Tess nearly dropped her fork when her phone buzzed across the table. She grabbed it before it lit up Gina's face where she lay knocked out on the bed.
"Who the hell is calling me at this hour?" she muttered, then froze when she saw the name...
Adrian.
Her first instinct was to ignore it, but curiosity was a disease she'd never managed to cure. She picked up, whispering, "If this is about my girl, she's asleep. You can serenade her tomorrow."
There was a pause, then Adrian's low voice rumbled, "Not her. You. Meet me downstairs. Now."
Tess blinked, "Excuse me? You snap your fingers and I jump? I'm not one of your little minions in black suits. I'm wearing pajamas."
"Five minutes." he said, and hung up.
She glared at the screen, "Bossy ass."
Still, she shoved on a hoodie and slid into sneakers, muttering all the way to the elevator, "This better be good, or dramatic, or both."
The Monarch's restaurant was dimly lit, mostly empty, the soft clink of glasses echoing from the bar, Adrian sat at a corner table like a carved statue, black suit, cold eyes, but she noticed his hand tightening around a glass of whiskey.
"You dragged me out of bed for a drink?" Tess said as she flopped into the seat opposite him, "I knew you were broody, but this is excessive."
Adrian didn't even crack a smile, "I need you to understand who Gina is."
Her smirk faltered, "She's my best friend, my sister in every way but blood. That's who she is."
"You think you know her." His voice softened, the mask slipping, "But Gina's not just some girl who happened to fall into my world. She was born into it, old mafia blood, Adele blood."
Tess let out a sharp laugh, "What, like Adele the singer? Rolling in the deep?"
Adrian's eyes burned into hers, "Adele, as in one of the oldest Italian crime families still standing."
The sarcasm died on her tongue, "You're joking."
"I don't joke." He leaned forward, voice low, "Her father was born into that family, but he ran. He wanted clean hands, a clean life. The family allowed it because he wasn't heir to anything. He had brothers for that. But when Gina was born, they never stopped watching her."
Tess swallowed hard, "So all that weird luck she had, scholarships, that car she won in high school."
Adrian nodded, "Arranged, paid for. The woman who raised her, claiming to be her mother's friend, sent by the Adeles. Her whole life was cushioned by their money and protection, without her ever knowing."
"My goodness!" Tess muttered, reaching for the water glass and downing it like vodka.
Adrian's voice hardened, "And then Marcus..."
Tess snapped her eyes back to him, "Oh, it gets worse with him, doesn't it?"
Adrian looked like the words cost him, "Marcus wasn't an accident. He was planted, sent to seduce her, to keep her within reach. And she... she loved him honestly, believed him. He knew exactly who she was, and he used that. Then his family forced him to marry Jessica after he got her pregnant. Marcus loves no one. He only wanted leverage."
Tess slammed her hand on the table, "That sorry excuse of a man, God, I knew he was trash but I didn't know he was compost."
That was when the chair beside them scraped.
An older man sat down, sharp suit, silver hair combed back, brown eyes deep and steady, so much like Gina's that Tess's chest tightened. He carried himself like he owned the room, like he could break necks and pour wine with the same hand.
"I see Adrian has loosened his tongue." the man said, his Italian accent rich and commanding, "Good, saves me the trouble," He extended his hand, "Alessandro Adele, Gina's grandfather."
Tess shook it before she could think, "Well, damn, you're real."
Alessandro chuckled, low and amused, "Very real, and very protective." He studied her with sharp eyes, "You love her like a sister, that is why I will trust you with truths I would never place in careless hands."
Tess folded her arms, "Then start talking, Nonno Mafia, because right now I'm spinning."
Adrian almost choked on his drink, but Alessandro only smiled, "The Adele family has ruled for generations. My father's father built empires in blood and steel, but your Gina's father, my son, wanted none of it. He wanted peace, a home without shadows. I let him go. He married, he had Gina, and he thought himself free, but no one is free of blood."
Tess frowned, "So now what? You expect me to babysit her for your family business?"
Alessandro's eyes glinted, "No. I expect you to guard her heart. For she will soon learn that Marcus did not simply betray her. He was sent for her, groomed for her, until he ruined himself with other women."
Tess blinked, "So Marcus's marriage."
"Was a farce, forced, to keep appearances." Alessandro said flatly, "But when word came that Gina carried his child, suddenly she was valuable again. If she bears a son, he will be the only Adele grandson, and that, ragazza, gives him a claim."
Tess stared, speechless for once, then she waved at the waiter, "Two shots, tequila, make it quick."
Adrian sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose.
She downed the first, slammed the glass, "So what you're telling me," she said. "...is my best friend has been a mafia princess her whole damn life and didn't even know it? And her ex was sent to trap her like a damn spider? Oh, no, no, no. She deserves to know."
Alessandro's eyes sharpened, "Not yet. She cannot carry this burden now. It will destroy her."
Tess leaned forward, fire in her eyes, "Destroy her? Lying will destroy her. She's already half-broken because of Marcus. Another secret like this, and she'll combust."
For the first time, Adrian's voice broke through, low and hard, "She deserves the truth."
Alessandro's gaze snapped to him, "You fancy my granddaughter. I can see it in your eyes. But do not mistake desire for authority. I will decide when she is told."
Adrian's jaw clenched, "With respect, Alessandro, I don't need your permission. I'm being polite. But if it comes down to it, we are equals in power, and you need me to keep her safe."
Silence, then Alessandro sighed, stood, and straightened his jacket, "We shall see. For now, she knows nothing, and you two," his gaze cut between them, "you will keep it that way."
And with that, he strode out, leaving Tess and Adrian in the heavy silence of his wake,
Tess stared at Adrian, still reeling, "So, mafia princess, baby heir, world on fire, and you." she jabbed a finger at him, "you didn't think to mention any of this sooner?"
Adrian's mouth tightened, "Because I was trying to protect her, like you."
"Well, shit..." Tess muttered, grabbing her second tequila, "Looks like I'm in the mob now, too."
Adrian leaned in, his voice a quiet warning, "Then remember your role, you say nothing, not yet."
She knocked back the drink, wincing, "Fine, but if this blows up, I'm blaming you."
He stood, waiting, she got the message, muttered a curse, and followed him toward the elevators,
When the doors slid open, Adrian's hand shot out to stop them. His eyes locked on hers, "Don't let her go to work tomorrow, keep her close."
Tess nodded once, heart pounding, and for the first time, she wondered if she was in way deeper than even she realized.