Page 262 of Anti-Heroes in Love Duet

He stilled for a moment before curling me tighter into his body. “Che coraggio.”

What courage.

Frankie’s phone ringing cut through the music and laughter of the kitchen, but I ignored it to roll to my toes to kiss the hinge of Dante’s jaw.

“Boss.”

The atmosphere in the kitchen fell flat like old pop.

Dante’s head snapped up, eyes alert and predatory on his right-hand man.

“The di Carlos are at the house in Queens,” Frankie relayed. “Bruno is on the phone, hiding in the crawl space. They’re taking the entire load.”

“Cazzo di Merda,” Dante cursed savagely, putting his champagne flute down so hard on the counter that the stem broke, and Prosecco went everywhere. He ignored it, looking down at me with eyes like chips of black ice. “We have to go,lottatrice.”

“Go,” I agreed, kissing him quickly before moving away to collect the glasses from the rest of the men who were already starting to move out. “Just keep me posted.”

A hand snapped in my shirt and pulled me back. Dante spun me to face him and kissed me one more time, hard enough to bruise.

“I’ll be back soon,” he promised.

I smiled softly at him because his own anxiety about being away prompted him to say that. I’d already known he would come back to me.

“In bocca al lupo.”

Good luck.

The party was in full swing, the apartment stuffed with friends, family, and mafia associates who greeted me like their queen when they arrived. Even Giselle and Daniel had shown up, though I hadn’t done more than say hello and kiss them both on each cheek. That seemed to surprise them, startling a pure smile out of the usually reserved Daniel and a surprising hug from my sister that I weathered with a mixture of pain and pleasure.

Dante had texted to say not to cancel the party, but they wouldn’t be back for a while. The lawyer in me wondered if he was using the party as an alibi, but I tried not to worry.

“They’ll be fine,” Yara promised when I looked at the clock for the four hundredth time. “They’re big boys.”

“I know, but that doesn’t mean I won’t worry about them.”

Her hard face softened slightly. “You know, I wasn’t sure about you at first, Elena, but I’m happy to say I’ve grown to care for you very much.”

I blinked at the woman I’d admired for years, completely caught off guard by her compliment. “Well, thank you, Yara. Coming from you, that means everything.”

“Have you considered what you are going to do about your career now that you’re married to one of the most infamous mafiosos of our time? It might hinder your job prospects at Fields, Haring & Griffith slightly.”

I winced because I’d thought about that. “Honestly, everything has happened in such a whirl. I’m trying to take it one day at a time right now and be grateful for what I have.”

She nodded, but her gaze was sly, considering. I watched as she took a sip of her martini because I could feel her gathering the words to speak. “Have you ever considered starting your own firm?”

My heart stopped. “Fleetingly. I never thought it would be a real possibility, at least not anything close to short term.”

“Well, now you are one of the most famous lawyers in the country. Most fourth-year associates don’t end up on the front page ofThe New York Times,” she pointed out.

I blushed slightly. The paper had featured a photo of Dante lifting me in his arms and kissing me savagely in the middle of the courtroom after Judge Hartford had declared the mistrial. The heading readMafia Lord & Lawyer Claim Victory And A Happily-Ever-After. It was stupid and cheesy, a gimmick to sell copies, but it worked.

Apparently, today’s issue was one of the bestselling in the past two years.

I guessed everyone loved a good love story.

And I had to admit, ours was the best.

“I only ask because I want you to consider opening a firm with me,” Yara continued calmly as if she wasn’t blowing my mind. “I want to focus on female lawyers and criminal law. We just defended a notorious mafioso, so we have to go into this knowing we would attract a certain kind of clientele…” She studied me with her rich brown eyes. “But I have the feeling you don’t see life in such stark black and white as you used to.”