Page 113 of Wounded King

"Honestly," I have to think and shake my head. "Not really."

"Let me guess, it's the houses and furniture." Pippa rolls her eyes.

"You know me so well," I laugh, pulling out a small, black purse from another bag. It looks just as pathetically empty as my closet, even after putting the card and phone Marcello gave me into it.

"I hope you know what you're in for," I warn her, indicating the closet.

"The time of my life," Pippa laughs, taking my elbow and steering me back to the living room, where Alejandro and three men I haven't met yet are waiting for us.

"Miss Violet," Alejandro greets me.

"Just Violet," I correct him for the hundredth time, knowing fully well that I'll have to do it again before the day is out.

"These are Augusto, Bosco, and Vincente. Your guards." Alejandro introduces, pointing from one man to another. In their black suits, they look nearly indistinguishable.

"Nice to meet you," I say, shaking each man's hand.

"Ready?" Alejandro asks.

"Marcello said you'd know where we should go?" I stall.

"No worries, I do." He assures me, and we follow him into the anteroom, which seems packed now with all of us waiting for the elevator.

Outside, a large, black SUV is waiting, and Alejandro opens the door. "I'll sit up front; the other three will follow in a separate car."

"Thank you." I feel slightly silly, out of place, and so out of my element, it's not even funny anymore.

Pippa, of course, not only giggles but seems to fit right in.

"Alright, spill," I turn to her once we're buckled and the car begins to move.

"Spill?" She tries to look innocent.

I tilt my head, and a dreamy expression takes over her features. "He took me on a date last night."

"Shut up," I cry, having a hard time imagining Luciano on a date. He just doesn't strike me like the romantic type. "How was it?"

"Best. Date. Ever." Pippa rolls her eyes for emphasis.

"Where did you go?"

She doesn't lose her dreamy expression when she replies, "The shooting range."

The courtroom is packed with spectators and journalists filling the air with the buzzing sound of many voices and cloying it with the scent of too many eau de colognes, perfumes, and body odors.

My father sits next to his lawyer, looking smug and arrogant as usual. He noticed me a while ago, but he hasn't acknowledged my presence with as much as a nod, which suits me just fine. I'm only here to watch his smug expression fade when he hears the verdict.

I spoke to Toni earlier, and he assured me that he'd handled all of my father's latest little insurance plans, including bribing the state attorney and intimidating several of the jurors.

Toni had also thwarted my father's first attempt at blackmailing Judge Lambert. My father had kidnapped and tortured his daughter, Scarlet, but instead of giving in, the judge turned to Toni for help. I'd stopped my father's second attempt at blackmailing the judge by asking Stephano for help in hacking into his computer. Once there, we found the leverage he had on Scarlet's father and erased the damning coroner's report before sending it to Toni to do with as he pleased. Call it an early wedding present, since Lambert is his future father-in-law.

After leveling the playing field, I'm very certain that good old dad is going in the slammer, and just in case he doesn't, Luciano is ready to put a bullet through his brain as soon as he leaves the courthouse. I haven't gotten to where I am by leaving things to fate. I always have a backup plan.

The constant buzzing in the courtroom fades slowly into the background as I pull out my phone and check on Violet's location. They're insideMaison Étoile, the most prestigious shopping center in New York City, some say in the world. It's an exclusive club with a one-million-dollar annual membership price tag. For that, the fortunate customer will be able to purchase any designer label featured inFortune, as well as clothes and accessories typically only available in Paris and Milan. I called ahead this morning to ensure that Violet and Pippa would receive the best service. I'm already looking forward to having her model all her new clothes and accessories for me,especiallythe accessories.

Maison Étoileis more secure than the Pentagon, and the only place where I will ever allow Violet to go shopping when I'm not around to protect her. I don't need a repeat of the time when Enrico took his fiancée on an ill-advised shopping excursion to the mall. The incident was a nightmare for our families. Roberto tried to have Enrico killed, and in the process, a public shootout took place that left several civilians dead and wounded. And if that wasn't enough, grenades were detonated, causing even more horror. The public was understandably outraged, demanding heads to roll. It was a publicity nightmare, one from which we are still trying to recover. Not very successfully, I might add, what with the meathead Edoardo as our Capo dei Capi. It did, however, open all our eyes to the dangers lurking constantly in the shadows, ready to pounce on us.

My phone vibrates. I'm expecting a reply from Enrico to an earlier message I sent, but I'm pleasantly surprised to see it's from Violet.