All Chapters of Cognac Villain - A Mafia Romance: Chapter 1 - Chapter 5

CORAI can’t believe I let my friends drag me out tonight.After an endless shift waiting tables at the diner, dishing out lukewarm enchiladas to ungrateful senior citizens who tip like it’s still the Great Depression, the last thing I wanna do is put on a fancy dress and go to a party.But Francia and Jorden, my fellow Quintaño’s waitresses, insisted. And worse yet, Francia is refusing to let me wear any underwear with this gown I’m borrowing from her.“Visible panty lines in Vera Wang is, like, a sin against God,” she says in a horrified gasp, as if I’m going straight to hell for even suggesting such a thing. “Under no circumstances are you allowed to wear any. Over my dead freaking body.”I don’t even get to argue back, because almost immediately after, she gets nauseous and runs to the bathroom to be sick. I would’ve called it a night, but party animal Jorden isn’t letting anything stop her from getting shmammered.“Nuh-uh. Francia got a stomach bug, but I’ve got the dancing bug,”

But I will not be doing the same.If I’m going to be forced to marry, I’ll be marrying for business. Nothing more. I’m marrying to take the heat off my sister’s transgressions. I’m marrying to solidify the Pushkin Bratva as the preeminent force in the American underworld.Love has nothing to do with it.A sudden sound from behind me draws my attention. Yasha and I turn as one, conditioned by years of fighting alongside one another to be ready for whatever comes next. It wouldn’t be the first party we’ve attended that ends in gunfire and bloodshed.But there’s none of that to be seen.Not yet, at least.A woman I’ve never seen before is baring her fangs at the drunken nephew of the Greek Genakos mafia don. Stefanos is his name, I think. He’s coarse and sloppy, which matches his reputation. Even now, his eyes are rolling in their sockets, loosened by too much of the free booze on hand. His claws are reaching out toward the girl.“Keep your fucking hands to yourself,” she spits at him.“

I’m in an office of some sort. Very masculine, dark palette, brooding. It’s shadowy in here, though there’s light coming through a set of French doors. When I walk over, I realize the attached balcony looks out over the rear lawn. Most of the crowd has shuffled outside, so it’s a maze of bodies. The sound of laughter and clinking glasses rises up to meet me. There’s no sign of Prince Testosterone or his friend.I turn my back on the balcony and fish my phone out of my purse. I press Jorden’s contact and hold it up to my ear. It rings and rings, and then:“Heeeey! Girl, where’d you go? This party is crazy!”Oh jeez. Jorden is blitzed beyond belief. I know that looseness in her voice, that cackle. The girl is D-R-U-N-K. She isn’t coming to save me.I’m all on my own.“Uh, never mind,” I mumble into the phone. “Butt dial. I’m coming to find you. One sec.” I hang up and drop my phone onto the nearby couch.I find a lamp in the corner and click it on. The rip is in the back, so I need to g