Sinning in Vegas

by Sam Mariano

  Sin shakes his head. “Long story. No, Gio isn’t here. Skylar…we’re gonna have to keep her tonight while we figure some stuff out.”

  “Keep her? Why? Where’s Lydia?”

  Rafe answers that one, striding across the room to hand Sin some gauze and tape. “Dead.”

  Gauze and tape?

  It’s then that I notice the dark stain covering Sin’s left arm. “Oh, my God, you’re bleeding,” I say, leaping up off the couch. I’m not sure what to do, exactly, but apparently the whole damn world changed while I took a nap.

  Sin peels his jacket off. “I’m fine. Flesh wound, it’s nothing.”

  “Flesh wound?” I ask, bug-eyed. “Like, you got shot?”

  “Fucking Lydia,” he mutters. “I’m gonna go clean this. You can help me tape it if you want to.”

  “We need to get you to a hospital,” I state, floored by how calm he is being about this.

  His eyebrows shoot up like I just suggested we go for a promenade through the park in our Sunday finest. “A hospital? For this? No.”

  Then he’s gone, heading into the kitchen and leaving me to gape at his back. Since Rafe is still here and he didn’t sleep through everything, I turn to him for an explanation. “What the hell is going on?”

  Rafe puts a reassuring hand on my back and gives it a little rub. “He’ll be fine. I’ll make our doctor check it out tomorrow, but it’s a clean wound, superficial. He got lucky. Well, and Lydia’s a terrible shot.”

  My eyes bug out again. “Lydia shot him?”

  “It’s over now. Don’t bug him about it tonight, all right? Today was a slaughter. He’ll be fine, he knows how to take care of himself, but let him have the rest of the night off.” Gesturing to Rex and Skylar he says, “I can’t take care of a baby though, so you’re going to have to handle that. Tomorrow I’ll talk to my cousins and see who wants to take her.”

  “Take her?”

  Sighing, Rafe rakes a hand through his golden hair. “Her parents are both dead. Sin brought her here because he couldn’t just leave her in the house alone. Technically, I’m her godfather, but I think we both know I did not anticipate ever having to carry out that responsibility.”

  “Oh, my God.” I walk over to check on Skylar. Of course she’s just a little baby, so she has no idea what’s going on. She looks over at me and smiles when I rub her cheek. “Hey, little girl.”

  Rex is still holding her awkwardly, so he asks hopefully, “You wanna take her?”

  “In a minute. I have to go take care of Sin first. Between the way you hold a baby and calling pregnant women emotionally unstable, you better not knock anyone up anytime soon. Free life advice.”

  “I always take life advice from someone who’s clearly killing it in the good decision department, so thanks,” he offers back.

  I shoot him a humorless look and rub Skylar’s tiny hand one more time, then I go to the kitchen to help Sin with his wound.

  I still want to demand he go to a hospital and make sure he’s okay, but since Rafe is fairly calm too, I guess he probably has it under control. I’m still nervous about it, so I Google it on my phone as I walk into the kitchen. Sin is standing shirtless at the sink, washing up. He turns his head to look at me when I walk in.

  Armed with my 40 seconds of medical training, I glance at the wound. “It’s not swollen, is it?”

  “Get off WebMD,” he tells me.

  I smile faintly. “I’m not on WebMD, so ha.”

  “I’m fine. I’ve handled far worse wounds than this one without medical assistance.” Nodding at the sink as he takes a step back, he tells me, “Wash your hands and you can play nurse.”

  “Sounds much sexier than it is,” I inform him, tucking my phone in my back pocket.

  He smirks. “I knew you were into roleplay.”

  “I mean, I would rather be medically assisting you with a raging hard-on than a gunshot wound, but I work with what I’m given,” I tell him, turning on the faucet and scrubbing my hands clean.

  Once we’re both clean and germ-free, I help him clean up the wound a little better and layer a bunch of gauze over it before taping it down. His shirt is ruined, so he bundles it up and tosses it in Rafe’s trash can. I try hard not to ogle him, but that danger is leaking out of him again, tonight with a battle-hardened edge. He’s clearly worn out from today, but he carries on, like he always does. Rafe was sitting here eating seasoned fish with vegetables and playing cards while Sin was out getting shit done, and now apparently we have to take a baby home because Rafe doesn’t feel like doing that, either.

