18. Damian

18

Fuck.

My heart sinks as I see Scarlett making a beeline toward us, her eyes narrowed and a saccharine smile plastered across her face. I mentally kick myself for not listening to Edo's advice. He warned me that it wouldn't be a good idea.

Fuck.

"Damian, darling, what a lovely surprise!" Scarlett coos as she approaches, leaning in to air kiss my cheeks. Her eyes flicker over to Alexis, who shifts uncomfortably under Scarlett's overtly hostile gaze. "And who is this?"

Fuck.

I swallow hard. "This is Maria. She's a cousin visiting from out of town."

Scarlett's brow furrows as she looks Alexis up and down appraisingly. "You've never mentioned having cousins before."

"Well, you never asked," I reply with a tight smile, trying to keep my tone light.

Scarlett's eyes glint dangerously. "I suppose I didn't. How… interesting." She steps closer to Alexis, who unconsciously leans back. "It's so nice to meet family. We simply must get together for dinner soon, Maria. You, me, and the Chihuahua, Natalia."

The thinly veiled threat in Scarlett's sugary words makes my stomach twist into knots. I should have listened to Edo—bringing Alexis around my unhinged ex-fiancée is a huge fucking mistake. Now we're both caught in Scarlett's viper-like glare, and I have no idea how to extract us.

My heart pounds as Scarlett turns her full attention to Alexis, studying her intently. "You know, you look awfully familiar," Scarlett muses, tilting her head, studying Alexis like a predator would its prey.

Alexis opens her mouth, no doubt with a million curious questions about who this unhinged woman is. But thankfully, seeming to sense the tension, she stays silent.

Cold dread grips my chest. What if Scarlett actually looked at the picture Mario has of Alexis? If Scarlett recognizes Alexis…

I'm ready to have a damn heart attack right here. This had been an incredibly foolish risk to take.

Alexis appears to try to defuse the situation, extending her hand for Scarlett to shake. "It's nice to meet you…"

Scarlett lifts her hand, and I see the glow of a knife in her fist before Alexis does.

Before Scarlett can even move toward Alexis, I jump out of my chair and yank Scarlett's arm, twisting her wrist back. Alexis screams and throws herself backward, knocking her chair over.

The waitstaff gasps, and a handful of men jump up from their booths.

Scarlett spins around, moving faster than me, and lifts the knife so it is pressed against my carotid artery.

Multiple men raise their weapons, half pointing guns on me, half pointing them at Scarlett. There is a moment of tension, and then Scarlett and I smile at each other.

I ignore Alexis's confused look as I lean down and kiss Scarlett's hand that's holding the knife. "You're still faster than me at that, I see."

"Always, baby," Scarlett croons, retracting the knife. "You know how much I love knife play."

Yeah, don't I fucking know it. It used to freak me the fuck out how Scarlett wanted to be tied up and nipped with the tips of knives. I like kinky shit too, but Scarlett's idea of foreplay was beyond the pale.

We need to get the fuck out of here.

But before I can make a move, Scarlett drags over a chair and plops herself down at our table. "Well, since we're all here, we might as well have dinner!" she announces brightly, though her eyes glitter with malice.

I want to groan. This is going to be a nightmare.

True to form, Scarlett proceeds to mostly ignore Alexis, instead monopolizing the conversation by reminiscing with me about old times.

"Remember that weekend in Cabo, Damian? When we danced until dawn and made love on the beach?" She reaches across and puts a possessive hand on my arm. I stiffen, shooting an apologetic look at Alexis, who is bright red and staring down at her plate, her lasagna barely touched.

"Or that time in the Dominican when we went skinny dipping in the moonlight?" She traces a finger along my arm. "Those were such magical nights."

Goddammit.

A muscle twitches in my jaw, but I keep my expression impassive. I have to be the picture of the unflappable Mob Boss.

"Those were different times," I state coolly, gently shrugging off Scarlett's wandering hand.

Scarlett waves a dismissive hand. "Oh, don't be such a stick in the mud in front of your cousin." Scarlett shoots Alexis a scathing look, her blue eyes icy. "Unless Maria here is some uptight little church bitch?"

Alexis's blush deepens, but she remains silent, shoulders tense. My eyes narrow infinitesimally at the insult, but my voice remains even. "My cousin is a lady who deserves respect. Watch yourself, Scarlett."

