Don't Touch

-25-

She stopped the tears before they could reach her eyes and took her hand back. She chuckled while shaking her head, trying to play off her flustered state. "Wow, Em! I didn't realize you were this good with words."

"What can I say? My mouth has many talents," he said suggestively.

"Em..." Syd warned him softly. His words and his gesture warmed her heart, but she could tell they were toeing dangerous territory.

"Sorry boss," he put the car in gear and pulled away from the gym. "Slip of the tongue... No pun intended."

"Whatever..." Syd giggled and turned to look out the window. "But you're staying in the car when I go inside to shower."

"That's fair."

***

"Everyone seems so well-behaved. I don't get why Dmitry had to go and fuck things up. None of the other families start shit," Syd said, plopping down on the sofa.

After a full day of meetings, Sean, Syd, and Emiliano sat in Sean's apartment to talk about the day.

"Yeah," Sean nodded. "But when you're approached by someone on the Council who makes big promises, I can see how it ends up happening. Santi was smart in targeting Dmitry."

"Mhmm," Emiliano hummed in agreement. "His over ambitious ass was perfect for manipulating."

"Oh, that reminds me..." Syd looked between the two of them. "Do you think he might try to pull something at my birthday party tomorrow, especially since it'll be the grand opening for Ace?"

"Nah..." Sean answered. "We've been keeping an eye on him and we'll have extra, extra security. He might be getting support from Santi, but we still have way more resources. Plus, Dmitry's hits have focused on easy targets." He cut his eyes at Syd.

"Okay, nigga... Are you not gonna let it go or nah? I'm not an easy target anymore..." Syd crossed her arms.

"I'm never letting that shit go."

"Punk ass Dmitry... He's lucky we can't find his ass and Viktor went missing too." Emiliano griped. "The Council can't help you find him?"

"Hell no, we can't go to them about this." Sean shook his head. "Asking the Council for help is the quickest way for them to decide you're too weak to be there, and it'd be playing right into Santiago's hands. They'd have to choose to get involved and they wouldn't do that unless one of us was actually killed... which would still make us look weak."

"Anyway..." Syd hoped to change the subject away from the almost-kidnapping. "I'm actually free next week, right? All those meetings today were so that you wouldn't hit me with some bullshit while Hector and I are on vacation, right?"

Emiliano tensed up as he rolled his eyes and whispered a few expletives under his breath. Hector's gift to Syd was a week-long vacation at an all-inclusive resort in the Bahamas. Sean had already organized for some of their allies there to watch out for Syd, but Emiliano still didn't like the idea of her being so far away, especially after the kidnapping attempt.

"Yes, you'll be able to have an uninterrupted vacation with Hector's trash ass," Sean grumbled.

"He's not trash! He made a mistake, but he's a good guy. You haven't even given him the time of day. And every time you do see him, you disrespect him."

"Sounds like it's what he deserves," Emiliano dapped up Sean.

"Exactly. And I'm glad you were smart enough not to bring him to your birthday dinner with the family this week. Ma definitely would've cussed his ass out."

"It wasn't a choice," Syd groaned. "She specifically told me not to bring him."

"Ah, so she did show him mercy!" Sean laughed.

"C'mon. You need to give him a chance. When we get back from vacation, take him out for lunch or drinks. I'm sure he'll grow on you."

Emiliano scoffed and got up from his seat. "Well, I gotta head out." He started walking toward the penthouse elevator.

"You'll be there tomorrow, right?" Syd called over.

"Hell yeah, me, Luca, and Caleb will be there." He turned to give Syd a big smile before he stepped into the elevator.

Syd smiled back before her face fell and she looked down at her hands. Her brows tensed with concern. She hadn't seen Luca since that moment they had in Sean's apartment after he'd saved her. It reminded her of that night in Vegas. He pulled something out of her - something she'd been curious about for years, but never had the opportunity to explore.

"You good, sis?" Sean asked, noticing the way Syd's face fell.

"Yeah, I'm excited! Just tired. Can you drive me home? I don't wanna bother Frank."

"Why didn't you just ask Emiliano to take you home?"

Because I've been having a hard time all day not sucking his soul from his body after he called me perfect this morning, Syd said internally. "Why would I do that when I have an awesome big brother?!"

"We need to get you a car... Or you could stay here since you have your own room."

"Oh, um... Hector is spending the night," Syd responded awkwardly.

Sean rolled his eyes. "Of course he is... ack." He pretended to puke. "Fine, I'll drive you."

"You're my favorite brother! You know that, right?"

"I'm your only brother," he groaned, grabbing his keys.