  “Gio and Lydia both, huh?” I ask.

  “It wasn’t the plan, but yeah. She fucking shot at me. I didn’t even have time to think, I just…”

  “Of course. You had to defend yourself.”

  “I made that poor kid parentless.”

  I sigh, wrapping my arm around his unwounded side and hugging him. “You had no choice. Gio and Lydia were terrible anyway.”

  “You’re always defending me,” he says, lightly tugging my hair back to tip my head up so he can kiss me.

  “I always will,” I assure him. “You can do pretty much no wrong in my eyes.”

  “Got yourself a pair of rose-colored glasses, huh?”

  “Hey, I knew which side you were on going into this. I’m not some fragile flower who can’t hang. I’m taking mob wife lessons. It’s gonna be fine. I’ve got this.”

  “You’re a natural,” he assures me.

  “I beat Rafe and Rex at poker tonight,” I tell him, as we head back toward the living room.

  “Bullshit,” he answers. “I can’t speak to Rex’s skill, but there’s no way you beat Rafe. He let you win.”

  “Well, yeah,” I allow. “They wiped the floor with me a bunch of times first, but then they let me win so I didn’t start crying.”

  Sin cocks an eyebrow. “Because you’re four?”

  “Because I’m pregnant,” I correct. “Rex says it makes women emotionally unstable.”

  “Rex better learn to be more tactful before he gets married,” Sin advises.

  I grin up at him. “I gave him some variation of the same advice.”

  When we get back to the living room, Sin relieves Rex of his baby burden. Skylar seems to recognize him, and she promptly pats his face with her tiny hand.

  I sigh shamelessly, watching him stand there shirtless with a baby on his chest, tattooed and bandaged like a hardass, but pressing his lips to Skylar’s forehead and giving her a kiss, murmuring an apology to her and calling her shortcake. My heart is so full, it aches.

  “I should get him a shirt,” Rafe volunteers.

  Rex smirks and glances over at me. “You okay over there? You look a little flushed.”

  “I’m allowed to stare,” I inform them both. “I’m marrying him, so all that belongs to me.”

  Rafe’s eyes widen. “Back up. What was that?”

  Sin walks over and bends down to grab his jacket. “That reminds me, I made a stop this morning before today went to hell.”

  My heart leaps as he opens his hand and there’s a little square jewelry box in his palm. Bringing my wide eyes to his face, I say, “You didn’t.”

  He hands me the box and nods. “Open it.”

  “You aren’t seriously doing this in front of me,” Rafe says. “You are an asshole. You’re not even doing it right; you’re supposed to get down on one knee.”

  “Yeah, but he’s standing here like a badass at the end of an action flick with a baby on his chest,” Rex reasons. “I don’t think he has to. Pretty sure that starry-eyed look on her face pretty much answers his question.”

  “Thanks,” Rafe says dryly.

  Rex shrugs. “Just saying.”

  “I’m not proposing,” Sin says.

  “Thank God,” Rafe replies.

  “Already did,” Sin adds. “Just didn’t have the ring yet.”

  “Jesus Christ,” Rafe mutters. “Where’s the fucking fire? You’ve been toget
her for three and a half minutes.”

  “Shh,” I tell Rafe, my fingers a little unsteady as I pop open the lid. The breath quite literally leaves my lungs at the sight of the loveliest ring I’ve ever seen. It’s a rose gold band with diamond accents on each side of a big oval stone that glitters in the light. It’s absolutely stunning. I would have been happy with anything as long as it symbolized that I belong to Sin, but this is truly beautiful. I would have picked it out myself if I saw it.

  “Like it?” Sin asks.

  I’m tearing up again. Before anyone can make fun of me, I rush forward and hug him, carefully accommodating his arm and Skylar. “I love it so much. It’s perfect. Thank you.” I kiss him, then lean my head on the shoulder Skylar isn’t currently occupying. “You’re the best.”

  “Put it on, I wanna see.”

  I grin, drawing the ring out of its velvet bed. “I can’t believe how perfect it is.”

  “I have good taste,” he tells me, with exaggerated cockiness.

