Page 80 of Deathless & Divided

“Sorry, I shouldn’t have said anything,” Lily told Evelina, wiping the mess from her friend’s face again.

“Nothing I don’t already know.” Evelina glanced in the direction Damian had gone. “He watches you a lot, Lily.”

“Does he?”

Lily didn’t notice. She’d been so busy the last week trying to keep Evelina entertained and working on details for the wedding that her focus was spread thin enough as it was. She figured she might as well enjoy her wedding day—it would be the only one she got in her lifetime—and decided to have what she wanted instead of letting someone else pick for her.

Evelina and Abriella helped a great deal. Even with this whole … mess. Lily appreciated them more than she could adequately explain.

“A lot,” Evelina repeated quieter. “I know you’re not agreeable to marrying him and all that.”

“I’m okay with him,” Lily admitted. “But I don’t like the rest or not knowing why.”

Evelina nodded. “Makes sense.”

“I got lucky.”

“Because he likes you?”

“Because my brother cared enough to pick someone I wouldn’t be able to hate,” Lily said, finally starting to figure it out.

“Dino always was sneaky like that.”

Lily laughed but sobered quickly. “Enough of this, huh? Let’s talk about something different.”

Evelina shook her head. “No, this is good. I don’t want to keep crying.”

Lily snagged her friend’s hand with her own and held tight. It was the best thing she could offer Eve. “I’m here.”

“I know—”

“You!”

The angry, vicious shout came from inside the hall. Lily flinched at the vitriol and violence in the one word. She released Evelina’s hand and peeked out of the entryway to see men and women flooding out from the church’s main doors.

Terrance Trentini stood with Lily’s uncle and other men she didn’t recognize. His hands were high in the air and his head bowed low. The Outfit boss was dressed fit for the funeral in all black along with his grandchildren. Abriella, Alessa, and Joel said nothing, but it was clear they were uncomfortable when they took a step back from the yelling. Riley Conti stood ten feet away, his face red and his hands balled into tight fists. His entire body shook with tremors. The grief he must have felt wafted off him heavily.

“You,” Riley hissed again.

Evelina stood beside Lily in the doorway, a crease marring her brow. “See, he’s so angry.”

Lily didn’t say a word.

Adriano took a step toward his father with a hand outstretched. Riley jerked away from his son, pointing a finger at his boss with hatred coating his next words.

“You bastard! I don’t want you here. We don’t want you here. I never—”

“Riley, come on,” Tommas said.

“Shut up,” Riley barked, turning back on Terrance. “I asked you for one thing, Terrance. One!”

“I don’t know if it was the Poletti boy’s family or not,” the boss said quietly. “And this is not the time or place for this discussion, Riley.”

“One thing, Terrance, and you couldn’t do it.”

“I will not start a war when the facts are unclear!”

Riley scoffed, dark and broken. “Was it worth it?”