ATONEMENT | MAFIA ROMANCE | SMUT

CHAPTER SIX

Was Vincent flirting with me?

No, don't be so ridiculous, Alexa.

"Pondering what to eat," I lied, pinching a strawberry from the service station. "Have you seen the others?" It's busy here, but I couldn't see my friends anywhere. "Tony?"

"Do I look like his personal bodyguard?" His eyebrow curved. "How should I know the whereabouts of your father?"

"Well, aren't you just a ray of sunshine this morning."

"I try," he said lightly, rubbing a green apple on the lapel of his grey suit. "Where's my brother?"

"Do I look like Liam's personal assistant?" I retorted mockingly. "How should I know?"

His teeth sank into the apple, and juice trickled down his chin. "Did you not warm his bed last night?"

I popped another strawberry in my mouth. "Liam's asleep."

Lost in momentary reverie, Vincent hummed. "Will he join us for breakfast?"

"I imagine so," I answered warily. "Is something wrong?"

"No." He sucked apple juice from his thumb. "Brad."

I glanced over my shoulder to find the man standing ramrod behind me. "Hey, Brad."

Brad ignored me. "Fraternising with the boss' wife, Vinny Boy." An element of suspiciousness glossed his throaty voice. "I'll give you some loving guidance because I'm nice like that." Rudely pushing in front of me, he snagged a china plate. "Irritate your brother? He'll likely slap you on the wrist. Fuck with Alexa?" He piled seeded toast on his plate. "It'll result with you in an unmarked grave for homeless chums to piss all over, which, to all intents and purposes, is well underway and what I happen to wish for daily."

"Brad," I berated, and the man, unfazed by reprimand, jerked an insouciant shoulder. "Be pleasant."

Three heaps of sliced avocado abutted Brad's plated toast. "How's the hangover?" His question was for the bedraggled Josh whose shaded cheeks and sunken eyes exemplified a fun yet late night. "I heard everything," Brad punctuated theatrically, forking a cherry tomato in his mouth. "Just putting that out there."

Josh raked a hand through his unruly brown hair. "I need something to kill this headache."

Blond Suit snorted. "The consequences of a greedy fanny magnet."

"For fuck's sake." Josh rubbed his temples, irked by Brad's jovial mood. "Someone put a gag in his mouth."

"He refused to share," Brad tells me, licking melted butter from off his fingers. "Such a child."

"Don't be jealous." Josh poured himself an orange juice. "It's embarrassing."

"This isn't homage. You settled for two..." Brad side-eyed me. "Well, they weren't very wholesome looking."

"Are you mental?" Josh shook his head in disbelief. "Not every male species has misogynistic tendencies. I can condone unbecoming appearances in exchange for vivaciousness unlike he-who-shall-not-be-named."

Chowing down strawberries with moreish delight, I eyed Vincent, who paid no heed to their lovers' spats. With chosen emotionlessness, he watched Alberto Moretti from across the room. Alberto models a fashion line of Italian's finest as he ushered his small family to a round table whilst relaying breakfast orders to the waiter. I had no idea why Alberto attended the wedding, but I can only assume, based on the strained, heated confrontation between him and Liam and the enigmatically indirect discussion of perfect paragons, his attendance is a prerequisite for something greater than alliance.