  “Hell yeah, you do,” I agree. Looking up at Skylar, I say, “Whoops, sorry, baby. Heck yeah, you do.” I slide the ring past my knuckle and it settles perfectly on my finger. I flex it a few times, tilting my hand so it catches the light. I lean my head on his shoulder again and sigh. “It’s so perfect. I love it so much.”

  He presses a kiss to my forehead. “Good.”

  “All right, you guys need to slow the fuck down,” Rafe informs us. “What the hell is the rush? You can’t get engaged this quickly.”

  “We can do whatever we want,” I inform him. “We’re going to get married soon, too, like this weekend. If you don’t like it, don’t come.”

  “For the love of God. What is with you Prices and your impulsive lifelong commitments? Date first, for Christ’s sake. There’s no need to rush into anything.”

  “The decision has been made,” I inform him, immovably. “Nothing you say will sway me.”

  “Yeah?” Cocking a golden grow, he asks, “Have you told Carly?”

  Damn, okay, that one gives me pause. I know Carly is not going to be happy about this.

  Rafe nods his head, pulling his phone out of his pocket. “All right, let’s call her.”

  “Don’t you dare,” I tell him.

  “I’m gonna video call her,” he states, swiping his finger across the screen.

  “Rafe, no,” I whine, moving away from Sin and going over to try to steal his phone. “Come on, let me be excited for a night first. I’ll tell her tomorrow.”

  “Too late,” he informs me.

  I groan, covering my face with my hands. This is going to be so bad. Sin shouldn’t be here for this.

  My sister’s voice rings out. “What do you want now, Satan?”

  “I have great news,” Rafe tells her. “Or, Laurel does. Here, I’ll give her the phone.”

  “News?” Carly asks, already cautious.

  I glare at Rafe, then smile as the phone turns to me and Carly can see me. “Hi!”

  She is already prepared for some fuckery, I see it on her face. “What’s going on, Laurel?”

  “Good things,” I assure her. “Great things. Lots of things that make me happy, so… great things.”

  She says nothing.

  Swallowing, I smile with even more enthusiasm and hold up my left hand to show her my new ring.

  “What the hell is that?” she asks.

  “That is an engagement ring. Isn’t it gorgeous? Can you tell through the phone? It’s really beautiful in person.”

  Her blue eyes widen in horror. “Laurel, no. Oh my God, do not marry him. Don’t do this. This is—I can’t keep my mouth shut. It’s bad enough he knocked you up—”

  I interrupt her. “Um, actually… Plot twist. Not Rafe.”

  “What?” she asks sharply.

  “Not marrying Rafe. I’m marrying Sin.”

  “Who the fuck is Sin? That’s not even a name, it’s a biblical bad idea. What the hell is going on out there, Laurel?”

  “It’s a nickname. Short for Sinclair. That’s not the point,” I say, reminding myself, trying to focus because I’m starting to get the urge to chatter nervously. “I didn’t tell you everything and I’m not going to right now because I have an audience, and Rafe is a dick, but just trust me, okay? We’re in love and we’re happy. He’s great, you’ll love him. He’s good to me—amazing.”

  “Honey, great. Wonderful. I love all of that. So, date him, don’t marry him.”

  Since I want to melt her a little and make her nicer about all this, I turn the phone so she can see Sin.

  “Aw, jeeze,” he mutters, sighing. “Well, this isn’t how I thought I’d meet you.”

  “Okay,” Carly says, her tone knowing. “Turn me back around.”

  I do, and then I start talking before she can. “I think we’re just going to do a quickie Vegas wedding, but of course—”

  “Laurel, honey, I don’t want to rain on your parade here, and I’m not even going to ask why he has a baby on his chest, but you’re in lust, not love.”

  My shoulders sag. She was supposed to melt, not undermine my feelings. “Don’t be like that.”

  “I’m trying to keep my shit together, but this isn’t you, Laurel. You don’t do things like this. Think about it. And I bet he works for Rafe, doesn’t he?”

  “Well, yes.”

