“Oh, now I see why you’ve been so nice to me today.” Wiggling out of his arms, she wasn’t going to let him know it might be working.
Taking her hand, he pulled her close again. “Come on, sweetness; I’ll let you have a lot more than a kiss if you give it ba—”
“No, you won’t,” a low voice spoke from behind them.
Nothing in this world would have ever prepared her for what she saw when she turned around.
Adalyn opened her mouth to scream, but a tatted hand covered it before a sound could escape.
What the …? While she continued to scream into his hand, her eyes flew back and forth.
They landed on the one who she had just been skateboarding with. Angel?
Then she looked at the hooded one. And Angel?
“I take it you didn’t tell her you had a twin.” Angel number one or two, or whoever the fuck wasn’t holding her mouth, said.
She screamed even louder. A twin!
The hooded Angel held her mouth tighter, trying to dampen the sound. “Obviously not, fucker, or you wouldn’t have gotten this far with her.”
Non-hooded Angel’s smile quickly turned to concern. “She’s gonna pass out if you don’t get her to stop.”
“Adalyn, calm the hell down!” Angel with a hood whispered harshly.
Stopping suddenly, she came to the realization that the hooded one was the Angel she knew.
The second he pulled his hand from her mouth, she tried her best to keep her voice down as she asked, “Who the fuck is he? And why does he look like you?”
“Wow, that was fast.” Angel whoever-the-hell laughed from her instantly knowing which Angel was her Angel.
“This is Matthias, my twin brother,” Angel said as if it weren’t obvious enough.
Holy mother of God … I’ll be Goddamned.
Unable to stop looking between the two identical beings in front of her, she looked at their tattoos that were all matching but flipped, on opposite sides. She supposed she should have known that wasn’t Angel, but then again, what fucking twins get matching tattoos all over their body?
Speechless, nothing but stammering came out of her mouth.
“Maybe you should have continued to let her believe I was you.”
“I would have if you weren’t trying to fuck her,” Angel snapped.
Matthias rolled his eyes over her. “I think she liked me better. I might still have a sho—”
“Get the fuck out of here before someone else finding us both will be better than what I’ll do to you.” Threatening him, he shot him a final warning glance.
“Fine,” Matthias sighed before looking straight into Adalyn’s brown depths. “I thought we might be able to share her this time, but I can’t say I blame you.”
Share … me? Dear God …
She would be willing to die and go to heaven for a chanc—
Angel grabbed her chin, forcing her to look away from Matthias and up at him. “You ever kiss him again, I won’t believe you didn’t know it was me.”
Swallowing, she nodded in understanding.
“Did you like him better?” He continued to stare at her, ready to detect a lie.
She quickly shook her head.
“Good.” He flipped up the skateboard, catching it in his hand. “I didn’t wanna have to kill him.”
Twenty-Six
Pamela Anderson Circa Baywatch
“Um, why exactly was your brother pretending to be you yesterday?” Adalyn asked when they were almost to the school. She’d had the night to think about what had happened yesterday, and seeing him have a freaking twin distracted her from that.
Angel slightly paused in thought while driving, seeming to debate what to tell her before he spoke. “A Luciano died the night we got stuck in the elevator.”
Her skin went cold. “What?”
“One of the guys who came to see me at the movies was killed the same way Tom was.”
She bit her lip in nervousness. Something in her already knew who it was, but she had to ask.
“W-which one?”
“The one who stood in the middle. He had the grill.”
Holy shit. Whatever was happening between the families wasn’t good, and it definitely wasn’t good for whatever the hell was happening between her and Angel.
Swallowing hard, she tried not to think about it too much. “So, you two switched—”
“Because I needed to talk to the family,” he finished for her, putting the car in park.
Getting out of the car, the two joined the group, only to see Vincent standing beside Lake.
“Uh, why are you here?” Adalyn asked, confused.
Lake stared at her shoes, looking like a puppy that had just done something bad.
“Since Tom’s death, Lucca needed a replacement.” His baby blues looked straight at Angel. “I volunteered because, who best to watch my girl and my sister than me?”
Adalyn blinked repeatedly as Vincent put his arm around Lake and started walking her to class. Poor Lake.
Angel was completely unbothered and looked like he had just been swatted at by a kitten.
“He does realize that it’s very hard to find a guy as pretty as him threatening, right?”
She went to open her mouth, but then decided to close it to keep that information about her brother to herself. It’ll be a fun surprise.
They headed to the classroom; Lake and Vincent waited at the door for them, but when the girls walked in and Angel went to follow behind, her brother looked confused.
“What are you doing?”
“I watch them from inside the classroom,” Angel told him.
Putting his hand on his shoulder, Vincent stopped him. “We’re supposed to wait outside and watch the door.”
Angel stared down at his hand, looking like he was about to punch him. To Adalyn’s surprise, though, he seemed to change tactics.
“See this classroom?” He pointed to the full classroom of over a hundred students who were half asleep. “Any one of them could be a murderer, or worse, try to flirt with your girl. We have to assume everyone’s a threat, so I sit right behind them all the way in the back, where I can keep an eye on everyone.”
