Page 74 of Wounded King

I snort. "Is that the best you can come up with?You weren't?"

She shrugs, "Life is dangerous. Scott could have bored you to death. You could have gotten in an accident on your way here. You could stick yourself with an HIV infected needle. There's always cancer or a brain tumor that could get you."

"Scottdidbore me to death." I concede her point, and she grins.

"Finally! I've told you that from day one."

She turns serious, "So you're going to stay single for the rest of your life, because of your mom?" Only Pippa can make the wordsyour momsound like she's talking about a garbage can. "I'm sorry, I missed the part where you were sanctified."

"Haha." We've had that conversation a few times. Every time a guy hit on me, actually. Unless he was a bore like Scott—and those guys don't hit on you, you make the first move—I always said,too dangerous. My mom will have a heart attack.

"No, seriously. How long will you allowherto ruin your life?"

Have I mentioned that Pippa is not a big fan of my mom's? Come to think of it, she's never really gotten along with any member of my family. Well, maybe my brother. She can tolerate Sebastian on good days. She thinks my brother-in-law Lee is an asshole with a large L for loser on his forehead and says Elaine is a coward who hides behind her husband. Mostly, it's my mom that she can't stand. And the feeling is mutual. Mom thinks Pippa and I haven't seen each other in years. A lie I told her one day when… Huh. I reallyama coward when it comes to my mother.

"Look, I'm not happy about the idea of you stepping into alife of danger," she says with air quotes as she shakes her head and rolls her eyes, "but honestly, honey, I have never seen you as animated as you were when you were working forhim."

If she's trying to make me miserable, it's working.

"Still, Pippa, I was almost killed in his hospital room. He's amobster," I whisper the last word behind my hand, and the rest of my next sentence, "he kills people."

"You said he's hot," she shrugs as if that's all that matters.

"Have you watchedCasino?" I throw at her, knowing very well that she has. As a matter of fact, we watched it together. Just like we watchedThe Godfather, Goodfellas, and whatever other movies she could dig out. That girl is seriously obsessed with the mafia. It might have been a mistake opening my heart to her.

"So what's your point?" She wants to know.

I roll my eyes. "Remember Sharon Stone's character?"

"Now that broad was seriously messed up," she nods.

I take a deep breath.

"My point is, what happens if he gets tired of me?"

"You think he's going to bury your body somewhere in the desert?"

"Well, not exactlythe desert," I admit, because desert is hard to come by around New York. "The Hudson, maybe."

She becomes more serious. "Do you think he would?"

"No," I concede.

She throws her arms in the air in a generalI give upgesture.

Just then, I notice a guy in a dark suit walking to the bathroom. Another one of the men Marcello must have hired to keep tabs on me. I snicker and text Luciano.

Me:

You guys seriously need to work on your stalking skills.

"Did you completely mess this thing between him and you up?" Pippa asks.

"I don't know."

"Then go grovel."

I pour more wine. "I don't grovel, Pippa."