I’d read bad reviews and tried to decide how they’d affect me. The outcome was never good. Would the secrets from my past—the reason my uncle hated me—come back to haunt me? Would Markie find out and turn her back on me too? I honestly didn’t know if I could deal with any of the possibilities, and my uncertainty scared the crap out of me. I didn’t want to become just another drug addicted cliché of an artist. “Your turn.”
His expression darkened. Then he leaned into my personal space—creating goosebumps on top of goosebumps—and whispered, “I don’t want to get stuck in this city.”
My brow furrowed. People didn’t get “stuck” in cities. They got stuck in podunk little towns like the one in Idaho I’d fled from. Vegas was full of life and opportunities. I was about to tell him as much when the door opened and a guy in his trunks entered the room. Bones was still pressed against me, his breath still warm on the side of my face. He shifted, and his lips brushed my neck before he stood. He’d kissed me! Kind of. The whole thing had happened so fast, I really wasn’t sure. Well, except for the tingling happening throughout my body.
“What about you, Ari?” he whispered, offering me his hand. “When we leave, will you come with us?”
Thinking about Vegas, about my failing dream, about my upcoming birthday, about the sweet, funny, hot-as-hell man asking me to follow him, I nodded. “Yeah. If you want me to come, I will.”
He pulled me to my feet and helped me out of the hot tub. Then he released me and headed toward the men’s locker room. Instantly missing the contact, I went to change, trying to figure out what had just happened between us.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
Bones
IT HAD BEEN two days since I lost my mind and kissed Ariana. It wasn’t even a kiss, really. I barely brushed my lips against her neck before my brain kicked into gear and asked what the hell I was doing. The only problem was that now I couldn’t stop fantasizing about doing it again. Her neck, her lips, her cheeks, her eyelids, her forehead, down her arms, her fingertips, I wanted to kiss every inch of her, and the desire was driving me crazy.
Ariana was a good friend and I wanted to keep it that way, which meant keeping my hands—and my lips—off her before things got awkward. Besides, Renzo was pissed at me, Carlo wasn’t exactly happy, and I refused to turn Ariana into a liability either of them could use against me. I was in the middle of trying to remind myself of all of these great points when she emerged from my bedroom looking like a magazine cover model. A long-sleeved fitted black suit jacket hinted at cleavage and hugged her torso before turning into a pleated skirt that came just above her knees. Red high heels did amazing things to her legs and ass while elevating her slightly above my six-foot height. Between the outfit and the soft curls she’d added to her chin-length hair, she looked classy as hell. Her neck was bare, calling for my lips once again. I’d never been a neck guy before, but something about Ariana turned me into a goddamn vampire.
“You look stunning!” Markie exclaimed.
“Yeah, you do.” When Angel looked at me, amusement flickered across his face. “I hope Bones is taking you somewhere nice.”
Ariana ducked her head, brushing off the compliments. “I don’t actually know where we’re going.” She cut her gaze to me. “But I knew Bones would be in a suit, so at least I won’t be the only one overdressed.”
Angel laughed.
Keeping my hands off her was going to be a bigger challenge than I’d thought. “Yeah, but nothing can compete with that outfit. You look beautiful, Ari. You ready to head out?”
She nodded and slipped her hand in mine. I set it in the crook of my elbow and headed for the door.
“You kids have fun,” Markie said.
“Have her home by midnight,” Angel added.
“Ha-ha,” Ariana replied, giving the two of them a finger wave as we left.
Mom texted me the address of the restaurant, but I wasn’t familiar with the area. I plugged it into my GPS and headed into the wrong part of town. My stomach sank as I parked and eyed our destination.
“So, yeah, we may have overdressed a little,” Ariana said, studying the diner.
I chuckled. “A little? It’s not too late, you know. We can always blow this off and go somewhere nice.”
She put a hand on my arm, forcing me to look at her. “Bones, I get that your mom wasn’t the greatest, but she’s reaching out to you. You’re gonna be getting out of this city soon, and who knows when you’ll see her next? Don’t you want to go in there and make sure the guy she’s with isn’t some psycho killer?”
Ariana was trying to play to both my sense of duty and my need to protect, but she didn’t understand how deep these characteristics were ingrained in me. If Carlo let me leave Vegas, I’d still find a way to look after Ma. Angel and I had run a full background check on Totino Raul Salone the night I found out Ma was dating him, and if he hadn’t checked out okay I would have already handled the problem. Still, the concern Ariana showed
made me want to wrap my arms around her and take her far away from the situation.
