White Knight (Dirty Mafia Duet, #2)(28)

“Ha! I bet you do, doll.” He wheezes through a chuckle. “I bet you do.”

“Benny . . . tell me you’re not rolling in from Florida to steal Cannon’s girl. He fought hard for her, snagged her right out from beneath my nose.”

Dom’s low, rough voice pierces my levity, and I school my body not to stiffen. Benny releases my palm and turns to offer the mob boss his hand.

“Dominic. Seventy don’t look half bad on you.” Benny lifts the glass dangling from his free hand. “Cheers to making it beyond an early grave. It’s good to see you, my friend.”

“We’ll let you two catch up,” Cannon says, guiding me away from them. “We’ll find you later, Benny. I’d love to hear more about where you got that shirt.”

“Smartass kids these days. Should’ve beaten you more when I babysat,” Benny jokes with a lift of his chin.





19





Cannon





I guide Memphis away from Benny and Dom as the restaurant fills to capacity. Andre’s is your typical old-school Italian joint in the city, complete with red-and-white gingham tablecloths, brass fixtures, candles in little red glasses, and the scent of fresh basil and tomato sauce hanging in the air.

Dom’s been coming here as long as I’ve been alive, as far as I know. He used to bring my mom here every Wednesday for lunch or dinner, and they’d sit in the back corner booth, where Dom did plenty of business—but never on Wednesdays. Wednesdays were always sacred for him.

I remember coming here with my mom as a kid too. But we always sat in the front, away from any mob business. It was her way of making sure Dom saw me, trying to get him to take an interest in me.

It worked too. When she passed, he inherited me like a bad debt. But I never lived with him. No, none of his illegitimate children were allowed into his home because of how his wife would react.

Yes, that’s right. Dom had four secret bastard children, with four different women, while married to the same one the entire time. And his wife never once got pregnant before she died.

Karma’s a bitch.

“Who’s that woman staring at us?” Memphis asks, and I drag myself out of my trip down memory lane’s back alley to follow her subtle stare across the room to the woman who isn’t subtle about her staring at all.

Greer Karas. Or rather, Greer Westman. “That’s Creighton’s sister,” I tell her, meeting Greer’s gaze and giving her a subtle nod. “And no, she and I aren’t related at all. Technically, she’s Creighton’s half sister. The other half.”

Memphis tips her chin up at me, and her contacts slip to reveal a flash of aqua as she blinks. “Wait. What?”

I squeeze her hip and guide her toward the bar so she can replace her melted and only half-finished drink. “I should’ve given you a rundown on the twisted family tree before we came. Dom has four kids. We’re all half siblings, even if we didn’t all know it for most of our lives. Creighton and I are a few months apart. Cav is younger. He’s Greer’s husband, and you’ve definitely seen him before. He’s a Hollywood hotshot now.”

“Whoa. Whoa. Whoa. Cav. Like Cavanaugh Westman? How the hell didn’t I know he was Dom’s kid?” she whispers, and I’m thankful for the conversations and effusive greetings going on all around us, because Memphis’s whisper might qualify as borderline yelling in her shock.

“Because there aren’t any records you could dig up in your investigation. Not for any of us, except maybe Eden. She’s the youngest by a lot. Dom was probably more a dad to her than anyone.”

Quickly, Memphis slips that mask she’s so damn good at using over her shocked face. “Okay, okay. I did find an Eden. And then Creighton. And you. But not a famous Hollywood actor.” Her head swivels as I place an order with the bartender for both of us.

“He’ll be near Greer, if you’re looking to get a glimpse of the superstar.”

Memphis’s gaze swings right back to me, and it’s with a healthy dose of side-eye. “I’ve interviewed plenty of celebrities. I’m not going to be starstruck. I just want to get a look at him in person to see if there’s any resemblance between you two.”

“Riiight,” I reply with a roll of my eyes. “He’s married. So, of course that’s it.”

Memphis reaches out to grip the knot of my tie. “Listen up, Danger. I’m only hot for you. Got it? Not some stuntman turned Hollywood heartthrob.”

A throat clears behind us, followed by a giggle. “Good to know I don’t have any competition for my husband.”

Immediately, I lift my gaze to collide with Greer’s. “It’s been a while. You still hate me?” I ask, knowing her answer could go either way.

Back in the day, I was ordered to intervene in Greer’s life when she and Cav were getting involved. It was an odd situation, considering I was taking Creighton’s and Dom’s orders at the same time, and Cav was ignoring everyone’s. Not that Cav had answered to Dom in years.

I envied Cav and the freedom that his stardom afforded him. It just put him further out of Dom’s reach and sliced most, and then all, of the strings tying him to our negligent father.

Growing up, Cav and I barely knew of each other’s existence. He definitely didn’t know I was Dom’s bastard too. I can only assume Creighton has told Holly, Greer, and Cav by now.