Page 83 of Bellini Bound

“What’s your spending limit?” Summer asked.

I fought hard against a smile. “Don’t really have one. Enzo basically instructed me not to come home without forking out an outrageous amount to win something; he doesn’t care what it is. Oh, and I’m required to writeMrs. Enzo Bellinievery time I make a bid.”

“Caveman, just like his cousin,” she mused. “But I’m kinda here for it.”

“Me too,” I confessed, and we burst into a fit of giggles.

After sharing our top choices of auction items, so we weren’t bidding against each other, we split up, making a plan to meet at the bar for a round of mimosas once we were finished.

If someone had told me six months ago that I would be casually making five-figure bids on luxury experiences on a random Tuesday afternoon, I would have thought they were crazy. But my life had taken a sudden turn no one saw coming when I went from Allie Logan to Mrs. Enzo Bellini in the blink of an eye, and this was where I found myself.

Just as I finished my bid on box seats to see my favorite musical, a familiar voice whispered, “Allie.”

I spun around, my eyes going wide when they landed on the woman it belonged to. “Mom? What are you doing here?” She certainly didn’t fit the profile for an event that was five hundred dollars a plate, with the expectation of a massive donation in person.

“Cynthia Ellington invited me,” Mom explained. “She’s the fundraising chair for the Chi-town Urban Youth Foundation.”

The mayor’s wife. Now it made sense. Since my father’s position was appointed by our city’s highest elected official, my mother made it a point to get chummy with their spouse.

She grabbed my wrist, hauling me to the edge of the ballroom. “Why haven’t you been answering my calls?”

I wrenched out of her hold, taking a step back to put space between us. “Because we have nothing to say to each other.”

Mom clicked her tongue before chastising me. “You’re acting childish, Allison. There was no other choice.”

Wry laughter burst free from my chest. “No choice? Are you kidding me right now?”

Glancing around to make sure no one was within earshot, she hissed, “What were we supposed to do? Let them kill your father?”

“It’s not my fault that Dad got into bed with criminals, so how did it become my responsibility to bail him out when he got in over his head?” I shook my head in disgust. “Don’t delude yourself into thinking you’ve kept your family intact, because in choosing to save your husband, you’ve lost your daughter.”

“Your father has people watching the house. He’s tracking the guard schedule, looking for weak points to exploit. He’s going to find a way to rescue you.”

I scoffed. “Tell him to stop wasting his time. Because even if he could find a way inside, which I highly doubt, I won’t be leaving.”

“You don’t understand. We’ve lined up a safehouse. Sure, we’ll have to leave Chicago, but that doesn’t matter so long as it keeps your father alive.”

“My refusal to leave has nothing to do with keeping Dad safe.” I folded both arms over my chest. “I’m making a life with Enzo. We’re happy together.”

A disbelieving noise came from the back of Mom’s throat. “Don’t be ridiculous. You can’t possibly be happy with that—” There was a pause before she spat, “Thatthug.”

The insult was hurled with so much venom that I reared back.

Then from behind me came, “Excuse the fuck out of you?” Summer stepped up to my side. “Where the hell do you get off, lady?”

My mother didn’t back down. “I don’t know who you are, but this is none of your business.”

“Allow me to introduce myself.” Summer extended a hand. “I’m Mrs. Matteo motherfucking Bellini, and I’m not about to stand here and let you talk shit about Enzo, who is one of the best men I’ve ever had the pleasure of knowing.”

The minute the name Bellini flew from my friend’s mouth, Mom sneered at her as if she were a bug she wanted to squash beneath her heel. “Oh, you’re one of them.”

“One ofthem? How dare you?” Summer huffed before she squared up, fists raised. “I think you need to get the hell out of here before I kick your ass in front of all your fancy friends.”

I placed a hand on Summer’s forearm, a non-verbal signal that I had this handled.

“Mom. I want you to listen very carefully,” I began. “I am Enzo’s wife. No longer by force, but by choice. He gave me a chance to leave, and I didn’t take it. Do you know why?”

That bit of information stunned her into silence, her mouth opening and closing without any sound coming out.