Chapter 34CANDI

Chapter 34

CANDI

"So, Angelo?" Bianca rounds her eyes like an anime character.

I roll mine. "Yes."

"You know they call him the Angel of Death."

"And they call me a stripper, but he calls me his soul." I peel back the top on the foil container with the lunch Bianca brought for me and take an appreciative sniff.

Cooked wine and mushrooms. Chicken marsala is one of my favorite meals ever and Bianca brings it for me every time we're able to meet like this.

My best friend gasps, warmth filling her blue eyes. "That's so sweet and I can honestly tell you, I never thought I'd say that about Angelo Caruso. He gives me the heebee jeebees."

"Salvatore isn't exactly warm and cuddly."

"But he's hot." Bianca winks. "And he cuddles me plenty."

"Angelo is surprisingly affectionate too. He's always touching me."

"And it doesn't bother you?" Bianca knows about my reticence with men.

We have a lot in common. I'm sure that's why we bonded so fast when she started working here.

At the time I thought it was because we were close to the same age and in the same place in life. Dancing the pole to support ourselves and trying to finish college part-time.

She was on her own by then because the man who'd stepped in to save her had died. I was supporting the woman who had stepped in to save me.

What I didn't know before last month, when things got real between us, is that we both had asshole mafia men for fathers. And we both had traumatic sexual experiences when we were teens because they didn't protect us.

I consider Bianca as much my sister as Cookie.

I bite into the crusty bread that Bianca brought with lunch. "I'm so not going to miss having to forego carbs so I don't go too plus size for the stage."

"Nerissa never said that to you!" Bianca takes an angry bite of her own bread.

I grin. "Back then, she never talked to the dancers at all. No, that was Ugo and Gino. Don't tell me they never gave you a hard time about your curves?"

"Gino was too busy trying to get me to work the backrooms. I guess Ugo used up his asshat tendencies on you." There's a knock on the door and Bianca calls, "Come in."

Nina steps through the portal carrying a tray with a bottle of wine and two glasses.

She doesn't smile, but she's careful when she places the tray on the big desk Bianca and I are using as our table for lunch. "Mr. De Luca sent this with his regards."

Looking at the bottle, I see it's our favorite moscato. We don't usually indulge with lunch, but since I'm not dancing later, I don't mind having a glass today.

Bianca sighs happily. "That man spoils me."

After opening the bottle and pouring each of us a glass, Nina leaves, taking her sulky attitude with her.

"I can't believe she's still not over Gino leaving. It's not like they had a thing." I take a sip of wine and chase it with the perfect bite of chicken marsala. "She wasn't even the only one he had sucking him off for a better schedule."

"She had a crush on him for sure." Bianca makes a face. "I guess it takes all kinds."

"Well, he's not coming back so she needs to move on."

Bianca waggles her eyebrows. "What do you know?"

"According to a source I can't name, but he kidnapped me and drug me back to his boss's lair, Gino died choking on his own dick after having his hands cut off."

"Eww. Gruesome. Did Angelo do it?"

"Not saying he did. Not saying he didn't."

Bianca laughs. "You just did."

"There's probably something wrong with me that I don't feel pity for him."

"Are you kidding? Do you know how many dancers came to me and told me he molested them after he was gone and I took over as talent liaison? He had power over them, and he abused it." She takes a big gulp of her wine. "He deserved what he got."

"Correction, there's probably something wrong with both of us."

"If there is it's because men like Gino destroyed any pity we might feel toward them." She lifts her glass.

I clink mine against hers. "Truth."

"I don't know what I want to hear first, the whole Stefano Bianchi being your father thing, or more details about Angelo, the love angel."

We laugh together, loudly. I reach for my fork and miss it and laugh again. "Clumsy today."

"So, spill."

I tell her about my brothers and my new wealth. "It's so weird not to have to worry about money anymore."

"Pretty sure once Angelo set his sights on you, that became a thing of the past."

"He's behind the foundation. Did I tell you that?" Of course, I called my best friend on Monday and told her all about the kidnapping and my first time having sex.

Now we're talking about everything else that's happened in the last few days.

"That doesn't surprise me. Salvatore would have done the same thing."

I didn't think so the first time I met him, but now I agree with a nod. "Shal…Sal...your husband is pretty cool."

"Something's wrong." Bianca tries to pick up her phone, but can't get her fingers around it.

Clinging to the desk, I stand up. "The wine."

That bitch, Nina. She put something in the wine.

"Get P…" Bianca's voice peters out as she slumps forward on the desk.

I will my body to turn toward the door but my muscles won't listen to me. My vision goes fuzzy and I start hallucinating because I see the wall behind the manager's desk open.

Then everything goes black.