  She nods. “Rafe foisted you. You’ve been foisted. This is all a sham. That guy doesn’t want to marry you, Rafe just doesn’t want to play daddy anymore so he called in an alternate to handle it for him. Rafe is Lexing you, Laurel. This is all an exercise in manipulation. We need to get you the fuck out of there. I’m done with this. Rafe, go ahead and tell Vince all you want to tell him, I don’t give a damn. The only reason I got involved with this fucking family in the first place was to protect my sister, and now you’re systematically dismantling her life. Nope. Over the line. We’re done. Rip my life apart, I don’t care. I’m getting my sister out of this bullshit right now.”

  “This is not Rafe’s doing, and you’re not being fair,” I tell her. “I was happy for you when you and Vince decided to get married on a whim.”

  “We had already been dating for over six months! You’ve only known this guy for six days.”

  “It’s been longer than that.” Shaking my head, I tell her, “Look, I understand where you’re coming from; I know they’re tricky bastards, but I haven’t been foisted. This is not what you think it is. Sin and I really are in love.”

  “Do you remember the scene where Anna lost her shit for a minute and decided it would be a good idea to marry Hans even though she didn’t know him at all, and Elsa had to be a queen bitch and tell her misguided little sister, um, no, that’s not going to happen? That’s where we are right now. You’ve been hypnotized by killer abs and an undoubtedly convincing performance, and you’re in full-on brain-dead Anna mode. I get it, I do, I know hot guys are your kryptonite, but honey, he’s Hans.”

  I sigh, rolling my eyes. “He is not Hans. Rafe is Hans.”

  “I don’t understand anything either one of you are saying right now,” Rafe volunteers.

  Massaging the bridge of his nose, Sin approaches. “I actually do.”

  I can’t help lifting my eyebrows at that. “You’ve seen Frozen?”

  “It was Ellie’s first movie.” Grabbing the phone out of my hand, he tells Carly, “Look, if we absolutely must compare this situation to a kid’s movie, I’m not the calculating dickhead she fucked up with, I’m the one with the reindeer who talked some sense into her. This is not a sham. I am in love with your sister. And Laurel is an adult, so she doesn’t need your permission; she can make her own decisions. Now, I’ve had a long day and I don’t have the patience for this tonight. Goodbye, Carly.”

  Then he ends the call.

  I gape at the phone in horror. “What have you done?”

  “I fixed it,” he tells me, handing Rafe back his phone.

  “You just hung up on my sister,” I say, still staring
at the phone, expecting her to burst through it and punch Sin in the face.

  “She was being a pain in the ass,” he reasons.

  “Oh, my God,” I mutter, drawing my own phone out of my back pocket so I can text her with further explanations. “Do you think I can convince her the call dropped?”

  “Definitely not,” Rafe says, barely holding back laughter. “I’m gonna go grab this asshole a shirt.”

  50

  Sin

  By the time we get home, I’m beat. Then we walk up to my front door and all my worst fears attack at the sight of my door. The wood is busted open. Looks like someone took an axe to it, trying to get inside. I have bulletproof windows and metal bars on some of them, too, in the rooms I wanted to work as panic rooms. Upon realizing that, someone must have figured the door would be easier to get through.

  Would be, except I already accounted for that and I ordered a steel reinforced front door. So while the wood is split open and the steel exposed, the door is still standing and my house is still secure.

  That’s good to know. Never tested it out before. It was too little too late anyway. After Paula and Ellie were killed, I didn’t have anything worth protecting, but it became an obsession. I needed to make sure it couldn’t happen again, even though making the house safe a few months too late did nothing to save them. It was better than drinking myself stupid every night and praying to a God I don’t believe in not to make me wake up the next day.

  I drop the folded up bassinet and diaper bag I carried to the front door, take the car seat out of Laurel’s hand, and just grab her, pulling her close. She wraps her arms around me, hugging me back as tightly as I’m hugging her.

  “Someone tried to break into the house,” she says, sounding a little stunned.

  I can’t fucking believe Gio actually stooped that low. I wish I could kill the bastard all over again—I’d do it slower this time.

  “Yeah, but they couldn’t get in,” I point out. “I’m still glad you left. That would have been terrifying.”

  “Holy shit,” she mutters, still looking at the door, even as she hugs me. “They came to kill me?”

  “I would never let that happen,” I assure her.