Page 111 of Forgotten Sacrifice

“I may have been playing around with the idea.”Thanks to her.

She smiles triumphantly. “What would you name your restaurant?”

“I’ll have to think about it.” A lie, as I already know what I’d name it.

We arrive at Bridget’s apartment, and having learned my lesson, I escort Luna to the door. Aldo catches up with us on the stairs, carrying pizza boxes.

“Non perdere di vista Luna. Se è mezzanotte e non hai mie notizie, portala a casa,” I tell my brother.

“Two a.m.,” Luna counters. “And don’t be a weirdo; your brotherwilllet me out of his sight if I have to pee.”

“She speaks Italian?” Aldo eyes Luna, then me.

I sigh. “Fluently.”

My brother howls with laughter. “See, this is why I needed an invite to dinner. I’ve missed so much.”

“Maybe your nosy ass didn’t get an invite for a reason,” I inform him. “Luna,comportarsi.”

She holds up her paws like a panting dog, and my brother snickers as they’re greeted by Bridget.

I say my goodbyes, walking down the stairs. Luna chases after me, and I pause.

My eyes go wide when she wraps her arms around me. “Are you going to die tonight?” she asks, barely above a whisper

“Do you want me to die tonight?” I skim my nose along her hair, inhaling the sweet smell of apricots.

She looks up at me, eyes guarded. “I haven’t decided.”

“Would you kiss me if you thought I might die?” I cup her cheek, and she leans into my touch. I’ve never wanted to taste anything as bad as I do her mouth.

“Would you tell me your secrets if you thought I might kiss you?” she counters.

I drop my hand. “Go back inside, Luna.”

She huffs. “Be careful, okay?”

“I’ll be fine. I’ve already survived one attempt on my life,” I tease.

“Two.” Something hard pokes into my side.The barrel of my gun.The little con artist swiped it when she hugged me.

I bark a laugh as I disarm her, swatting her ass as she disappears up the stairs and inside the apartment.

Hopping in my vehicle, I check my messages before calling the janitor of the Chess Hall.

“Hey, man. Whatcha got for me?” I ask.

“Wesley threw a fit after his loss to Luna. Overheard him saying some pretty vile stuff about your girl.”

Words may never checkmate Luna, but I don’t play by chess rules. Wesley keeps it up, he’ll find out the hard way. “What about Aspen?”

“She thinks Wesley’s her boyfriend, but I overheard him tell someone else she’s a ‘situationship.’ Kids and their slang.”

“Thanks for the update. Keep your ears open.”

“Will do.”

Ending the call, I feel like the biggest ass. Luna was right: if Aspen is helping Brit Boy cheat and Luna points a finger, three fingers could be pointing back at Luna.