twenty minutes and yo
, "I'm having fun. You
h her energy all the time. Definitely not
uff. Even when she's sober as a judge, Jorden is a te
r as long as I've known her. She was raised by a single mom off food stamps, workin
does deserve a br
"I'm gonna go find another drink
Fine. But if you find me grinding up on some hot y
cheek. "I hope I find you g
rl. I just might. I
I put on a brave face while Jorden was watching, but as soon as I find a bathr
k to a place like this, around people like this... I
f here, I'm going to d
y neck, my palm comes away
ust a couple more hours, then the clock will strike mi
nig
almost
ty. Through the distant double doors, I catch a brief glimpse of Jorden in the crowd. B
nies it. "Hey t
eting to a rumpled man with a damp fo
ight smile and retre
words are breathy, arriving on a cloud of a
that's nice of you. I'm f
doesn't show it. He steps closer, his bell
eflexively. "He's getti
second and then c
because he's so certain. "I don'
e rest of them." He says it with more of that
sit and discuss with this charming fellow.
g my path. "Everyone is here for Ivan, but I'll show you wh
ve literally no idea what you are talking about. You probably
weaty, meaty ha
it's like paying attention to a dripping faucet whe
opping things. Married men leave their phone numbers on the receipt; friendly-lookin
gs, knows that there are two choices: you can take it all on the chin and keep your job-or you can live out the fa
m the wro
motherfucker who
V
ut of my fu
've ever met. And the next, and the next. For a bunch of scumbags and
he furthest thing
under my roof tonight is here
me to
ster, cousin, mother, whoever, they aren't too particular. They j
f them. We have the money. The power. We decide who gets what and when, and the
ll be the death
friend and right-hand man, as he snares a
ll be the death
ue. That sister of yours owes you one for
e does,"
nt. I wouldn't be here, subjecting myse
ffing half a dozen decent marriage proposals in order to elope with a lowly Bratva foot soldier? It's blasphemy in the eyes of the old bastard
That being said, I'm not exactly big on the concept
not be doin
. I'm marrying to take the heat off my sister's transgressions. I'm marrying to
othing to
oned by years of fighting alongside one another to be ready for whatever comes nex
none of that
t, at
nos is his name, I think. He's coarse and sloppy, which matches his reputation. Even now, his eyes are rolling
hands to yourself
hrough clumsy lips. "I wa
bbing m
," he mumbles. "You don't
now you did not jus
ein' a bitch, no
s the face with a vicious slap. Those freewheeling eyes of his go
his unkempt smile twists
imp and harmless. He goes to paw her again. She tries to bat him off, but he's bigger and stronger
hat, I've
l be damned if this inebriated moron is going to
do far too much of that. I could
ly capable of ripping thi
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