“You’re right,” I said. “But I’m still not eating here.”
She started to argue, but instead of listening to what she had to say I got out of the Hummer and went around to open her door.
“But… we’re staying?” she asked, unbuckling her seatbelt.
“Yep. We’ll go hang out with them for the meal, then I’ll take you somewhere good.”
A smile stretched across her face as she let me help her down. “Angel’s right, you are a foodie.”
I snorted. “Angel needs to shut his damn mouth.”
Ariana giggled and followed me into the restaurant where we were assaulted by the stench of cheap food, taking me back to a childhood of hunger, where boxed macaroni and cheese, Ramen, and frozen TV dinners were considered a feast. I’d done everything I could to lock those memories away, and I hated the way something as stupid as a smell could bring them back.
“You okay?” Ariana asked, taking my hand to lead me away from the doorway. Then she stopped me and adjusted my tie in a strangely intimate gesture. Something inside of me stirred at the contact. She released my tie and I grabbed her hands. Her gaze sought mine, questioning.
“Thank you for coming,” I said. “It means a lot to me that you’re here.”
Her eyes softened. “There’s no place I’d rather be, Bones.” She tugged me forward and her lips turned up in a mischievous grin. “Now come on, let’s do this. Then you owe me a really amazing dinner. With an expensive bottle of wine.”
I chuckled, following her. “You’re underage and I’m not buying you wine.”
We found Ma and Totino sitting in a window booth. Ma jumped up and kissed my cheeks, obviously surprised I’d actually came, which made me feel like an ass.
“Ari! You look absolutely beautiful, dear.” Ma kissed Ariana’s cheeks. “Thank you for coming.”
“Of course.” Ariana hugged her back. “Thanks for inviting me.”
Ma introduced us both to Totino. Because of the background check I knew he was divorced with no children, fifty-seven, drove forklift at a manufacturing plant, owned a paid-off five-year-old sedan, and had a mortgage on a modest two-bedroom home on Cline Street. Angel and I had been keeping an eye on him and searching for mob ties, but so far he seemed to be clean. Coming face-to-face with him, only served as confirmation. Totino had a softness about him that you’d never see in a wiseguy. His eyes were kind and his shoulders, relaxed. He had no problem sitting beside the window, and his attention was fixed on Ma, not scanning the room and watching the doors.
Totino and Ma talked and laughed, sharing the story of how they’d met at the grocery store. No matter how long Pops had been gone, it still made me uncomfortable to hear Ma gushing over the way Totino had helped her reach the soap on the top shelf and listening to how she felt the first time he called her. Still, it was nice to see Ma so happy, giggling like a school girl as she made eyes at him.
Totino was attentive and respectful, helping Ma up and getting her dessert for her. They seemed pretty serious, and although I didn’t know how long they’d been together, I was hoping he’d stick around. I’d feel a whole lot better about leaving her behind in Vegas if I knew she wouldn’t be alone after my little brother moved out.
Ariana held my hand under the table the entire time, reassuring me that I wasn’t alone in this either. It surprised me how much comfort I found in her presence, and as the minutes ticked by, they seemed to release the resentment I’d held toward Ma. By the time Ariana and I left, I felt lighter than I had in years.
CHAPTER TWELVE
Bones
I HELD ARIANA’S hand as we crossed the parking lot, heading for the Hummer. “Thanks again for coming.”
“Are you kidding me? That was so much fun. They’re adorable.” She squeezed my hand.
“Adorable. Sure.”
“No, I mean it. It’s like Angel and Markie but… different.”
“Yeah, because they’re older and so it’s even weirder.”
She shoved me. “No, that’s not it. It’s like… because I know your mom’s not perfect, it’s encouraging to see her get a second chance.”
I pulled out the scanner and checked for devices. “What do you mean?”
“People like Angel and Markie—who are so freaking perfect they border on nauseating—deserve to be happy. It’s nice to see someone who’s not perfect get a shot at happiness, too.”
I didn’t know what to say to that, and the Hummer was clear, so I opened the passenger door and helped her up.
By the time I got in, she had the lit visor mirror down and was applying shiny gel to her perfect lips, the sight of which was strangely erotic.
“Now.” She finished and flicked up the visor, shrouding us in darkness. “Let’s talk about food and wine.”
“Food, no wine. There’s a decent tapas bar off Paradise Road.” I thumbed on my phone, pulled up the website, and handed it to her. “Here’s the menu. We can eat there or get it to go and I can take you to my secret hiding place.”
