Invitation

Liana POV 

By some miracle, I managed to survive. I’m still on that adrenaline high when I walk out of the dressing room with all my cash I made in hand. Even after the house f*e, there’s a lot of money here. Enough that it gives me hope I can actually make my dream come true. A few more weeks of this, and I’llnbe solid.

I nearly smash into a broad chested man in the hall, and he winks at me with a playful smile as he helps me gather the jacket I just dropped.

“Alright there?” he asks in a cheeky Italian accent.“Yes, sorry. I didn’t see you there.”

He flashes a dimple when his lips tilt up. “I liked your routine. You did a great job up there.”

“Thanks.” I smile. “I was a bit nervous, but I think it went okay.”

He offers me his hand. “I’m Rex by the way.”

I shake his hand and offer my name reluctantly. I’m not here to make friends, but it’s pretty obvious this guy is a part of Dante crew. “Damian  and I were just about to grab a bite to eat,” he says. “Would ye care to join us?”

I hesitate, uncertain how to navigate this situation. I need this job, which means playing nice with these guys even though it’s the last thing I want to do. “No funny business.” Rex holds up his hands. “Just dinner. Our treat.”

I offer him a weak nod. It’s not like I can refuse a free meal. Not when I’ve been existing on one a day if I’m lucky. “Okay, I guess dinner would be alright, as long as it’s just dinner.”

He holds up two fingers. “You have my word.”

I follow him to the front of the club where Damian is sitting at the bar. His head is bowed forward, attention on the counter when he senses us approaching him. When he turns to find Rex beside me, his eyes darken and the muscle in his neck twitches. “What’s the deal with her?”

“liana,” I correct him with a glare. Rex smirks. “ Liana here is coming to dinner with us. Isn’t that nice?”

Damian doesn’t seem at all pleased with the idea. His eyes are fixated on me, and he looks like he wishes I would just disappear. I don’t know what his deal is, but he’s got it out for me. I know I should look away and just let it go, but I can’t. There is something about those damning blue eyes that render me immobile. I’ve never felt this kind of tension with anyone else. It’s so raw and intense it makes me feel weird all over.

The edgy silence persists until Rex clears his throat and I’m on the verge of telling them both I’ve changed my mind when Damian grunts. “Let’s get after it then.”

They take me to a place just down the street, an all-night diner that serves round the clock breakfast, and it’s exactly what I need. It has two of my favorite things food and warmth. But just a few minutes after we arrive, I learn there’s something else on the menu.

The waitress seems to know the guys by name, and she offers them a flirtatious smile before her eyes drift over Damian in a not so subtle fashion. Her attention doesn’t leave him the entire time we order, and I find myself wondering if there’s some history there, and then I wonder why I even care.

To my amusement, Damian doesn’t return her warmth. In fact, he never takes his eyes off me, and when the waitress finally does look my way, she can’t hide her displeasure.

When she disappears to put in our order, Rex chuckles under his breath. “You have to give the woman credit. She’s persistent.”

Damian doesn’t laugh or even bother with a reply. There seems to be some tension blooming between the two men, and the conversation remains sparse while we wait for our food. Meanwhile, Damian makes it his objective to toss accusatory glances between Rex and me, but it makes little difference. All I’m concerned with is shoveling the mile-high stack of pancakes I ordered into my mouth when it finally arrives.

When I set down my fork a few minutes later and wipe my mouth with a napkin, Rex laughs and Damian glares. A flush creeps over my face when it occurs to me how crude that must have been. I didn’t even stop to think. I just ate until there was nothing left on my plate. “Must have been hungry,” Rex muses.

“I was,” I admit sheepishly. “Drugs will do that to you,” Damian growls as he slides out of the booth and yanks out his wallet. “I guess it’s my treat tonight.”

I curl into myself as he retreats, and Rex finishes up his plate. “Don’t worry about him. The kid can be a grouchy motherfucker sometimes.”