The pretty boy’s mind seemed to be blown. “Good call.”
Rolling his eyes when Vincent headed into the classroom with Lake, he mumbled under his breath, “He’s not very smart, is he?”
That, Adalyn agreed with. “Nope. He’s not.”
Taking her seat next to Lake, she was ready to whisper so the boys couldn’t hear, when her friend beat her to the punch.
“He’s mad at me,” Lake came out with it.
Adalyn started to laugh, knowing exactly where this was going.
“He said I was staring at him too much, and that it looked like I had the hots for Angel. I think even Elle got in trouble with Nero, because I heard Vincent on the phone with him, promising that he’d keep an eye on Elle around him, too.”
“Well, what did you say?” Trying to hold her laughter back was almost impossible.
“I asked him if he would have the hots for Pamela Anderson circa Baywatch if she was around him.”
If Adalyn had had water in her mouth, she would have choked.
Lake sank lower in her seat, realizing that maybe comparing Angel’s looks to quite possibly one of the biggest sex symbols ever hadn’t been the best idea. “And that’s why he’s here.”
“I’d say so.” Adalyn chuckled at her friend.
Thank God, I didn’t tell her he can ride a skateboard. There really wouldn’t have been a chance for her to be with Angel if she had.
This class and the next one were spent with Lake sure to divert her eyes from staring too deeply at Angel. By the time lunch came around, Adalyn was proud Lake had made it this far without even one forbidden glance while her boyfriend wasn’t looking. One thing was for sure, she deserved a medal because he had looked especially hot to her today, now that most of his bruising had lightened up.
All of the
m decided to eat in the cafeteria today since fries were on the menu. Even Angel, who didn’t usually eat on the job, got some.
Taking a seat beside Lake, their table had changed up a bit since Vincent now sat with them.
Maria’s eyes followed Angel, who started to head to his normal table a few feet away. “Angel? Sit with us.” She pointed with her fork to the empty chair beside Adalyn.
They all stopped at the fact that she wanted to include him. And this time, Adalyn literally did choke on her water.
Did Maria Caruso really just invite a Luciano to sit with her?
He seemed to be slightly stunned himself before setting his tray down on the table.
Holy shit, she did.
Looking over at Maria, then at Angel, who now sat beside her, she realized it was a monumental moment that brought inexplicable joy to her heart. To get the mafia princess, who was born without a heart, to like the son of Lucifer meant that, maybe someday, the two families could actually get along.
Even Lake and Elle were smiling at Maria’s generosity. Well, at least until a scary look appeared in Vincent’s eye. He was making it obvious that he wasn’t so thrilled about her invitation.
“Since when have you wanted to be within five feet of a Luciano?” Vincent decided to call her out.
Flipping her hair behind her shoulder, she gave the pretty boy a deadly smile. “Since you started feeling threatened by one.”
Oh.
My.
God.
Shocked faces around the table waited to see what Vincent would do.
He just picked up his food and started eating. There was nothing he could say. It was almost like watching a lion bow to a lioness.
Leave it to Maria to put any man in his place. She was a true inspiration.
The awkwardness at the table slowly faded the longer they sat there, with the girls doing most of the talking. Angel didn’t speak while he lazily sat there, eating beside her, which was fine by her as she reached over and stole a couple of his fries. By about the fifth one, however, he finally did.
Speaking in a low tone, he said, “Steal another fry, sweetness, and you’ll regret it.”
Adalyn smiled sweetly at him while she reached over, stealing one last fry. “You can’t do anything with my brother here.” Popping it into her mouth when he didn’t stop her, she felt her smile get bigger. She stole a couple of extra fries before they started to leave just for good measure.
Ha. That’s right.
With lunch over, they all got up to deposit their trays, but Vincent had taken Lake’s from her, getting rid of it himself.
Angel grabbed Adalyn’s from her, too, making her blush slightly, but when he leaned down to whisper to Lake, her face went red for a different reason.
“Adalyn lied. I do know how to skateboard.”
Twenty-Seven
I Want Your Brother’s Number
Watching Lake walk up ahead beside Vincent, Adalyn snapped her eyes to Angel. “If you tell her you know how to ride a motorcycle … I want your brother’s number.”
She had watched Lake officially give up on not looking at him after he had told her he could skate. Even Vincent, who was practically running her away from Angel to the safety of the Escalade, had given up hope that she would keep her eyes to herself. It was hard for Adalyn to blame her, but she could blame Angel for telling her the truth, which she clearly couldn’t handle.
He put his arm around her, not caring if Vincent decided to look back. “Not a chance in hell, sweetness.”
Adalyn couldn’t help laughing. It was good to know she could always threaten him with Matthias if she needed.
Continuing to walk to the car, they tried their best to keep up with the couple in front of them until they saw the asshole skater with his friends coming right at them. Then they picked up their speed, trying to catch up to Lake and Vincent before they got to them.
“Today’s the day, bitch.” The skater’s voice was loud and angry, getting louder and louder the closer he got. “I want my board back, and I’m going to steal your bitch, too, when we’re through with you.”