“I recognize that you’re probably just using this secret hiding place to distract me from alcohol, but I’ll bite.” She accepted the phone and tapped a finger to her chin. “Tell me more about this place. Are we talking about an evil lair, or more like Bones’s Batcave?” Then she bounced in her seat and said, “Oh, are you storing one of those anatomically correct bat-suits there? Because if the answer is yes, I’m definitely in for checking that out.”
I shrugged, enjoying the easy banter. “You asking if I’m good or evil?”
“More specifically, I believe I was asking if you wear spandexy-Kevlar, or whatever that suit is made of, because I’ve seen your chest and you could definitely pull that look off.”
And what the hell was I supposed to say to that? In a matter of minutes, Ariana had managed to completely change my mood and I couldn’t help but appreciate that. If she wanted to flick me shit, I’d flick it right back. “Guess you’ll have to find out for yourself.”
She raised her gaze to the ceiling and leaned her head back as if struggling with the decision. “Oh, what the hell. Tonight, we live dangerously. Take me to your lair.”
Feeling a little lighter, I shifted the Hummer into gear. “Food first.”
“Right.” Ariana looked down at the phone. “Ohmigod this all looks delicious. Can’t we go somewhere where I don’t want to try everything on the menu?”
“Nope. That’s half the fun.”
We drove to the restaurant and ordered a little of almost everything they had to offer before jumping onto Highway 147 and heading east. Ariana turned on the radio and searched stations, settling on a Bruno Mars hit. She cranked up the volume and started singing along. Angel often did the same thing, but he didn’t sound anything like Ariana. She harmonized perfectly, each note clear and on key, while she tapped her foot to the beat. I watched her in my peripheral, amazed at her voice and pitch. If this was her goofing off, when she really sang, she’d knock the socks off my buddy Noah as well as anyone else who heard her.
When the song ended, I told her how amazing she sounded.
“Thanks. Are we almost there?”
I laughed. “You suck at taking compliments.”
“I know, right? I am the worst at it. So, how secret is this place?”
“It’s on the map, but I’ve never taken anyone here.”
“Really? Not even Angel?”
“Nope. Not even Angel.” Local teens sometimes used it as a make-out spot. Not exactly the type of place I’d take another dude—ever.
As we sped out of the city limits she asked, “You’re taking me into the dessert to kill me, aren’t you?”
“Not tonight. Didn’t bring a shovel.”
She looked over her shoulder into the back of the Hummer, seemingly unconvinced. “I bet there’s something back there you could work with. Oh, I know, you could use the plastic spoons we got from the restaurant.”<
br />
I laughed. “We need to talk about your lack of self-preservation.”
She shrugged. “What? I’m just trying to be helpful.”
I slowed and veered off the highway, down a side road.
She plastered her face against the window to read a sign. Then she craned her head around to check out the area. “Sunrise Mountain, huh?” she asked.
I nodded and kept driving.
After a few minutes, she asked, “Uh… where’s the mountain?”
The vehicle was inclining, heading toward the parking area at the top. “Here. We’re on it.”
“This isn’t a mountain. This is a slightly larger hill than all the surrounding hills.”
“But for Las Vegas natives, this is as big as it gets.”
She crossed her arms and sat back. “Disappointing.”
“Ouch,” I replied.
She giggled.
I parked the Hummer so we were facing the city.
Despite her previous skepticism, Ariana’s eyes widened. “Wow. This is beautiful,” she said, taking in the view. Lights stretched for as far as the eye could see. “So peaceful. The city seems so far away, but so close.” Her smile shifted into a frown. “Like all the opportunities it represents.”
My phone buzzed with an incoming message: a code and a name. Everything in the Mariani empire was coded. Drop off and pickup locations all had codes which changed frequently, and I was horrible at remembering them. The codes for orders, however, never changed. They were beaten into me during my training and I’d never forgotten a single one.
Memories of my training resurfaced. I was eleven years old and Carlo and I were in his Jaguar doing surveillance on a target. The code came across the cell phone the family had given me.
“What does this mean?” I asked Carlo.
“Memorize the code and the name, because the message is about to disappear.”
Okay. “But what does it mean?”
“Means Nick Jones is hiding from the family and you gotta bring him in.”
I’d met Nick Jones. He was pushing six feet tall and had to weigh over three hundred pounds. He was hiding? How would I find him? How would I take him? I couldn’t even drive. “Me?”
Breaking Bones (Mariani Crime Family #2) Page 8