Chapter 64

“But tonight,” Kent says, not noticing the face I’m making, “he wants all of his people, and all of my people, in a room together. And not on either of our turf – in an outside location.”

I glance at the invitation again and see, indeed, that he’s invited us all to meet at a local country club.

Kent continues to shake his head and Daniel joins him. “I just don’t like it,” Kent says pensively.

Daniel nods but I look between them again. “Wait,” I say, “catch .me up. What’s so bad about that?”

Kent says nothing, staring at me–challenging me, I think, to figure it out myself. But Daniel shakes his head and explains. “Fay,” he says, “when big families get together like this, sometimes other gangs see it as an…opportunity. Two birds with one stone, as it

were.”

“Or,” Kent says, picking up the thread. “Because Alden has greater numbers than us, he could see it as an…opportunity. To pressure us into deals we’re not happy making. It’s….

non–preferred.”

“Oh,” I say, raising my eyebrows. “Maybe we should…not go.”

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Kent shakes his head again. “No, he’s got us cornered there. He’s

already sent out the invitations to all of his people, all of mine. It’s

short notice, but…if I keep you from it, it will look like I’m keeping

you from your family.”

and I

hesitating, “I could just

at me with humor and disbelief

Then, he bursts out laughing.

hell, Fay,” he says, walking by me and

swat on my jodhpur–clad butt. “Go get ready!” he calls. “We’re

stare at him as he

he…” I

voice low and unbelieving.

him, my eyes as wide as saucers. “Did your dad

smack my ass?”

putting the finishing touches on my

pins the

scalp hurts, each strand of hair having been combed and tugged and

sprayed.

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is a triumph, of course. It’s so elaborately curled and swept up delicately off my shoulders that I look like I could

mirror. She laughs, then, giving me a kiss on the cheek and then whipping her lipstick off

Fiona help me into the little black cocktail dress she’s chosen for the occasion, the fabric shimmering subtly in the low light of my room. It skims off my shoulders and cuts

isn’t a little…risqué?” I ask, considering myself in the mirror. “For like, a meeting the family sort of thing?”

thing to look like a pretty pretty princess,” Fiona says confidently, zipping me up. “But

you’re meeting tonight. If you come in

a little girl, they’ll eat

mirror and I’m surprised by

last time I was the Mafia princess, tonight I am dressed as the

The woman who can wreck it all if

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