“Vincent!” Lake yelled when he let go of her hand and started raising his fist. “You promised you would stop getting into figh—”
Vincent sent the prick flying to the concrete, knocking him out cold in one precise punch to the face. The sound of the skater hitting the ground had his friends freezing in place before they all slowly backed away, seeing the crazed look in Vincent’s baby blue eyes.
“Goddammit.” Lake just shook her head as Vincent took her hand again and they stepped over the lifeless body.
Adalyn and Angel stared down at the skater for several moments in silence. When she finally looked at Angel, she could see it written on the bad boy’s face—he had severely misjudged Vincent, not seeing the split personality and certifiable craziness.
Nodding, he wrapped an arm around Adalyn again, seeming to approve Vincent’s not-so-pretty-boy side. “That works for me.”
I knew it’d be more fun to let him find out on his own.
“Hey, lovebirds.” Maria’s voice sounded from behind them as she also headed toward the car with her bodyguards.
Her comment didn’t stop Angel from keeping his arm around Adalyn.
“There’s a surprise party tonight for Vincent’s dad’s birthday. We’re having it at my house. Everyone’s invited.” Maria started to pass them. Even in her stilettos, her long legs took her places. She looked back and raised a manicured brow. “That includes you, Luciano.”
Adalyn narrowed her eyes at Maria as the blonde walked away. She knew she had seen something behind Maria’s eyes that told Adalyn the mafia princess was up to something. She didn’t know what it was yet, but she did know Angel going to the consigliere’s birthday would get the blonde what she wanted.
Not knowing how she felt about him going into a lion’s den full of Carusos alone, she prayed his answer would be no when she asked, “You’re not going, are you?”
His gray depths told her there was something in it for him as well. “You never turn down a good party, sweetness.”
“What are you doing here?” Lucca came over to Vincent and Nero. “I told you that you’re banned from my home.”
“It’s my fucking dad’s birthday; you expected me not to come?” Vincent looked at him like he was crazy.
“Yes,” Lucca said coldly.
“Come on, Lucca; I’ve told you my face just looks like thi—”
“Then keep that fuckin’ face away from Chloe.” The underboss didn’t let him finish.
Nero shook his head at his friend when he looked to him for help. “Dumbass, I’ve told you a thousand times that’s not an excuse.”
He rolled his eyes, then they landed on a tatted body. “What the fuck is he doing here?”
“Unlike you, he was invited,” Lucca spat.
Vincent couldn’t believe it. “You mean, you invited him over me?”
“Yes.” Lucca’s response was harsh as he looked for Chloe, seeing her talking to Maria and Leo in the corner of the room.
Both boys knew why he had done it—to see if Angel distressed her. However, she hadn’t seemed to notice him walk in.
Throwing back the water in his cup, Vincent wished it was hard liquor as he watched Angel walk up to a welcoming Adalyn, Lake, and Elle. “I hate him.”
Turning back to the pretty boy, the underboss was interested in what he had to say. “Why?”
He almost couldn’t get the heinous words out. “Because I think he might be better-looking than me.”
Lucca looked at Nero before leaving to go to Chloe’s side. “Keep him the fuck away from me.”
Twenty-Eight
Dead and Gone
The party had been going just fine. Maybe she had been worried for no reason?
I’m sure Lucca put the fear of God into every Caruso here not to touch Angel in any way.
It was reaching the end of the party when the front door was op
ened and Amo walked into the room.
It had been a while since Adalyn had seen him last. Every time she had asked about him, everyone seemed to change the subject. It was very strange considering Nero, Vincent, and Amo had been inseparable their entire lives, yet now she never saw him around.
Getting up from the huge couch, not about to let anyone change her mind, she walked right up to the huge giant. “Hey, Amo.”
“Hey.” He didn’t even bother to look up from pouring himself a drink.
A coldness came over her, just from looking at him. She hadn’t seen it until she had gotten up close. He wasn’t the Amo she remembered. There were dark circles under his eyes, and a certain presence around him that hadn’t been there before. A presence that was very dark and even more haunting.
She started to regret coming over to see him, now understanding why everyone had changed the subject when she had brought him up.
“I-I haven’t seen you in a while.”
“I’ve been busy.”
When he finally looked at her, she wished he hadn’t. It took only one look to know that the Amo she had once known … was dead and gone.
What happened to him?
“Hello.” Angel came over to stand beside her.
Thanking God, he had come over to save her. She started to introduce him, “Amo, this is Ange—”
“I know who he is.” Amo’s dead voice matched the deadly stare he gave the Luciano.
Angel didn’t take his eyes off him, returning the deadly stare.
“Adalyn, I think Lake needs you. She was asking for you.”
Swallowing hard, she nodded, knowing Lake hadn’t really asked for her
It felt wrong when she left Angel with Amo. There was clearly history between the two. What that was … she was too scared to ask.
Angel had come to this party for one reason and one reason only. All night, he had searched the eyes of every Caruso to find the man he was looking for, and now he was standing right in front of him.
The two stared each other down in silence, waiting for the other to speak while their eyes communicated their visible hatred.
Angel (Made Men Book 5) Page 12