A flash of irritation crosses Scarlett's face before her saccharine smile returns. "Of course, of course. We're just having a little fun reminiscing, aren't we?"

Before I can respond, she launches into a graphic story about our past debauchery in Venice, making sure to throw in every sordid detail.

I keep my face an inscrutable mask even as Alexis squirms uncomfortably beside her. I will not give Scarlett the satisfaction of seeing how repulsed I am by her.

"Such romance and passion we had!" Scarlett gushes with a wistful sigh, oblivious to Alexis's deepening mortification. "Don't you miss that, baby?"

My voice is steel. "Those days are gone, Scarlett. Best we stay in the present, don't you think?"

My eyes bore into hers with an intensity that finally, finally gives her pause. For a beat, Scarlett looks chastised and slightly unnerved by my unruffled demeanor. But she quickly recovers with a bitter laugh. "You're no fun anymore, Damian."

As she launches into another R-rated tale from our past, I fight to keep my expression bland and unbothered. I'm the picture of cool indifference, not letting Scarlett see how deeply she's twisting the knife.

Alexis grimaces at Scarlett's tale from my past, clearly trying and failing to keep her composure. Her hand shakes, clumsily knocking into her water glass and nearly sending it toppling.

"Everything okay over there, Maria?" I ask evenly, even though I'm concerned.

She nods quickly, flashing me a tight smile that doesn't reach her eyes. It's painfully obvious that she's deeply uncomfortable, despite her attempts to hide it.

Scarlett watches the exchange with a sickly sweet look of faux sympathy. "Aw, are we making poor little Maria blush with our grown-up talk?" She flutters her lashes in mock innocence. "I forgot what a delicate flower you are."

The jab hit its mark and Alexis's cheeks burn crimson. My jaw ticks, but otherwise, my expression remains unreadable. Inwardly, I'm seething at Scarlett's bullshit.

For her part, Scarlett looks utterly delighted at having rattled Alexis so thoroughly. She aims another barb her way, no doubt hoping for an angrier reaction to feed on.

But Alexis stays mute, eyes downcast as she shrinks into herself. After a moment, Scarlett's grin fades into a petulant pout at being denied the show she wants.

"Ugh, you're no fun," she spits before she turns to me, her blue eyes like ice chips. "You know, I don't care whether she's your cousin or not. Get rid of the third wheel."

I tense, caught between wanting to protect Alexis from Scarlett's jealous rages and not blow Alexis's cover. Even though Scarlett thinks she is just my cousin, her irrational jealousy is flaring up dangerously.

I have to get Alexis out of here, away from Scarlett's increasingly unhinged behavior. Keeping my expression neutral, I pull out my phone and send a discreet coded text to my driver to come around the back entrance immediately.

When I look back up at Alexis, the hurt and confusion are plain on her face. She searches my eyes, clearly wanting an explanation for why I'm seemingly discarding her. Steeling myself, I slip into my Mob Boss persona—cold and aloof.

"Maria," I say coldly. "It's time for you to leave. My driver will escort you out."

Scarlett looks delighted at my brisk dismissal, smirking victoriously.

Moments later, my driver appears at Alexis's side, giving a subtle nod. Scarlett waves a mocking goodbye as the driver leads a bewildered Alexis away.

But as she leaves, Alexis turns back, and the hurt, confused look on her face is like a punch to my gut. I force myself to remain stoic, but it takes every ounce of restraint.

The second she disappears from view, my icy mask cracks. My chest feels hollow with self-loathing. I had just so convincingly written off and dismissed Alexis to appease my psychotic ex.

But it's all for her safety. If Scarlett figures out that "Maria" is actually Alexis Hartley, there's no telling how far her jealous rage would take her. If she realizes I'm harboring their target right under their noses, she would turn Alexis over to her father in a heartbeat.

The consequences don't bear thinking about. If The Brotherhood got their hands on Alexis, she would disappear forever, lost in a trafficking underground, never to be seen again. I can't allow that to happen, no matter how much it kills me to push her away.

Scarlett slides her chair up closer, her smile saccharine sweet. "There, that's better with the dead weight gone."

I barely hear her words over the wave of nausea. This evening, meant to be romantic, has become an utter failure thanks to my inability to keep Alexis safe.

The betrayal in Alexis's eyes haunts me.