I glance down at my worn-out Chucks and nod. “I don’t do drugs, just so you know.”

Rex bobs his head like it wasn’t even a question, and then we sit in awkward silence while I try to figure out what to do next. It’s freezing outside, and I’m tempted to use some of my shiny new cash to pay for a hotel room for the night. But I don’t want to dip into any of it. Not when I think of what’s at stake.

“damian and I were thinking about playing some cards tonight.” Rex peers at me over the rim of his coffee cup. “Fancy joining us?”

My fingers tangle together in my lap as I consider his offer. I don’t know these guys from anywhere. The smart choice would be to decline. But logic isn’t as desperate as basic human needs, and the thought of hunkering down behind a garbage can in the freezing cold for the rest of the night has me thinking it might be alright. Even just a few hours off the street would do me some good. Between the cold temperatures and the outfits scouring the city for me, I’m not really in a position to turn it down.

My eyes drift over to Damian, who is still talking to the waitress up at the register. He catches me staring, and I swallow down the weirdness I feel. He offers her a smile like he’s trying to goad me and I turn my attention back to Rex. I only just met them, but I guess I should feel secure in the fact that neither of them seems to want anything from me. “Sure. I guess I could play some cards.”

Damian POV 

Fucking Rex. He pulls this shit just to get his jollies off. The guy can get any chick he wants, but there’s only ever been one he’s head over heels for. Since she’s not around right now, I guess he’s got nothing better to do with his time than fuck with me.

He makes small talk the entire drive back to his place, laying it on real thick with Liana. He asks her what sort of music she fancies and tells her jokes and does all the things that makes him irresistible to women, and I can’t be arsed to participate when he tries to involve me in the conversation.

I don’t want them getting buddy buddy, but I can’t come right out and open my mouth about what’s going on either. Dany asked me to do this quietly for a reason, and I won’t betray that but I can’t say it doesn’t bother the hell out of me to watch Rex turning on his charm and making Liana laugh.

Once we’re inside the house, I last about ten minutes before I can’t stomach another second of it. “I’ve got a phone call to make,” I announce.

Rex arches his eyebrow at me in challenge. He wants me to come right out and say it, like I’ve caught feelings for this girl or something. He best not be holding his breath. I walk outside and stare at my phone, but the whole excuse was pointless because there is no call. I just don’t have it in me to be hanging around with a girl who’ll probably be dead before the week’s end. And I’m not in the sort of mood to stay and watch Rex win her over either. I don’t even really know what I’m doing when I get into my car and drive away, but for now the further I can get from her the better.

I drive around the city and fuck off until the early hours of morning, doing nothing in particular. By the time I get back to Rex house, all the lights are off, and Liana passed out on the sofa. For a minute, I just stand there and look at her. It would make my life a lot easier if I could find a reason to hate her, but right now, I can’t. She’s so young. Too young to be heading for the grave. And she’s too fucking pretty to be hanging out with the lot of us. Shaking her ass up on stage and disrespecting herself to feed her addiction.

A girl like her should be somebody’s wife. She should be safe at home in the kitchen, making delicious meals for her family or going to school. Or, fuck, I don’t know nut she shouldn’t be here right now. She shouldn’t be mixed up with the likes of us, or the outfits, or anyone else this side of Milan.

Regardless of what I said about her earlier, I can’t deny how  beautiful she is. I see it every time I look at her face, and then I hate her for it. She knows it too. She knows I want her to disappear. But I can’t seem tobstop fucking staring at her. Craving something I shouldn’t be craving. I’m not like Rex. I don’t thrive on the attention women give me. I’ve done just fine without a woman in my life or my bed for the last few years, and I’ve no intentions of changing that now but I could make her laugh. I could make her smile at me, if I really wanted to. It’s just that I don’t. I can’t think of her that way. I can’t humanize her when fate has other plans. It’s better if she hates me. It’s better if she thinks I’m an arsehole because in the end, I’ll have no choice.