Page 139 of Savage Empire

“Elio,” I chirp, replying happily. “I need your help.”

“Is something wrong?” he asks, immediately on edge.

“What? No.” I chuckle, hearing him sigh with relief. “I need your help with a shopping thing.”

“Shopping?” he echoes, sounding uncomfortable. “That’s really more of an Armani thing,birichina.”

“Car shopping,” I clarify, lifting a brow at Apollo. He doesn’t look fazed.

But I can practically hear the grin on Elio’s face as he replies, “Well,thatI can help with. What are we looking for? You want something other than the spare we gave you?”

“Apollo instructed me to spend money,” I explain with an innocent smile. “Care to help me make him regret it?”

Chapter Thirty-Seven

Rayna

The pink chrome Lamborghini is fucking beautiful, even if I’m a little too scared to drive it just yet. And the six-hundred thousand dollar price tag should get Apollo to shut up about money for a little bit. I don’t know why I enjoy defying him so much, but I suppose giving him exactly what he’s asked for is a new strategy.

I’m quite pleased with myself for this idea.

“I feel honored to be a part of this little mission,” Elio tells me, putting my new baby into park. “But if you’re expecting him to freak out, you’re going to be disappointed. He’ll probably be just as pleased as you look right now.”

My smile drops. “You don’t think I spent enough to make him mad?”

He chuckles, patting the top of my knee. “Rayna, you’d need more than a day to spend enough money to shake him.”

“Then what the heck did I do this for?” I ask, throwing my arms up. “This was supposed to be me making him eat his demands.”

“You had fun, didn’t you?” he challenges, arching a brow. “You like ticking him off and pushing his buttons, but you also enjoyed spending the money. You almost bought two, I saw you eyeing that Rolls Royce.”

“It was white,” I mutter, ignoring his other point.

“You could have had it wrapped.”

“I’m impatient.” I huff, grabbing my door handle to get out. “I did have fun though. Do you think Apollo could pretend to be upset with me? If I have to see his smug little smile, my mood will beruined.”

“You two have the weirdest way of flirting with each other,” he says with a laugh, getting out of the car with me. “I never know if you’re going to rip each other’s heads or clothes off at any given time.”

“You’re the only person who would call it flirting.”

“That’s just because I know you two the best.”

I huff, folding my arms while glancing at him. “That’s debatable.”

I’m not sure who I could argue knows us better. There’s only a few people I would consider close to both me and Apollo. Maybe Leon, but Elio is around us more often, I think.

“Holy shit, Rayna!” a new voice exclaims. My head snaps to the side, finding Yordan jogging out of the Moretti home. “Did you buy yourself a fucking Lambo?”

“How do you know it’s not Elio’s?” I ask, throwing him a teasing grin.

“It’s your favorite color and Elio already has one of these,” he answers, coming to a stop at the new car. His eyes scan the vehicle with peaked interest, and something akin to approval.

“Maybe I bought it for you,” I suggest coyly, lips curling up on one side. “Or maybe it’s an engagement gift for Apollo.”

Yordan bursts into a hearty laugh. “Oh, I’dpayto see you give him this.”

Elio snorts in reply. “I wouldn’t. He’d drive it around without a single fuck given. No one would dare to comment on the color of Apollo’s car.”