Book 2 Chapter 25
Colton
Jenna stood in front of the mirror, and let out a frustrated breath. She tugged at the fabric, trying to contain her breasts. “Dammit, it’s no use.”
I peered over to her and set my phone on the bed. Getting up, I walked to her and wrapped my arms around her waist. “Calm down, babe.”
Jenna shook her head as she began to cry. “I look terrible. I’m fat and my boobs are about to fall out. This guy is a rich businessman and he’s—”
I spun her around and pressed my finger to her lips. “Shh, sweetheart. It’s going to be just fine.”
“God, what’s wrong with me?” Jenna wrapped her arms around my neck and laid her head on my chest.
“Look at me.” I demanded, “I think you’re beautiful no matter what. Angelo just wants to meet the girls he brought justice for. It’s going to be fine. We’re going to go down there and meet the man. He’s going to eat dinner with us. And then, you know what?”
She shook her head, “What?”
I brought my hands up and cupped her face. “Then, I’m going to bring you back up here and make love to my fiancée. I love you and so will he.”
Jenna and I joined everyone downstairs and met Benjamin’s gaze. I nodded towards Chloe and whispered, “Go catch up with Chloe. I’ll be right back.”
Benjamin looked tired. He had dark circles underneath his eyes and his hair was disheveled. “You okay?”
“Chloe kept me up. She wanted to rearrange the bedroom at two o’clock in the morning.”
“Tell me you didn’t let her lift anything.”
“Hell no.”
I glanced to the clock and sighed, “When is Angelo coming?”
“Should be any moment.”
Benjamin and I stepped out the front door to see a familiar SUV pulling into the drive. Angelo got out with Matteo and Vito, a slender blonde trailing behind them. We met them halfway and shook Angelo’s hand. “Bloody hell, this heat is dreadful.”
“Welcome to Oklahoma. One day it’s hot. The next day it’s cold.” Benjamin chuckled.
Angelo cleared his throat. “You already know Matteo and Vito. This here, is Vivianna, Matteo’s sister.”
“Angelo Valentino.” The blonde hissed, “Quit being a dick.”
Matteo snickered, “You’re the one who married her, boss.”
“Dammit Vivianna, if you would’ve been patient, I was going to tell them. Meet my wife. She’s lovely, isn’t she?”
“Fuck you, Angelo.”
Angelo grabbed her arm and whispered in her ear. Her eyes lit up like Christmas. “Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s go inside.”
“Manners, Vivianna, or do you need a reminder?”
Benjamin cleared his throat and nodded to the house. “Let’s all go inside.”
We led them inside and Benjamin offered them a seat. Angelo and Vivianna sat down, while Matteo and Vito stood. I excused myself and stepped into the kitchen. Jenna and Chloe were looking at the same notebook I saw them with before. “What’s this?”
“It’s her Colton Journal.”
“Colton journal?”
“It’s nothing. Chloe’s making it up.”
“Oh yeah,” I teased, “Then, you won’t mind if I read it.”
Jenna slammed the notebook shut and held it to her chest. “You can’t. It’s—private.”
“I’ll find out what’s inside, babe. It’s only a matter of time. Angelo and his family are here. He wants to meet you two.”
I led the girls to the living room and wrapped my arm around Jenna’s waist. “This is Jenna, my fiancée and this is Chloe, Colton’s sister.”
Angelo sized me up and smirked, “Good to know I’m not the only possessive one.”
Jenna held out her hand and shook Angelo’s hand, “It’s great to meet you, Mr. Valentino.”
“Pleasure is all mine.”
“We’re not so different after all, Benjamin. I just wanted to come by and meet the women I brought justice to. I also was hoping to see Jeff Scott. He’s been dodging my calls.”
“He owns the bar downtown. It’s only about five minutes away.”
“I do fancy a drink. Care to join me Benjamin and Colton?”
“Babe?”
“Go ahead, we’ll be fine.”
“Vito and Matteo will stay here with Vivianna.”
“Boss?” Matteo questioned.
“I’ll be fine. Just make sure Vivianna doesn’t scare the girls with those damn pregnancy stories.”
Benjamin, Angelo, and I pulled up to the bar and stepped out of his vehicle. We entered the bar and scanned the area. Bottles had been smashed and Jeff was passed out at a table. I raised a brow at Benjamin, but he shook his head. Angelo was the first to speak. “This is normal, yes?”
“No.”
Benjamin shook Jeff and whispered, “Wake up. You’ve got company.”
Jeff raised his head and opened his blood-shot eyes, croaking out. “Amber—she—I—”
“What happened?”
“She’s gone.”
“What do you mean gone?”
“I—I told her the truth. I told her—”
“Told her what?” Angelo asked.
“I told her I used to work for the mob.”
Angelo sighed and ran his hand over his face. “Where did she go?”
Angelo was about to say something when his phone went off. “What is it? You’re certain? Okay. We’ll be there soon.”
“Come on, Jeff let’s get you out of here.” Benjamin said, slumping his arm over his.
“That was Matteo on the phone. Apparently, a girl named Amber showed up in tears. I’m assuming that is the Amber you were talking about.”
“Yes.” I answered.
“He can’t go there. What do we do, Benjamin?” Angelo asked.
“I can hide him in the garage until I figure it out. Then, what?”
“I don’t know. We’ll just have to figure it out as we go along.”
Angelo pulled up to Benjamin’s house and helped sneak Jeff into the garage. He sighed, “I can’t help but think this is my fault. I have been trying to get Jeff to come manage one of the clubs in Vegas. He never returned any of my calls, so I assumed he wasn’t interested.”
Benjamin shook his head, “Amber can be—what’s the word? A little dramatic.”